Programs aimed at women prisoners are limited. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer mediation program implemented in an Italian women’s prison. Two focus groups were conducted with seven incarcerated women who participated in the program. The four mediators who conducted the program compiled a total of 12 reflective diaries. The data were analyzed using Grounded Theory. The results highlight the effectiveness of the program, which was perceived as a tool to develop functional relationship and conflict management strategies and to promote greater self-awareness. These intervention programs are fundamental in enhancing the specific characteristics of the individual and promoting the development of skills and resources necessary for successful reintegration into society.
BrownT. M.MillerC. E. (2000). Communication networks in task-performing groups: Effects of task complexity, time pressure, and interpersonal dominance. Small Group Research, 31(2), 131–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/104649640003100201
Chun TieY.BirksM.FrancisK. (2019). Grounded theory research: A design framework for novice researchers. SAGE Open Medicine, 7, 2050312118822927. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312118822927
5.
CoppolaI.MorelliM.RaniaN. (in press). The intercultural sensitivity of Italian correctional officers between life satisfaction and burnout. The prison journal.
6.
CiuffolettiS. (2014). Le politiche legislative sulla detenzione femminile in Italia. Tra effettività e propaganda. Studi Sulla Questione Criminale, 9(3), 47–71. https://doi.org/10.7383/81664
7.
CoppolaI.MorelliM.RaniaN. (2022). Interculturality and the penitentiary context: Challenges and resources from community mediation approach (pp. 63–85). Springer.
Donne oltre le mura - Fondazione Arché. (2022). Progetto a sostegno dell’integrazione sociale e lavorativa di donne adulte in situazione di privazione della libertà. https://www.donneoltrelemura.com/
11.
EvansL. (2014). Locked up, then locked out: Women coming out of prison. In E. J. Leeder (Ed.), Inside and out: Women, prison, and therapy (pp. 285–308). Taylor and Francis.
12.
FabbriV. (2006). Il gruppo e l’intervento sociale : progettare, condurre, valutare. Carocci.
GattiM. (2018). Arte in Mediazione. In SantiJ. P. (Ed.), Mediazione comunitaria in ambito penitenziario. L’esperienza tra pari della II casa di reclusione di Milano Bollate [Community mediation in the penitentiary sector. The peer experience of the second prison house in Milan Bollate]. Editrice ZONA.
GreenbergerS. W. (2020). Creating a guide for reflective practice: applying Dewey’s reflective thinking to document faculty scholarly engagement. Reflective Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2020.1773422
17.
LindbergO. (2005). Prison cultures and social representations: The case of Hinseberg, a women’s prison in Sweden. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 1(2/3/4), 143–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449200600553076
LosaG.MorlacchiN.RovelliniF. (2018). Mediazione tra pari nella II Casa di Reclusione di Milano-Bollate: un esempio di Restorative Justice [Peer mediation in the Milan-Bollate II Prison House: an example of Restorative Justice]. In J. P. Santi (Ed.), Mediazione comunitaria in ambito penitenziario. L’esperienza tra pari della II casa di reclusione di Milano Bollate [Community mediation in the penitentiary sector. The peer experience of the second prison house in Milan Bollate]. Editrice ZONA.
20.
MacDonaldM. (2013). Women prisoners, mental health, violence and abuse. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 36(3–4), 293–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2013.04.014
MessinaN. P.BraithwaiteJ.CalhounS.KubiakS. (2016). Examination of a violence prevention program for female offenders. Violence and Gender, 3(3), 143–149. https://doi.org/10.1089/vio.2015.0048
MollemanT.van der BroekT. C. (2014). Understanding the links between perceived prison conditions and prison staff. International Journal of Law Crime and Justice, 42(1), 33–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2014.01.001
26.
MorelliM.De LuiseD. (2012). La mediazione comunitaria: Un’esperienza possibile. Libellula.
O. NyumbaT.WilsonK.DerrickC. J.MukherjeeN. (2018). The use of focus group discussion methodology: Insights from two decades of application in conservation. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.12860
29.
PadiglioneV.FatiganteM. (2009). Dalla documentazione al patrimonio. Il percorso di restituzione di una etnografia in famiglia. Etnografia e Ricerca Qualitativa, 2(2), 205–224.
30.
PankeyT.KellyP. J.RamaswamyM. (2016). Stress reduction through a brief writing intervention with women in Jail. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 22(3), 240–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345816654230
31.
RaniaN.CoppolaI.PinnaL. (2021). Reflective practices to study group dynamics: Implement Empowerment and understand the functioning of groups. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 5534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.786754
32.
RaniaN.MiglioriniL.CoppolaI. (2020). A qualitative study of organizational and psychosocial factors in the burnout of Italian correctional officers. The Prison Journal, 100(6), 747–768. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885520968246
33.
RileyB. J.SmithD.BaigentM. F. (2019). Mindfulness and acceptance–based group therapy: An uncontrolled pragmatic pre–post pilot study in a heterogeneous population of female prisoners. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 63(15–16), 2572–2585. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624x19858487
34.
RousseauD.LongN.JacksonE.JurgensenJ. (2019). Empowering through embodied awareness: Evaluation of a peer-facilitated trauma-informed mindfulness curriculum in a woman’s prison. The Prison Journal, 99(4_suppl), 14S–37S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519860546
35.
SantiJ. P. (2019). Mediazione comunitaria in ambito penitenziario : l’esperienza tra pari nella 2. Casa di Reclusione di Milano-Bollate. Zona.
van WormerK. (2010). Working with female offenders. A gender-sensitive approach. Wiley.
39.
Vidargas RoblesJ. (2012). L’esperienza della mediazione penitenziaria nel carcere di Hermosillo [The experience of penitentiary mediation in the Hermosillo prison]. In De LuiseD.MorelliM. (Eds.), Mediazione comunitaria: un’esperienza possibile. Libellula.
40.
WalmsleyR. (2017). World female imprisonment list fourth edition women and girls in penal institutions, including pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners. www.prisonstudies.org
41.
WoodyattC. R.FinneranC. A.StephensonR. (2016). In-person versus online focus group discussions: A comparative analysis of data quality. Qualitative Health Research, 26(6), 741–749. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316631510
42.
ZizioliE.CollaE. (2020). L’agire professionale in carcere: Donne per l’empowerment delle donne. Il Mulino-Rivisteweb, 3, 569–581. https://doi.org/10.1447/99927
