What would happen if we empowered people on the inside to take charge of their own transformation—supported by peers walking the journey alongside them?
The Dash is a peer-led coaching and programming initiative designed to enhance holistic well-being among people who are incarcerated. Named for the space between birth and death on a tombstone, The Dash represents the choices and changes that define a person’s life. It invites participants to reflect on what matters most and supports them in setting and pursuing self-defined goals across six dimensions of well-being: physical and mental health, social, cultural, economic, educational, and emotional.
Each participant begins with a baseline assessment capturing their perceived current and desired future standing in each domain, along with an index score derived from ten items designed to reflect their actual current well-being. Guided by trained peer coaches—incarcerated individuals equipped with facilitation and coaching skills—participants use these results to build a personalized roadmap for growth that aligns with their own aspirations and values.
Developed in partnership with university researchers, The Dash centers lived experience leadership, empowerment, and co-production. The program cultivates self-determination, agency, and mutual accountability, enabling participants to take ownership of their progress and celebrate meaningful change.
In this presentation, I will share preliminary findings from the initial cohort, including baseline data and early insights into benefits, challenges, and implementation lessons. By centering empowerment and evidence-based practice, The Dash offers a humane, innovative approach to rehabilitation and well-being in corrections.
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Dr Kevin Wright
Associate Professor, Arizona State University, United States
Kevin A. Wright is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Director of the Center for Correctional Solutions at Arizona State University. His work focuses on enhancing the lives of people living and working in the correctional system through research, education, and community engagement. He developed Arizona’s first Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program and co-founded the Arizona Transformation Project, a learning community connecting faculty, students, and incarcerated men and women. He is co-author of Imprisoned Minds: Lost Boys, Trapped Men, and Solutions from Within the Prison (Rutgers University Press, 2025) and currently serves as Deputy Chair of the ICPA Research and Development Network.
