21st April 2010
An article published in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, by Mark Brown and Stuart Ross of the University of Melbourne, has researched the effectiveness and theoretical underpinnings of mentoring programmes, exploring the use of the practice in one project especially which works with recently released women prisoners.
The authors concluded that the mentoring programme attracted a surprisingly positive response from the community, and could be an effective means of "breaking down the barriers of ignorance and fear that exist between the community in general and the minority of its members who go to prison".
Further, they point to the availability of social capital, which could be instrumental in aiding desistance if exploited in an innovative fashion.
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Read the article here.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.