The Prison Entrepreneurship Program in Texas has +3,300 graduates – over 500 of them have launched their own businesses.
Recidivism rates for program graduates are consistently below 9% (compared to the Texas three-year average of 21.4% and the Rhode Island three-year recidivism rate is 50%).
100% of the program’s graduates are employed within 90 days of release from prison and nearly 100% are still employed after 12 months (compared to nearly 50% national unemployment rate among ex-offenders).
The Prison to Entrepreneurship Pipeline
Marcus Bullock was only fifteen years old when he was sent to a juvenile detention center and isolated from family and friends. Today he is the founder of the Flikshop app, which helps incarcerated people connect to their loved ones. Hear about his mission to combine justice reform and entrepreneurship, and how one’s path is not defined by a single action.
From Incarceration to Entrepreneurship
Robert Omer, Executive Director and Stacey Putka, Program Director at Defy Ventures Colorado join us to discuss incarceration in Colorado, and the many impacts it has on our community and families. We’ll learn about their program to help formerly incarcerated population enter into the world of entrepreneurship. Joining Robert and Stacey are Entrepreneur in Training, Ronnie Madrid, and Tom Wyman, Advisory Board Member and Volunteer at Defy Colorado.
