Prison Entrepreneurship Program

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First off, I would like to say how much this experience has meant to me. Never in my life have I ever been so nervous, yet anxious to complete a task. When I found out that we were going to be visiting a prison and dealing with inmates, I brushed it off as something that wasn’t a big deal. I didn't know much about the Prison Entrepreneurship Program or what we were actually going to be doing as aspiring entrepreneurs, ourselves. When we got there, my nerves started to grow. Usually, I am a very calm person and able to fit into any scenario that is thrown in my path. I have never been to prison, jail, or have even been around inmates before so I had no idea what to expect. Walking down the hallway in the prison was a very big eye opener, but…show more content…
I was happy to participate in a program like this. Those inmates were so lively for the situation that they are currently faced with. Many of them are on their way out serving less than 3 years left of their time and having the willingness to accept responsibility for their past crimes and a genuine desire to change is a huge boost for these guys. The program is perfect for those guys and you can see in their eyes and how they reacted when they saw us. They were very passionate about what business they wanted to start instead of being complacent. They talked about how prison has changed their life to make better choices and how enthusiastic and eager they were to get out into the real world once and and make a difference in their…show more content…
Actually, there is facts behind it. Before we entered the prison, Bert Smith did a small debrief about this program and stated that the recidivism rate is less than 7% in comparison with a rate of 23% overall in Texas prisons. That statistic was just astonishing. Many inmates usually find themselves back in prison within 1 year of being freed, however that was not the case with this program. This works, and you don’t only need statistics to show you. The joyfulness and their high spirits can show you what a statistic can’t. The Prison Entrepreneurship Program prides themselves in making the inmate's business savvy that will reduce the likelihood that they’ll end up back in prison. I believe that this reform can benefit the economy. As these former inmates become successful employees, consumers and taxpayers with the positive reinforcement they had, proves that general education and vocational training can reduce

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