Information and Services offered for formerly incarcerated persons. The services and information on this page are in no way affiliated with the creators of this site. These are simply some resources available in the community gathered from internet searches.
Note* The following is in accordance with the California Judicial System. Thus, information may vary from state to state. The information provided in this section is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as formal legal advice. Listing these resources here should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any of them. Therefore, these are some resources you might want to check out.
Information from Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Legal Support
- Here is a blog, website, and book written by a formerly incarcerated individual, professional boxre and MMA fighter. Check out his story.
- Here is a book with a collection of stories to help society understand what goes on inside prisons, and what goes inside the hearts of inmates.
- Here is a book written by a formerly incarcerated individual on tips and resources to stay out of Jail
Legal Support
- Nolo Press: 950 Parker St. Berkeley, CA 94710-2524 Publishes legal self-help material such as Legal Research, 4th edition, which gives step-by-step instructions in finding legal information. Write for catalogue.
Clean & Sober Living for Parolees
- Phoenix House Los Angeles. 503 Oceanfront Walk, Venice, CA 90291. 6 months to 12 months
- New Wine Church (Orange) 1425 S. Brookhurst, Fullerton, CA 92856. No Cost ~12 Months
- Modesto Gospel Mission Stanislaus.1400 Yosemite Blvd. Modesto, CA 95354
- Health Right 360 (Walden House) Los Angeles, 2307 W. 6th Street Los Angeles, CA 90057. No Cost
- Fresno Rescue Mission Academy. Fresno. 310 G Street Fresno, CA 93716 No Cost
Keys to Successful Transition from Jail or Prison for those with Mental Illnesses
http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Bd6LW9BVRhQ=&tabid=104
http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Bd6LW9BVRhQ=&tabid=104
Additional Resources
http://associatedprisonministriesofcalifornia.org/
[email protected]
Pastor J.L. Carr
916-972-1521
A.P.M.O.C.
P.O. Box 37838
Sacramento, California 95838 United States of America
Friends Outside provides food, clothing, support groups, a job program, youth activities and family support services
during and after the period of incarceration.
(Po Box 281344) # (415)-552-8444
Provides re-entry services for prisoners and ex-offenders
21234 Rancherias Road
Apple Valley, CA 92306
1205 North Baker Street
Ontario, CA 91761
No Address Provided
Adelanto, CA 92345
2 Year Live Treatment Facility
Folsom, California 95630
916-983-0658
RELEASE PROGRAM
Turning Point Central California 220 North Locust Street Visalia Ca.
(559) 627-1385
Pastor Matthew Barnet
2301 Believue Ave.
Los Angeles Ca. 90026
- ACLU of Southern California
1313 West Eighth Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Legal intake phone: (213) 977-5253
Fax: (213) 977 5297
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.aclu-sc.org- Takes legal requests for post-conviction matters, habeas corpus, prison conditions; provides referrals
- When corresponding, put "ACLU/SC Legal Intake" in Address line 1
- Associated Prison Ministries of California
http://associatedprisonministriesofcalifornia.org/
[email protected]
Pastor J.L. Carr
916-972-1521
A.P.M.O.C.
P.O. Box 37838
Sacramento, California 95838 United States of America
- Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents
- CCIP's mission is the prevention of intergenerational crime and incarceration. Its goals are the production of high quality documentation on and the development of model services for children of criminal offenders and their families. CCIP provides research and resource information in four pivotal areas: education (parenting classes, etc.), family reunification, therapeutic services and information.
http://e-ccip.org/index.html
[email protected]
(626) 449-2470
P.O. Box 41-286
Eagle Rock, California 90041 United States of America - Free Battered Women
Free Battered Women seeks to end the re-victimization of incarcerated survivors of domestic violence as part of the movement for racial justice and the struggle to resist all forms of intimate partner violence against women. Only works with women incarcerated in California.
http://www.freebatteredwomen.org/
[email protected]
(415) 255-7036
1540 Market St.
Suite 490
San Francisco, California 94102 United States of America - Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
LSPC advocates for the human rights and empowerment of incarcerated parents, children, family members and people at risk for incarceration. We respond to requests for information, trainings, technical assistance, litigation, community activism and the development of more advocates. Our focus is on women prisoners and their families, and we emphasize that issues of race are central to any discussion of incarceration.
http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/index.htm
[email protected]
(415) 255-7036
1540 Market St., # 490
San Francisco, California 94102 United States of America - Homeboy Industries
- Provides employment services, tattoo removal, case management, legal services, mental health services, and educational services
- 130 W. Bruno St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Phone: (323) 526-1254 Fax: (323) 526-1257
- http://www.homeboyindustries.org
- Mothers Reclaiming Our Children
Working to create a nationwide program to provide support to families, attend court hearings and trails, and work with attorneys. Provides advocacy work for prisoners and their families.
