New Systematic Review of Peer Mentoring in Criminal Justice: Why Lived Experience Matters

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Brierley, A., Best, D., McDermott, D., & Woodfield, R. (2025). Peer mentors and desistance: A systematic literature review and synthesis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 52(7), 1128–1147. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548241313387

Key Takeaways

  • This systematic review finds consistent evidence that peer mentors with lived experience contribute meaningfully to desistance-related processes, particularly through subjective changes such as hope, identity shift, trust, and motivation.
  • Across studies, benefits accrue to both mentors and mentees, though effects on reoffending are less consistently demonstrated.
  • The review also shows that criminal justice systems lack a shared definition of what constitutes a peer mentor, complicating evaluation and comparison. Relational credibility rooted in shared experience emerges as central to effectiveness, while weak role recognition and organizational tensions remain persistent barriers.

Introduction

Peer mentoring has become a prominent feature of criminal justice reform, driven by the belief that lived experience can support desistance, the gradual process through which individuals cease criminal behavior, more credibly than professional expertise alone. Brierley and colleagues (2025) situate their review within policy efforts to reduce reoffending among prison leavers, noting that despite widespread adoption, evidence remains fragmented and conceptually unclear.

Methods

The authors conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and a meta-ethnographic synthesis approach. Searches across Scopus, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar identified twenty-seven empirical studies published between 2013 and 2023. Included studies used qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods and examined peer mentors with personal experience of crime or punishment. Study rigor was assessed using a structured, author-developed reliability framework, and findings were synthesized through reciprocal translation to generate higher-order themes.

Results

Three interrelated themes emerged.

  1. Street and Carceral Capital captures how shared experience of crime and imprisonment confers legitimacy and trust.
  2. Conflicts of Warrants to Knowledge reflects tensions between experiential knowledge and professional authority, often limiting peer mentors’ acceptance within institutions.
  3. Growth reciprocity describes mutual gains for mentors and mentees, including reduced stigma, stronger pro-social identity, and increased confidence.

Evidence for reduced recidivism appears in some studies, including small randomized trials, but remains uneven.

Discussion

The review suggests that peer mentoring supports desistance mainly by building trusting relationships and helping individuals develop new, non-criminal identities, rather than by directly monitoring or controlling behavior. Lack of standardized definitions and inconsistent organizational support constrain effectiveness. Subjective outcomes, while often dismissed, appear central to desistance pathways.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

For mentoring programs, the findings point to the importance of clearly defining peer roles, valuing experiential knowledge, and providing sustained supervision and institutional support.

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