Understanding the Relational Context of Desistance: The Peer Mentoring of Offenders in Recovery in the North East of England

• In Event: Correctional Based Dog and Mentoring Programs

Abstract

Peer mentoring, as a criminal justice intervention, appears among the least well developed, both theoretical and empirically. As such, this paper presents the findings of an evaluation of a pilot Recovery Support Service (RSS) – a peer mentoring programme for prolific offenders in recovery, in the North East of England – in an effort to clarify the principles of desistance underpinning mentoring, the needs which it seeks to address and the mechanisms by which outcomes are achieved. Indeed, the RSS appears to be a highly effective approach to supporting desistance, with service users supported to achieve the human and social capital needed to desist. Offending data for service users accessing support indicates a 37% reduction in crime during the first six months of engagement, compared to the previous six months, against just a 5% reduction among a control group over the same period. The personal character and experiences of the peer mentor appear critical to success, as well as the relatively high levels of contact between the mentor and service users. However, there are risks associated with this type of intervention for both mentors and service users. A greater understanding of mentor-service user relationships is needed.

Authors

• Adele Irving, Northumbria University

• Sarah Soppitt, Northumbria University