4167 Normandies Ave.
Los Angeles, California 90037 United States of America - Welcome Home Ministries
The mission of Welcome Home Ministries is to provide holistic faith-based, peer-driven supportive services for women in transition from incarceration into the community on an ongoing basis by renewing lives and restoring families. Welcome Home, a recognized leader in reentry all the way to the White House and even beyond with international interest being piqued, has not only developed numerous programs to give individuals the opportunity to regain citizenship, return to school, acquire jobs and, most importantly, be reunited with their children but has significantly reduced the national recidivism rate. The rate of women returning to jail after being released nationally is 80%. The women in the Welcome Home program have a rate of only 13% by creating a Christ-centered program offering caring services through case management, referrals to Welcome Home community partners and a peer to peer mentoring model proven to work.
http://www.welcomehomeint.com/Welcome-Home.php
760-439-1351
2103 El Camino Real
Suite 105A
Oceanside, California 92054 United States of America - Project New Start
3295 Meade Ave
San Diego , California 92116
619 281-6701
FAX: 619 281-6706
Description: Project New Start offers employment development for parolees.
Referral needed from parole agent.
Genders Served: M&F - Friends Outside Head Office
Friends Outside provides food, clothing, support groups, a job program, youth activities and family support services
during and after the period of incarceration.
- Re-Entry Program For Homeless & Recovering Addicts
(Po Box 281344) # (415)-552-8444
- Elizebeth Fry Center
1251 2Nd Ave.
San Francisco Ca. 94112
Pre-post Release Project (Prisoner Support) - Community Connection resource Center
Provides re-entry services for prisoners and ex-offenders
- Mercy House Assisted House Transitional Living Center- Ontario
- Miracle House- Apple Valley
21234 Rancherias Road
Apple Valley, CA 92306
- Reach Out West End, Inc.- Upland
Phone: (909)982-8641
1126 West Foothill Boulevard
Upland, CA 91786
website: we-reachout.org - Church of Second Chances SHARE Program- Ontario
1205 North Baker Street
Ontario, CA 91761
- House of Hope- Adelanto
No Address Provided
Adelanto, CA 92345
2 Year Live Treatment Facility
- Powerhouse Ministries
Folsom, California 95630
916-983-0658
RELEASE PROGRAM
Turning Point Central California 220 North Locust Street Visalia Ca.
(559) 627-1385
- Los Angeles Dream Center
Pastor Matthew Barnet
2301 Believue Ave.
Los Angeles Ca. 90026
- Set Women Free Woman's Ranch
How to Find a Job When You Have a Criminal Record
- Know your rights: depending on the severity of what occurred, your age when it happen, and the time that elapsed since the incident, it might be possible to have your record sealed or expunged particularly if you were a minor. Criminality cannot be used as the absolute reason not to hire you. Some state laws prohibit employers from asking. In California, employers cannot ask about arrests that did not result in a conviction.
- Be Realistic: If the nature of the crime conflicts with the nature of the job, be open to start at lowering paying/level jobs to build back up your reputation, build your skills, and build trust
- Learn how to network: Make sure you are on LinkedIn, look for jobs on Monster, talk to other offenders who have found work
- Get help from an organization: go beyond networking and seek help from organizations that are made to help those with a criminal record. Look for non-profits in your area
- Be Honest: If the employer has a policy to hire ex-felons then place it on your resume or cover letter. Potential employers respect honesty on applications rather than finding out on a background check. Plus if you had to lie to get the job you may be fired when the check comes back anyway.
- Training: Find vocational training programs. While you may not make any money for a little bit, it can put you at a better advantage when it comes to applying
- Stay Positive and Keep at It.
