PREPARATION FOR RELEASE AND POST-RELEASE SUPPORT PROMISING PRACTICE: Peer health mentoring in Canada The Unlocking the Gates Peer Health Mentoring Programme98 in British Columbia, Canada, helps female prisoners in the first few days after their release, with peer mentors helping the women navigate life after prison – such as meeting them at the prison gate and helping them to get to appointments, find housing or enter treatment programmes. The programme works with community agencies inside the prison in order to connect with women during pre-release planning, and offers systematic peer support and engagement during the immediate days following release. The project was designed after women told researchers that the first few days of transition were particularly hard, because they have immediate unmet health and social needs that can be overwhelming. The mentors are themselves former prisoners, some of whom went through the mentoring programme after their release. PROMISING PRACTICE: Providing pre- and post-release support in Cambodia The organisation This Life Cambodia provides holistic case management to families in conflict with the law in Cambodia, with the goal of supporting vulnerable families at risk of separation. Women with children are a priority group. Under the project named This Life in Family, the organisation provides income-generation support for families with a primary caregiver in conflict with the law. It also helps prisoners maintain regular contact with their families through family tracing services, prison visits, and supporting children to remain in appropriate family care. In addition, the organisation supports access to legal assistance and provides post-release planning and support. This Life in Family aims to bolster the resilience and capacity of families, especially during the vital stages of reintegrating a primary caregiver back into their community upon release from prison, and to enable the family to become self-supporting through income-generating activities. The project is community driven and was identified as a priority by local communities. Between 2016 and 2018 the project supported 86 families with children, and 28 primary caregivers were supported with income-generation activities in preparation for their rehabilitation and reintegration on release from prison. Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Guide to the rehabilitation and social reintegration of women prisoners | 39