The Importance of Positive Social Support During Reentry From Prison: Examining the Role of Volunteer Mentoring

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211059316
• Published date: 01 April 2023
• Date: 01 April 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211059316

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2023, Vol. 67(5) 567 –587

© The Author(s) 2021

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/0306624X211059316

journals.sagepub.com/home/ijo

Article

The Importance of Positive

Social Support During

Reentry From Prison:

Examining the Role of

Volunteer Mentoring

Jean Kjellstrand1, Jordan Matulis1, Arriell Jackson1,

Jo Smith2, and J. Mark Eddy3,4

Abstract

Social support appears to be important in improving outcomes for incarcerated

individuals during the reentry process not only in terms of general wellbeing but also

in gaining employment and avoiding recidivism. Mentoring programs have become

increasingly popular interventions that are intended to provide such support during

reentry. However, research on mentoring programs is limited and tends to focus

solely on the programs’ impact on recidivism, a distal outcome. Through the use of

semi-structured, in-depth interviews, this qualitative study focuses on more proximal

outcomes, exploring how reentering individuals who are receiving volunteer

mentoring through a transitional housing program define successful reentry and

perceive the value of different types of support they received from their mentors.

Participants identified several indicators of successful reentry and discussed the types

of support that were helpful, harmful, or absent. Implications for practice and areas

for future research are discussed.

Keywords

incarcerated individuals, reentry, volunteer mentoring, social support, qualitative

1University of Oregon, Eugene, USA

2University of Auckland, New Zealand

3University of Texas at Austin, USA

4New York University, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jean Kjellstrand, Counseling Psychology and Human Services, College of Education, University of

Oregon, 5251 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.

Email: jeank@uoregon.edu

1059316IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X211059316International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyKjellstrand et al.

research-article2021

568 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 67(5)

Since 1970, the rate of incarceration in the United States (US) has quadrupled (Travis

et al., 2014). Currently, the American criminal justice system locks up almost 2.2 mil-

lion people in jails or prisons (Walmsley, 2018). However in the US, the average jail

stay is a few weeks (Horowitz & Velazquez, 2020), and the average prison stay is

2.6 years (Kaeble, 2018), which means every year an abundance of adults reenter their

communities from incarceration (Sawyer & Wagner, 2020). As they return to commu-

nity life, too often these individuals experience ongoing marginalization and disadvan-

tage (Travis, 2005). Social support, particularly for prosocial behaviors, is one hedge

against these difficulties. Social support during this reentry period has been found to

significantly improve outcomes for individuals, especially in terms of psychological

and physical health, employment, and overall well-being (Bahr et al., 2010; Morenoff

& Harding, 2014). Unfortunately, many formerly incarcerated adults find themselves

with little or no support. Given this, it is not surprising that many end up recidivating

(Durose et al., 2014; Morenoff & Harding, 2014).

Mentoring programs have long been viewed as a way to provide support during

reentry, especially for those with eroded or caustic support networks (Bahr et al.,

2010). Over time, the availability of these programs has waxed and waned. However,

several countries are currently experiencing a resurgence in mentoring programs. For

instance, in the United States, the development and implementation of the Second

Chance Act Funding has led to a proliferation of mentoring programs (Burris & Miller,

2017). In the United Kingdom, peer mentorship is a central component of the

Transforming Rehabilitation agenda (Buck, 2018). Despite this enthusiasm, rigorous

research on the impact of mentoring during reentry is limited. Little is known about

what type or quality of mentoring is helpful during reentry, in what ways, and for

whom. Further, the limited research that exists tends to focus the impact of mentoring

on the distal outcome of recidivism—something that occurs after other things happen

(or do not happen) first—rather than on other proximal or intermediate outcomes that

might mediate the impact of mentoring on recidivism. Lastly, rarely are the views of

those experiencing reentry included in the discourse. This study addresses some of

these critical gaps in our knowledge.

Importance of Social Support and the Potential Role of Volunteer

Mentoring

The beneficial role of social support in the general population has been researched

extensively (e.g., Cohen & Janicki-Deverts, 2009; Thoits, 1995). Social support has

been found to improve both mental health (Rueger et al., 2016) and physical health

(Strom & Egede, 2012) as well as to buffer the harmful impact of everyday stressors

(Ajrouch et al., 2010). Social support is commonly divided by researchers into four

types: companionship, emotional, informational, and instrumental (e.g., La Vigne

et al., 2009; Martinez & Abrams, 2013). Companionship refers to the presence of oth-

ers with whom to engage in shared activities. Emotional support describes support

which assists others through expressed understanding, affection, or otherwise showing

that a person is valued. Individuals provide informational support by offering facts,

advice, or other information. Finally, instrumental support is the provision of tangible