Comment: Monroe peer-to-peer program builds hope behind bars

Published 1:30 am Saturday, November 29, 2025

By Carolyn Eslick and Lauren Davis / For The Herald

In Washington’s criminal justice system, some of the most inspiring examples of rehabilitation are not directed from the top down but built from the inside out. One of those bright spots is the Peer Resource Center at the Monroe Correctional Complex, a first-of-its-kind program that is quietly transforming lives and strengthening communities.

Inside Monroe’s walls, the PRC is staffed entirely by incarcerated men who have earned peer certifications through the state Health Care Authority. These are individuals who know firsthand the challenges of addiction, trauma and incarceration. They use that experience to help others find stability, purpose and recovery.

It is a simple concept with profound results: People helping people. Since opening its doors in September, the PRC has already served 60 incarcerated participants. Nearly 40 percent have returned for regular sessions, an early sign that the program is not only reaching people but resonating with them. By year’s end, the center expects to have served more than 100 individuals with more than 300 hours of support.

The PRC is more than a place to talk. It is a place to rebuild. Participants work on recovery and resilience plans and prepare for life after incarceration. They also support one another through workshops, mentorship and education; creating a sense of community many have never experienced.

Importantly, this program is not limited to those preparing to reenter society. It also serves individuals serving long or life sentences, offering them purpose, connection and a meaningful way to contribute to the prison community. Rehabilitation does not only mean release; it means healing and growth, no matter the sentence.

What makes Monroe’s PRC truly innovative is that it recognizes what research has shown for years: peer-to-peer recovery models work. People are more likely to open up, participate and follow through when the person across from them understands their experience on a personal level.

The state Department of Corrections has taken an important step by supporting a program that encourages accountability, connection, and personal transformation. The PRC equips participants with real tools to manage addiction, navigate trauma and build a healthier future. These are the kinds of skills that strengthen individuals and, ultimately, enhance public safety.

The long-term vision for the PRC extends beyond Monroe. The goal is to eventually establish similar centers across Washington’s correctional facilities and, over time, expand support into communities as people transition home. That kind of continuity — beginning inside prison and continuing after release — has the potential to ease reentry, reduce relapse and recidivism and help people return to their communities ready to succeed.

As legislators from different parties, we may not always agree on how to solve every issue in our criminal legal system. Yet we both believe in second chances. We believe in recovery. And we think that people who have turned their own lives around are uniquely qualified to help others do the same.

Programs like the PRC do more than change the lives of those behind bars. They change the trajectory of families and communities across Washington. This is smart, compassionate and practical public policy, built on the simple truth that rehabilitation works best when it comes from people who have walked the same path.

We have an opportunity to continue supporting an approach that is already making a difference. Let’s keep building on what works.

State Rep. Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan, represents the 39th Legislative District. State Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, represents the 32nd Legislative District.