Women’s Words/Women’s Worlds: A New Peer Mentoring Program for Women in Prison

• In Event: The Inmate Code in Prisons and Jails

Abstract

Women’s Words/Women’s Worlds (WOW) is a peer mentoring program for women in prison created by women in prison. WOW pairs women who are newly arrived in prison with women who have long-term or life sentences to inspire these under-served groups with a high-impact peer mentoring program. WOW’s philosophy is that words— and the belief systems they represent— create the world. Using scientific research from criminology, psychology, & linguistics, WOW uses the power of words to create a better world inside and outside prison walls. Women in prison typically have six life experiences in common: extensive trauma/victimization histories, non-violent criminal offenses, limited experience with work that pays a living wage, co-occurring mental health/substance use disorders, dysfunctional interpersonal/communication skills, and unhealthy economic/emotional dependency on men. WOW assists women in becoming peer mentors by focusing on strengths-based, positive leadership opportunities for women, with five primary benefits: [1] free, high-quality, and evidence-based, [2] focused on the two most under-served prison populations, [3] requires minimal staff time commitment while creating a positive prison social climate, [4] covid lockdown-friendly and requires limited movement, and [5] strengths-based, positive leadership opportunities for women.

Authors

• Susan Dewey, The University of Alabama

• Brittany Gilmer, The University of Alabama

• Jennifer Cox, The University of Alabama

• Julie Tennant-Caine, South Carolina Department of Corrections