"We are the same people, just at different points in our lives": Analyzing the impact of women's lived experience in peer mentorship

There is little research centering on the experiences of women who have been criminalized and utilize their lived experience in their work with women currently experiencing criminalization. This exploratory study applies an intersectional feminist and anti-oppressive/anti-privilege framework to explore how these women support other women, especially during times of COVID-19 affected services. Research demonstrates that women living with criminalization experience oppressive social relations and structural violence. The weakened social safety net and lack of community-based support force women into cycles of incarceration and homelessness. Peer support from women with shared lived experience is known to effectively support women to escape the incarceration cycle. This study investigates whether agencies use peer mentors and if so, how the mentors' lived experience of criminalization impacts their current role. Using purposeful sampling, 57 women-serving agencies across Canada were invited to circulate an online survey regarding the use and effect of peer mentorship. The agencies were also asked to forward a recruitment poster to their employees, volunteers, and contacts for potential interviews. Five women with lived experience of criminalization participated in 30 - 45 minute semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Six major themes emerged from analysis of the survey and interview data: lived experience strengthens empathetic connections, navigating disclosure to service users, lived experience as an asset and challenge in the workplace, peer mentorship is fulfilling work, impacts of the past on current roles, and overcoming barriers. This research demonstrates the unique insight lived experience brings to peer support and the empowering effects for the mentors. The results of this research provide valuable new knowledge that can be used to inform social work practice in supporting peer mentorship and identify areas needing further research.repor