Citation

Garcia J. Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol. 2016; 60(7): 808-827.

Affiliation

Rutgers University-Newark, NJ, USA Janet.Garcia@rutgers.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306624X14568257

PMID

25583980

Abstract

According to the literature on desistance, the process of reentering society after imprisonment is distinct from the process of desistance as the former is a broader, institutional process that may influence the latter. Scholars have also acknowledged gendered differences in both reentry and desistance processes. Among the array of players in the lives of formerly incarcerated individuals, mentors have become an increasingly popular form of social support in postincarceration programs--particularly for women in reentry. Given the increasing interest in mentoring programs, this study uses semistructured interviews with mentors (n= 10) and clients (n= 11) in a women's postincarceration mentoring program to assess the role of mentors in the reentry process and the desistance process. It was found that mentors aid in these processes by serving as facilitators of change for women who are open to such change and by facilitating in constructive behavioral adjustments.

© The Author(s) 2015.

Language: en