Exploring man-to-man/woman-to-woman (M2/W2) volunteers' experiences and perceptions of volunteering in corrections

Canadian correctional services rely on volunteers to support and rehabilitate offenders. This study focuses on a faith-based program, the Man-to-Man/Woman-to-Woman (M2/W2) Prison Mentorship program. M2/W2 matches their volunteers to incarcerated persons and those released into the community. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were used to explore M2/W2 volunteers' experiences and perceptions of volunteering inside Canadian correctional centres. Using a six-step thematic analysis process, the findings illustrate volunteers have faith-based motivations but do not aim to convert offenders to Christianity. Rather, volunteers simply strive to befriend and encourage their matches. Volunteers describe how volunteering changed their perceptions about crime, punishment, and incarcerated people. Additionally, volunteers identify positive experiences: namely contributing to and observing their match's character changes. Some also explain the emotionally taxing nature of their work. Finally, volunteers describe variation in support they receive from different correctional and M2/W2 personnel. The limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.