- Check out this site for resources for job training http://www.ex-offendersresourcenetwork.org/
Ban The Box
Across the nation, legislation limiting the extent to which private employers may request and consider applicants' and employees' criminal histories is gaining momentum. Commonly referred to as "ban the box" initiatives, original legislative efforts sought to eliminate the "box" on employment application forms requesting applicants to disclose whether they had ever been convicted of a crime. The idea was that by eliminating the criminal history question up front, applicants would at least get a "fair shot" at consideration based on their qualifications. Employers could, however, still ask applicants about, conduct background checks for, and make selection decisions based on criminal history, provided such screening occurred at a later stage in the hiring process. Current "ban the box" initiatives often go farther, sometimes limiting how an applicant's criminal history can be considered at any hiring stage. The following is a summary of several developments this year that impact private employers:
New Jersey
On August 11, 2014, New Jersey enacted a "ban the box" initiative that will go into effect on March 1, 2015. Under the new law, employers need not wait until an offer is extended to make criminal background inquiries. However, employers may not ask about criminal history until after the employer has conducted an interview, determined the applicant is qualified, and selected the applicant as its first choice to fill the position. Even then, the law prohibits most employers from: (1) advertising their prohibition on hiring applicants with criminal backgrounds; (2) considering past arrests that did not result in a conviction; (3) considering disorderly conduct violations when the conviction occurred or incarceration ended more than five years before the job application; and (4) considering certain other crimes when the conviction occurred or incarceration ended more than 10 years before the job application. The state law preempts similar local laws, such as the local "ban the box" ordinance in Newark, New Jersey.
Illinois
Illinois's "ban the box" law will go into effect on January 1, 2015. The Illinois Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act prohibits most employers in the state from inquiring into or considering an applicant's criminal record until the employer has determined the applicant is qualified and either (1) has notified the applicant that he or she has been selected for an interview, or (2) if there is no interview, has extended a conditional offer of employment.
Baltimore
Baltimore "banned the box" effective August 13, 2014. Baltimore's law applies to all employers who employ at least 10 full-time employees in Baltimore City. Until after a conditional offer of employer has been extended, a covered employer in Baltimore may not (1) require an applicant to disclose or reveal whether he or she has a criminal record or has been the subject of a criminal accusation, (2) conduct a criminal background check, or (3) otherwise make inquiries regarding the same.
San Francisco
Effective August 14, 2014, San Francisco's law limits employment inquiries regarding an applicant's criminal background and prohibiting employment action based on some criminal histories. The Fair Chance Ordinance applies to employers with operations in San Francisco that employ 20 or more persons, regardless of location. It prohibits inquiries about certain aspects of an applicant's or employee's criminal history until after the first live interview or after a conditional offer of employment has been made, but only if the employer provides written notice to the applicant in the form provided by San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. If the employer then intends to make an adverse decision based on the individual's employment history, it must also provide a copy of the history to the applicant and time to correct any alleged inaccuracies in the report.
Employer Takeaways
As a result of these and other similar "ban the box" initiatives, employers who use form applications, both online and paper, across multiple jurisdictions will want to review the content of such materials to determine the extent to which the forms ask questions that are related to criminal background. Depending on the law of the locations where operations and hiring occur, employers may also want to consider (a) removing criminal history questions for all applications and sites, or (b) creating tailored applications (and procedures) to be used in certain jurisdictions.
Across the nation, legislation limiting the extent to which private employers may request and consider applicants' and employees' criminal histories is gaining momentum. Commonly referred to as "ban the box" initiatives, original legislative efforts sought to eliminate the "box" on employment application forms requesting applicants to disclose whether they had ever been convicted of a crime. The idea was that by eliminating the criminal history question up front, applicants would at least get a "fair shot" at consideration based on their qualifications. Employers could, however, still ask applicants about, conduct background checks for, and make selection decisions based on criminal history, provided such screening occurred at a later stage in the hiring process. Current "ban the box" initiatives often go farther, sometimes limiting how an applicant's criminal history can be considered at any hiring stage. The following is a summary of several developments this year that impact private employers:
New Jersey
On August 11, 2014, New Jersey enacted a "ban the box" initiative that will go into effect on March 1, 2015. Under the new law, employers need not wait until an offer is extended to make criminal background inquiries. However, employers may not ask about criminal history until after the employer has conducted an interview, determined the applicant is qualified, and selected the applicant as its first choice to fill the position. Even then, the law prohibits most employers from: (1) advertising their prohibition on hiring applicants with criminal backgrounds; (2) considering past arrests that did not result in a conviction; (3) considering disorderly conduct violations when the conviction occurred or incarceration ended more than five years before the job application; and (4) considering certain other crimes when the conviction occurred or incarceration ended more than 10 years before the job application. The state law preempts similar local laws, such as the local "ban the box" ordinance in Newark, New Jersey.
