13 Empowering Students via Peer Mentoring

A systematic review^[1] conducted on peer education and support in prison shows that peer education interventions are effective in reducing risky behaviors, and recipients of peer support are generally accepting of this peer-to-peer support, which is shown to have a positive effect on recipients. Intriguingly, the strongest evidence of positive effects show up in peer deliverers, rather than the recipients of peer interventions. Peer deliverers reported increased self-worth, self-respect, and sense of purpose. Some felt additional emotional burdens. There is strong evidence that being a peer mentor is associated with positive effects on mental health and its determinants, and this is consistent across a number of peer intervention models.

“This class has been a safe place for people to come together and share their unique lives and stories, and if you allow yourself to expand your horizons, you will find that there is a richness in prison that escapes us all every day, simply because we don’t take the time to listen to others, or even to ourselves. When guys in the class tell their stories, they add to the dialogue of empowerment that is so needed within our lives as prisoners, and which is needed in the community as well.” —Robert, class of Fall 2021

 

Peer mentoring is also associated with civic engagement, which has been listed as one of the key performance indicators for prison education by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). In the reentry sector, we find that many formerly incarcerated people (the ‘wounded healer’) are thriving in organizing, advocating for, and serving those with similar lived experiences. Students who become peer mentors learn important skills and can potentially contribute to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty or trauma when they return to their communities.

As we strive to expand higher education opportunities in prison, it is beneficial to recognize our existing students as potential peer mentors and valuable resources for other or future students. In our tutoring sessions and classrooms, we encourage ample opportunities for students to be peer reviewers for each other’s work. This is not only beneficial to improve students’ listening, critical thinking, and communication skills, but also helps create a community of learning within the classrooms and tutoring sessions.