Developing Opportunity for Incarcerated Women: Applying the Social Entrepreneurship Creation Model

INTRODUCTIONDavid Bornstein (2007), the author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, described social entrepreneurs as individuals who "identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they're serving. " A social entrepreneur identifies and solves social problems on a large scale acting as the change agents for society. They look for new approaches and advance sustainable solutions that create social value.One such large-scale population that many see as a problem, but should perhaps be redefined by the social entrepreneur as a solution, is the prison population. Currently, the United States has the world's highest incarceration rate with more than two million inmates serving time in the U.S. This is a dramatic increase from 744,000 in 1985.State prison systems spend more than $30 billion annually, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons budgeted $5 billion in 2007 (Myser, 2007). Every year that an inmate spends in prison costs $22,000. An individual sentenced to five years for a $300 theft costs the public more than $100,000. The cost of a life term averages $1.5 million. As a result, states are spending more money on prisons than education. Over the course of the last 20 years, the amount of money spent on prisons was increased by 570% while during that same period the amount spent on elementary and secondary education was increased by only 33% (Fortunato, 2007). Further, a revolving door helps keep those prisons packed.RECIDIVISMA 2002 study by the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 52 percent of released convicts were back in jail within three years and that the national rate in the United States is 67.5 percent (Langan & Levin, 2002). This revolving door is known as "recidivism. " The definition of recidivism from U.S Law Encyclopedia is "The behavior of a repeat or habitual criminal. A measurement of the rate at which offenders commit other crimes, either by arrest or conviction baselines, after being released from incarceration. "The recidivism problem begins with reentry. Annually 600,000 men and women reenter society in the U.S. from the prison system (Williams, 2010). The historical dimensions of race, power, politics, and economics make it difficult for these ex-offenders to successfully reintegrate into society. Reentry is especially difficult for women because the approach to incarceration and release is predominantly male-oriented. Thompson (2010) indicated that to have a successful reentry program a collaborative approach is necessary, balancing the government resources with the resources and expertise of the faith community and other non-governmental partners.The surest path away from post-release criminal activity and imprisonment depends on finding and holding a good job. Unfortunately, a prison record can often increase the barriers to the formal labor market. Therefore, the probability of recidivism varies inversely with an individual's labor market opportunities (Weiman, 2007). The prison record also affects the chances of the former inmate being promoted to higher level jobs with higher pay, better hours, and more prestige (Andersson, Holzer, & Lane, 2005). The Urban Institute Returning Home study (Visher & Courtney, 2006; Weiman, 2007) found that inmates about to be released experience two different emotions. They were eager to find a job and avoid a return to a life of crime, but they were also concerned about their employability. From 30 to 60 percent expected difficulties in their quest for employment. This fear is not unfounded, when managers were surveyed regarding the likelihood of hiring someone with a criminal record, over 60 percent indicated their reluctance (Holzer, Raphael, & Stoll, 2007). Politicians, prison officials, and key members of the community are continually searching for ways to increase employment viability and reduce recidivism for ex-offenders. …