The Prison Entrepreneurship Program transforms former criminals into business people, redirecting their skills from the street into legal enterprises.
By Angela Sivak, NCPC Staff
Would you believe that the skills that give hustlers, drug dealers, and gang leaders such a reputation on the streets could be converted into something positive? Many inmates in prisons in the United States possess the entrepreneurial skills that could earn them decent salaries while leading law-abiding lives. The nonprofit Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) is dedicated to channeling these ex-offenders’ skills into executive positions in legitimate businesses.
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program was founded in May 2004. Its goal is simple: to transform criminals, who manifested the influential skills and passion of an entrepreneur in their criminal activities, into legitimate business people who benefited their community.
PEP is able to transform these ex-offenders by connecting them with business talent through providing mentoring and MBA-level business courses and by fostering entrepreneurial enthusiasm. This education upholds the concept of moral decision-making and the importance of spiritual discipline. PEP connects these ex-offenders with others who have taken similar paths, providing them with a brotherhood that shares a common goal.
The program has turned previous criminals’ lives around. Hans Becker, a former criminal charged with assault, possession of cocaine, and a DUI is now the founder of a landscaping business called Armadillo Tree & Shrub in Dallas, TX. His company is only a year old, but it is already bringing in $10,000 a month. He says that if it weren’t for PEP, he would have spent his time "watching TV, playing dominoes, gambling—all that life is in a penitentiary." It is evident from Becker’s perspective that his life has improved since he channeled his skills into founding a legitimate organization that has made him a respected citizen in his community.
Becker is not the only one to reuse his business skills in a new setting. In a study done in 2007 by PEP, 40 percent of the program’s graduates had gone into sales and management positions and 98 percent were employed. These people transferred the same skills they learned on the streets into the business world after graduating from PEP.
It is fortunate that these former criminals have been able to avail themselves of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Without the skills to get new jobs or start their own businesses, they might not have been able to turn their lives around, since ex-offenders rarely find employment after they get out of prison. This is because of employers’ reluctance to hire ex-offenders. The problems that many released offenders face in finding employment and obtaining money may lead them back to a life of crime. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, at least 650,000 offenders will be released from prison in the coming year, and two-thirds of those people will be rearrested for repeated criminal activity within the next three years. These statistics contrast with the statistics of PEP graduates. Of all PEP graduates, only 5 percent have recidivated. 
PEP removes released prisoners from the temptation of recidivism by providing them with the tools to succeed in a legal, moral way. It equips them with the capability to start over and redirect their life skills toward a greater—and more gainful—purpose.