Summary:
This research investigated whether a peer mentorship program could help reduce recidivism — the likelihood of returning to prison — for people recently released from incarceration. The study was a pilot randomized controlled trial involving 55 men who were assigned either to standard community reentry services or to those services plus peer mentorship.
The peer mentors were individuals with a history of criminal justice involvement and successful reentry, trained in skills such as understanding the justice system, communication, and ethical mentoring. Mentorship focused on five key areas:
Early engagement — starting support before release to build rapport and guide initial reentry steps,
High-quality relationships — promoting empathy and trust,
Criminal desistance — reinforcing adherence to legal requirements,
Social navigation — helping clients manage complex relationships and support networks, and
Citizenship — fostering personal value, ties to community and prosocial roles.
Statistical analysis showed that participants who received peer mentorship were significantly less likely to recidivate than those who only received standard services. Although the trial was small, the results suggest that structured peer support can play a meaningful role in successful community reentry — underscoring the need for larger studies to confirm and expand on these findings.