Returning home from prison presents significant challenges, from securing stable housing and health care to finding employment and rebuilding relationships. During National Mentoring Month, the Pennsylvania Prison Society is highlighting new research that underscores the critical role mentoring can play in supporting people through that transition.
A study on the Prison Society’s Building Connection program, published in the November 2025 issue of The Prison Journal, found that the program’s relationship-based mentoring model can be transformative for people returning home from incarceration and offers a compelling example for other reentry initiatives.
“Mentoring is one of the most powerful tools we have for supporting people through reentry and reducing the isolation that incarceration creates,” said Caitlin Taylor, the study’s author and an associate professor in La Salle University’s Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. “The Prison Society’s commitment to relationship-centered mentoring not only strengthens participants’ confidence and communication but also reinforces the essential humanity at the heart of successful reentry efforts.”
A “compelling example” of reentry support
Building Connection begins inside prison, with a five-week workshop series for participants within six months of parole eligibility. Facilitated by Prison Society staff, the group sessions focus on topics like communication, job searching, physical and mental health, and navigating relationships. Participants also have the opportunity to be matched with a volunteer mentor for ongoing support after release.
The program has operated for eight years at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Phoenix and SCI Chester near Philadelphia and expanded to western Pennsylvania at SCI Fayette, SCI Greene, and the Allegheny County jail this past year.
For the study, Taylor interviewed formerly incarcerated participants, surveyed currently incarcerated participants, and observed Building Connection workshops. She found that the trusting relationships developed with facilitators and mentors were integral to supporting participants through the transition from prison to the community.
One former participant described how meaningful those relationships were during reentry:
“I never had a chance to have no positive role models in my life. So [I] jump into the program… I'm still trying to acclimate myself back into society. At times, it be overwhelming,” he said. “So to have somebody like Joe, Andy, Rob [post-release mentor], and be able to zip to him, express to them like, ‘Yeah, life is overwhelmingly hard for me at times.’ So, I'm just glad I was able to make that connection.”
Centering lived experience and continuity of care
A key element of Building Connection is its emphasis on lived experience. At least half of the program’s volunteer mentors—who complete a training process before being paired with a mentee—have been formerly incarcerated themselves or have had close family members in the prison system. A number of mentors previously participated in Building Connection before returning as volunteers.
The program’s prerelease component is also central to its success. Because Building Connection begins during incarceration, participants establish relationships with facilitators and mentors before their release, following a “continuum of care” model that helps smooth the transition back into the community.
By centering lived experience, authentic relationships, and care, Taylor noted that Building Connection challenges punitive norms within the prison system and offers a “compelling example” of reentry support rooted in dignity rather than discipline.
Expanding and improving the program
The Pennsylvania Prison Society is working to expand Building Connection to additional prisons across the state and to adapt the program for different settings, including county jails. At the same time, staff are focused on strengthening support for volunteer mentors.
“It’s going to be different for every mentor–mentee relationship—different personalities, different needs,” said Kirstin Cornnell, the Prison Society’s family and community support director. “We want to build in enough flexibility for those relationships to be authentic, while also making sure mentors have the training and support they need from our staff.”
At the core of Building Connection—and all of the Prison Society’s work—are relationships, Cornnell said.
“We’re entering these relationships on a level playing field,” she said. “Human dignity is what guides how we interact with people.”
Mentors play a vital role in supporting people as they transition from prison back into society. Click here to learn more and to apply to become a mentor.
