Formerly incarcerated women: exploring the benefits of mentoring in the reintegration process

Purpose: This research project proposed to explore the role of mentorship in the reintegration process of formerly incarcerated women. This study sought to understand the reentry experiences of formerly incarcerated women who have had mentors and those who have not. Participants (N=27) were formerly incarcerated women, 18 years and older who were not currently on probation, parole, or being monitored by any form of authority. It was expected that participants who received some form of mentoring would have had more success reintegrating back into society. The findings concurred that successful reintegration was found not only in mentors, but also in having various mentors and a support system that evolves with the formerly incarcerated women’s path into a new life as her relational needs change, she begins to heal, and transforms into a new person.