The Prison Entrepreneurship Program started in 2004 and is proving to be a sustainable and impactful organization made up of local Business Owners, Ex-Cons, Baylor University and Community Volunteers. The program is having a lot of success empowering entrepreneurs, adding talented workers to the local economy, lowering recidivism and giving back to the community for generations to come.
According to the National Institute of Justice, In the United States, almost 44% of criminals released return before the first year out of prison. According to the DOJ approximately 70% of crime is repeated by ex cons.
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program is seeing some huge gains including:
A 3 year recidivism rate of 8.3 % and impressive employment numbers of 100% employment found within 90 days of release (the average being 20 days from release to first paycheck) and nearly 100% of their graduates remain employed after 1 year of release. PEP's Graduates have also started over 500 businesses, including five that generate over $1MM in gross annual revenue.
What is Recidivism?
Recidivism is the tendency of a convicted criminal to repeat or reoffend a crime after already receiving punishment or serving their sentence.
Why is Recidivism so high?
Finding and keeping a good job as an ex-con is nearly impossible in America and it's up to communities and businesses to change this. PEP says "It's safe to say that every prison sentence in America is really a life sentence because your record follows you everywhere you go."
Many felons come out of prison with good intentions, ready to start over and build a new identity only to find the communities they return to extremely unforgiving. Hope and Grit fade fast when finding a job, let alone a good job that pays enough to live, is nowhere in reach.
Corporations conduct background checks or their insurance carriers won't allow felons on payroll. There's also a massive gap on resumes that immediately attracts the attention of recruiters, HR and other hiring managers before even having the chance to interview.
Finding a place to stay can also be a challenge especially in a real estate market with historically high rents and competitive application processes, it doesn't take long to end up right back in the same life you were living.
"It's a tough landscape for the returning citizen. Our experience has been that it's a comprehensive problem that takes a comprehensive solution. Or, to put that another way, it's a community problem that takes a community solution." - Bryan Kelley - CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program.
What is the Prison Entrepreneurship Program?
Established in 2004 and currently in the process of developing a massive incubator hub outside of Houston which will provide graduates with state of the art fabrication and manufacturing facilities, will be the nation's largest incubator and accelerator for returning citizens.
How Does the Prison Entrepreneurship Program Work Behind Bars?
The selection process begins when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice provides PEP with a list of inmates who are eligible to apply to the program. All inmates are eligible for release within one year of completing the program.
Next, postcards are sent to approximately 10,000 candidates inviting them to request an application to our program. Typically, PEP generates a response from 3,000+/- candidates.
After receiving the request for program information, PEP then sends this group of respondents a 20-page application that includes essay questions. On average, nearly 2,000 candidates will complete and submit applications.
With the completed applications in hand, the staff at PEP then carefully reviews the applications and selects the top 1,500 candidates. This group then receives a study packet that includes the AP Writing Style Guide, PEP’s Ten Driving Values, and a Basic Business Vocabulary reference.
Two weeks after sending candidates the study packet, a PEP recruiter will visit the prison and administer a 50-question test. Each person that scores above 70% on the test moves on to in-person interviews. The purpose of the interview is to determine which candidates have the work ethic and the commitment to succeed in our program. At this point, PEP has identified the top 450 to 500 men for the program.
Next, the remaining candidates are transferred to the Cleveland Unit near Houston, TX or the Estes Unit near Dallas, TX. Once the candidates are transferred, they have a final round of interviews with PEP's in-prison program manager and our recently released graduates. Source: pep.org/faqs
The Curriculum:
First 90 Days: in-prison character development program, known as The Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy utilizes The Principles of Effective Leadership and Men’s Life (also known as Men’s Fraternity: The Quest for Authentic Manhood).
6-month in-prison “mini-MBA” program: The “mini-MBA” is the core of our in-prison business education, taught by PEP staff, board members, and business executives lecturing on topics within their areas of expertise.
The college textbook used: Entrepreneurship: A Small Business Approach that is supplemented with Harvard and Stanford Business School case studies. The centerpiece of this phase is the Business Plan Competition (BPC), modeled after BPCs held at major universities across the nation.
Each student is required to conceive a business that he would start upon release. The student will research the logistics of competing within his chosen industry, write a complete business plan for launching his business and then pitch his plan over 120 times in a “Shark Tank” like format (including groups of PEP business executive volunteers).
All participants must complete a financial literacy course, an employment workshop, a business etiquette course, and a Toastmasters class.
Lastly: Graduation: Certificate in Entrepreneurship. This certificate is a genuine college certificate that does not have the word “prison” anywhere on it, making it highly valuable to potential employers as well as future investors in these graduates’ businesses.
What's next?
In 2021, PEP committed to the development of an innovative entrepreneurship experience in Houston. Branded as the PEP Collider, it will be the nation’s leading incubator and accelerator for returning citizens. Housed at the 330,000 square foot East End Maker Hub, the PEP Collider is more than just a space. It’s where PEP graduates will build bankable businesses integrating volunteer executive leaders with PEP entrepreneurs as catalysts for change.
How can you help and where can you learn more?
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