Peer Support in Prison How Incarcerated People make Meaning through Active Citizenship

"In this careful, insider-perspective book, Christian Perrin shows that the core principles of peer support - reciprocity, empathy, and connectedness - generate meaning and purpose in the abyss of prison life. Hope becomes a form of a revolt. This is an important addition to the desistance literature."

Alison Liebling, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Cambridge

"Perrin opens his powerful study with a brilliant, seldom-asked question: How do human beings find meaning in the devastating bleakness of incarceration? He finds that many people in despair find meaning by devoting themselves to helping their fellow humans cope with their own darkness. We could learn a lot from this wisdom."

Shadd Maruna, Professor of Justice and Human Development, Queen's University Belfast

"Christian Perrin's book offers a nuanced view of what peer programs mean during imprisonment and how social bonds and caring practices between people who are serving time can facilitate desistance. This is the type of scholarship that is needed to better understand what it means to shift the carceral system toward one that affirms humanity and care for all."

Laura S. Abrams, Chair and Professor of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles