Student mentors of prisoners: Contribution of a mentoring program for prisoners

• In Event: Prison Working Group: Factors impacting the quality of life in prison

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of a student program for mentoring prisoners. Mentoring has multiple goals for both prisoners and mentors; this article focuses on its contributions to the prisoners. The program encourages prisoners to think positively and constructively, apply anger management, and learn about the normative society they will enter. Twenty-one prisoners participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews in this qualitative research. The findings show that the students eventually became significant partners for the prisoners, most of whom reported on forming excellent relations with the students, and learning to act more deliberately and less violently due to the students. They also described reducing their self-absorption, expanding their horizons, and better understanding their criminal choices. Some mentioned acquiring more structured worldviews and improving their behaviour. The findings point to significant benefits gained from the prisoner-student interaction in the mentoring framework, and the importance of expanding the program.

Authors

• Ronit Peled-Laskov, Ashkelon Academic College

• Uri Timor, Ashkelon Academic College