Many factors are holding the job market back these days. Even those living the most statistically average lives are struggling in the 2022 job market. So, where does that leave the marginalized groups in our society?

Vulnerable populations are left behind in a faltering Darwinian economy where only the strong survive. Felons and former inmates are not exempt from this; they are hindered by stigma-driven job barriers and often face a life sentence of poverty as a societal consequence for their past mistakes. In fact, economic downturn aside, they have been struggling all along.

With a society that stigmatizes them and a job market that disdains them, a different path would not only suit them, but save them.

Is there a way around this job market conundrum? It appears they have found the key to their survival within their own communities.

Past inmates and felons can avoid stigma and poverty by pursuing social entrepreneurship. This involves starting their own for-profit business with social altruism at the core of its mission statement.

According to Bill Drayton, the father of social entrepreneurship, “everyone is a change maker.” This includes the inmates currently participating in the “Inmates to Entrepreneurs” program started by former inmate Joshua Nowack, MBA.

Nowack started the company after discovering that, as an ex-convict, no one wanted to hire him despite his degree and skills. According to Forbes, 10,000 people have taken his short-term educational program, with an average completion rate of 7 out of 10 inmates. Of those who finish, half go on to start their own businesses (Field).

Have these events started a chain reaction? A network of social entrepreneurship within the ex-convict community, where being a link in the chain is integral to their own survival as well as to those who come after them?

What about actual inmates? Let me introduce you to the Uncuffed Podcast from the inmates at San Quentin State Prison in California. In this podcast, inmates are interviewed about the struggles of being locked up in America, their life before prison, and the evolution of their identities over time. You’ll hear stories of crimes committed, denials of parole, and all the emotions that come from the other side of the prison walls—stories that often go unseen by the media.

These men are incarcerated, sometimes for 25 years to life. Despite everything working against them, they have managed to create a successful business from within the brick walls that confine them. They’ve built success, mentoring, and a strong support system by supporting each other in a time and place where no one else would provide these opportunities.

According to Statista (n.d.), the United States holds the most inmates in the world (Szmigiera). The United States accounts for approximately 20.1% of the world’s prison population. These numbers are staggering; 1 in every 5 prisoners worldwide is in an American prison cell (Szmigiera).

So, if being a prisoner in the United States is so prevalent from a statistical standpoint, why aren’t we more understanding of the real people who find themselves behind bars in this country?

One thing is for sure: life won’t be stolen from the survivor. These inmates embody that truth. They’ve endured some of the most turbulent pasts imaginable, conquered the unspeakable, and faced their darkest selves, only to emerge transformed by positive change.

Now that they’ve transformed their lives, why should they be thrown to the dogs?

A job market that rejects them and a society that marginalizes them have driven inward for support. Had it not been for Bill Drayton and Inmates to Entrepreneurs, would this iron-clad network of social entrepreneurship and mutual upliftment exist as it does today?

This applies even to the most misunderstood populations within our own community. Inmates and felons may seem foreign and intimidating until we delve deeper into their rich and diverse culture. They’ve created an entire ecosystem for themselves both inside and outside of prison walls.

Some will never change their minds about the inmate population. However, it’s important to emphasize that this is not a black-and-white issue. There is a massive grey area that must be considered when deciding whether to support these businesses and populations.

Social entrepreneurship for inmates has established a network of altruism within prison ecosystems, and that is here to stay.

Written by: Danielle Sloan

Saturday, June 05, 2022