Programs That Work: What the Best Prison Mentoring Programs Can Teach Georgia

TL;DR

GPS studied the best prison programs in the country. We wanted to know: what actually helps people change their lives? The answer is clear. Programs that treat people with respect, keep them busy, and give them real skills work best. Some cut violent re-arrest by up to 80%. Others help 85% of people find jobs within 6 months of release. Georgia can learn from these models.

Why This Matters

If your loved one is in a Georgia prison, you know the truth. There are not enough good programs. People sit idle for years with little help to prepare for coming home.

This research shows what’s possible. Across the country, proven programs are helping people earn college degrees, start businesses, and reunite with their families. These programs don’t just cut crime. They give people real futures.

Georgia has some programs in place. The state runs 12 reentry centers with 2,344 beds. But only 346 of those beds are for women. And compared to the best programs in the country, Georgia is falling behind.

Every day without strong programs is a day the state fails the people in its care — and their families.

Key Takeaway: Proven programs exist across the country that dramatically change outcomes for people in prison. Georgia needs to adopt these models.

What Makes a Program Work: Groups, Not Drop-Ins

The best programs don’t let people join at random times. They use what’s called a cohort model. That means a group of people start together and move through the program as a team.

This matters because it builds trust. People hold each other up. They push each other to keep going. They share an identity as a group.

Here are some examples:

• PEP in Texas runs fixed groups of 128 people through a 4-month business program. Each class has 211 volunteers — executives, CEOs, and MBAs — working alongside them.
• Defy Ventures runs a 7-month program in 8 states.
• Bard Prison Initiative runs college classes for 400+ students across 7 New York prisons.
• RSVP in San Francisco houses 44 people together. Longer-term members mentor the newer ones.

Key Takeaway: Programs where people go through the process together as a group are more effective than ones where people drop in and out.

Intensity Matters: The More Hours, the Better the Results

The programs with the best results are the ones that fill the day. They don’t just offer a class here and there. They keep people fully engaged.

RSVP in San Francisco is the most intense model found. People are in the program 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. That’s 50 hours every week for at least 4 months.

The result? Up to 80% fewer violent re-arrests.

PEP in Texas also runs a full-time, 4-month program. People take over 40 exams. They give more than 200 business pitches. They do a 30-minute oral talk to graduate.

These are not easy programs. They demand a lot. But the results prove it’s worth it.

Key Takeaway: Programs with 50+ hours per week show the strongest results, including up to 80% fewer violent re-arrests.

Real Results: Jobs, Degrees, and Lower Re-Arrest Rates

The best programs don’t just measure whether someone goes back to prison. They look at the whole picture.

Here’s what the top programs achieve:

• Defy Ventures: 85% of people find jobs within 6 months. Less than 10% return to prison within one year. The national average is over 40%.
• Bard Prison Initiative: People earn real college degrees — associate, bachelor’s, and even master’s degrees. Their return-to-prison rate is under 4%.
• RSVP: Up to 80% fewer violent re-arrests.
• Credible Messenger Programs in NYC: 57% fewer convictions among young people who had mentors who had been through the system themselves.

These numbers prove that people can change when given real chances. The state of Georgia owes people in its prisons these kinds of chances.

Key Takeaway: When people get real programs, they succeed — with re-arrest rates as low as under 4% compared to the national average of over 40%.

Turning Participants Into Leaders

One of the most powerful findings is this: the best mentors are people who’ve been through the program themselves.

PEP in Texas is the best example. 90% of their staff are program graduates. People in the program teach the next group. They grow from students into leaders into paid staff.

This takes time. The research shows it takes 6 to 18 months of proven change before someone is ready to mentor others.

Other models include:

• Hope for Prisoners in Las Vegas: 18 months as a client, then 6 months of mentor training. They have over 200 volunteer mentors.
• California’s OMCP: People earn a real state drug counselor license. It takes about a year of classes plus over 2,000 hours of supervised work.
• NYC’s credible messengers: Formerly jailed people mentor young people. Their college course has a 97.7% completion rate. 75% earned A grades.

When people who’ve lived it lead the way, others listen.

Key Takeaway: The best mentors are people who’ve been through the system themselves — PEP’s staff is 90% program graduates.

Words Matter: How You Talk About People Changes Everything

Defy Ventures calls its members “Entrepreneurs-in-Training” — never “inmates.” This is not just a nice idea. It changes how people see themselves.

When a program tells someone they are a future business owner, that person starts to act like one. When the system calls someone an “offender,” it locks them into that identity.

GPS has always known this. We refer to people in prison as people. The research backs this up. How we talk about people shapes what they believe is possible.

Key Takeaway: Calling people ‘Entrepreneurs-in-Training’ instead of ‘inmates’ changes how they see themselves and improves results.

