Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program
Each one of our members has undergone a serious process of rehabilitation and board preparation. This need was met by peer collaboration. This issue is very nuanced, and there are so many factors that impact this process. Institutions can be underserved which means they don’t have a sufficient number of groups to serve the inmate population or the groups institutions do have don’t adequately address the criminal causative factors of that population. Our Peer 2 Peer Mentorship Program (P2P)(evidence based practice) serves to address the blind spots in our justice system. There are high rates of substance use within the criminal justice system. Eighty-five percent of the prison population has an active substance use disorder or were incarcerated for a crime involving drugs or drug use. Inmates with opioid use disorder are at a higher risk for overdose following release from incarceration. Despite the World Health Organization recommendations and evidence of effectiveness, few prisoners receive drug and/or alcohol treatment while in prison. Moreover, opportunities for prison-based intervention are often missed; for example, only 11% of US prisoners receive drug treatment (most of which is not evidence-based). The 25-34 year age group is experiencing the most opioid overdose deaths - 17,344 - a 38% increase from 2019, and a 1,312% increase since 1999. Currently, 72% of preventable opioid deaths occur among those ages 25 to 54, and the number of deaths among individuals 55 and older is growing rapidly. Our P2P Program uses Certified Substance Use Counselors to facilitate workshops (our curriculum) which promotes rehabilitation, we provide materials for the men taking these workshops, and through case management set these men & women up for success through the entire parole process, from being found suitable for parole to discharging parole.