Georgia’s Current Programs: A Start, But Not Enough

Georgia has some programs in place. But they don’t match the models that work best around the country.

Here’s what Georgia has now:

• 12 Reentry Centers with 2,344 beds total. Only 346 beds are for women. People get about 6 months of work release.
• O.U.T. (Offenders Under Transition): A 200-hour therapy program in 3 parts.
• Central Georgia Technical College: Runs training centers in 13 prisons.
• “I Choose Support”: A volunteer mentoring program.
• Ready4Reentry: A peer mentor training that got federal funding in 2018.

These are good steps. But compare them to programs like RSVP’s 50-hour weeks, PEP’s business pipeline, or BPI’s college degrees. Georgia’s programs are far less intense and far less proven.

The state has the models to follow. What it needs now is the will to act.

Key Takeaway: Georgia has some reentry programs, but they are far less intense and proven than the best models in the country.

What Happens When People Fail? Let Them Try Again

Not everyone finishes a program the first time. About 20% of people in adult prison programs drop out. For young people, it can be as high as 60%.

The best programs don’t kick people out for good. They let people come back and try again. This is one of the strongest findings in the research.

When people know they can return, they stay more motivated. They’re more likely to finish the second time.

Other smart ways to keep people in programs include:

• Catching problems early before someone drops out
• Using peer support to hold people in place
• Rewarding progress along the way
• Checking program quality regularly

Key Takeaway: Letting people re-enter a program after failing increases their drive and long-term success.

Working With the System, Not Against It

Programs that last are the ones that work with prison leaders — not against them. This doesn’t mean giving up on holding the state to account. It means being smart about how change happens.

The most lasting programs have strong ties to prison systems:

• RSVP works directly with the San Francisco Sheriff’s office.
• PEP works with Texas prisons. The state moves people to special PEP units.
• BPI runs across 7 New York prisons with full support.
• California’s OMCP was created by the prison system itself.

For GPS, this is a key lesson. Pushing for change from the outside is vital. But building programs that work inside the system is how change lasts.

Key Takeaway: The most successful and lasting programs have strong partnerships with prison leaders.

Measuring What Matters: Beyond Just Recidivism

Most people judge prison programs by one question: did the person go back to prison? But that’s not enough.

The best programs look at the full picture of a person’s life:

• Do they have a job? (Defy: 85% employed within 6 months)
• Do they have stable housing?
• Are they reunited with family?
• Did they earn a degree or license? (BPI: full college degrees)
• Did they start a business? (PEP and Defy track this)
• Are violent incidents down? (RSVP: 80% drop)
• Are convictions down? (Credible Messengers: 57% fewer)

The research also identifies 12 areas of a person’s life that should be reviewed. These include anger, education, family, money, mental health, trauma, substance use, and work.

When we only ask “did they go back to prison,” we miss the bigger story. People deserve to be seen as whole human beings — not just a number.

Key Takeaway: Success should be measured by jobs, housing, family ties, and education — not just whether someone returns to prison.

Glossary

• Cohort model: A program where a group of people start and move through the steps together as a team, rather than joining at random times.
• Rolling enrollment: A program where people can join at any time. Works for ongoing support but is less effective for deep change.
• Servant leadership: A model where people who finish a program teach the next group. PEP uses this — 90% of their staff are graduates.
• Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs): What Defy Ventures calls its members instead of “inmates.” Shows respect and builds new identity.
• Credible messengers: Formerly jailed people who now mentor young people in the justice system. Their lived experience builds trust.
• Recidivism (re-SID-i-vizm): When a person who was released from prison is arrested or sent back. Usually measured at 1, 3, or 5 years.
• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): A type of counseling that helps people change harmful thought patterns and behaviors.
• Attrition (ah-TRISH-un): The rate at which people drop out of a program.
• AOD Counselor: A licensed drug and alcohol counselor. California’s OMCP lets people earn this license while in prison.
• Reentry: The process of leaving prison and going back into the community. Includes finding a job, housing, and reconnecting with family.
• Work release: A program that lets people near their release date work in the community while still living in a center.
• TDCJ: Texas Department of Criminal Justice — runs Texas prisons.
• CDCR: California Department of Corrections — runs California prisons.
• SAMHSA: A federal agency for mental health and substance use. Funded Georgia’s Ready4Reentry program in 2018.

Read the Source Document

This post is based on GPS’s internal research document: Prison Mentorship Program Structure Models: Research for GPS Rehabilitation Vision (March 19, 2026).

Read the full document (PDF)

Other Versions

We write about each document for different audiences:

• Legislator version — For Georgia lawmakers and staff
• Media version — For journalists and reporters
• Advocate version — For organizers and policy groups