Illinois
Illinois's "ban the box" law will go into effect on January 1, 2015. The Illinois Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act prohibits most employers in the state from inquiring into or considering an applicant's criminal record until the employer has determined the applicant is qualified and either (1) has notified the applicant that he or she has been selected for an interview, or (2) if there is no interview, has extended a conditional offer of employment.
Baltimore
Baltimore "banned the box" effective August 13, 2014. Baltimore's law applies to all employers who employ at least 10 full-time employees in Baltimore City. Until after a conditional offer of employer has been extended, a covered employer in Baltimore may not (1) require an applicant to disclose or reveal whether he or she has a criminal record or has been the subject of a criminal accusation, (2) conduct a criminal background check, or (3) otherwise make inquiries regarding the same.
San Francisco
Effective August 14, 2014, San Francisco's law limits employment inquiries regarding an applicant's criminal background and prohibiting employment action based on some criminal histories. The Fair Chance Ordinance applies to employers with operations in San Francisco that employ 20 or more persons, regardless of location. It prohibits inquiries about certain aspects of an applicant's or employee's criminal history until after the first live interview or after a conditional offer of employment has been made, but only if the employer provides written notice to the applicant in the form provided by San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. If the employer then intends to make an adverse decision based on the individual's employment history, it must also provide a copy of the history to the applicant and time to correct any alleged inaccuracies in the report.
Employer Takeaways
As a result of these and other similar "ban the box" initiatives, employers who use form applications, both online and paper, across multiple jurisdictions will want to review the content of such materials to determine the extent to which the forms ask questions that are related to criminal background. Depending on the law of the locations where operations and hiring occur, employers may also want to consider (a) removing criminal history questions for all applications and sites, or (b) creating tailored applications (and procedures) to be used in certain jurisdictions.
11 Companies that hire formerly Incarcerated Persons
*Also see slideshow at the bottom of the page for more companies
It's no secret that finding a job after being released from prison is an often insurmountable task, leading to skyrocketing recidivism rates across the country. While many companies are hesitant to hire the formerly incarcerated, a number of enterprises are taking a chance on these men and women - and, in turn, giving them a second chance at life.
1. Isidore Electronics Recycling
This Los Angeles-based e-waste recycling company has three missions: keep old electronics out of landfills, create long-term green jobs and reduce the city's high recidivism rate by hiring formerly incarcerated Angelenos as employees. "Here in California we have two problems - our landfills are overflowing, and our prisons are overflowing. We believe that we can help solve these two problems by creating green job prison reentry programs," Kabira Stokes, co-founder of Isidore Electronics Recycling, said in 2013. After around two years in operation, the company now employs more than a dozen people with plans to expand.
2. Delancey Street Restaurant
For 40 years, the San Francisco-based Delancey Street Foundation has provided a home and all services to thousands of residents at no cost to clients or local taxpayers. How? By creating its own revenue through social enterprises like Delancey Street Restaurant, a local favorite for its tasty eats and breathtaking views of the Bay Bridge. In addition to helping out with funding, the restaurant also serves as a training space for residents trying to get back on their feet. "All tips are considered donations, and all restaurant proceeds after food costs go directly to house, feed and clothe our residents and teach all skills, values and attitudes needed for a successful drug-free and crime-free life in the mainstream society," the foundation says on its website.
3. Felony Franks
Chicago paper company owner Jim Andrews hired dozens of ex-inmates in his nearly 20 years in the business. But in 2009, he decided to take things a step further by launching Felony Franks, a hot dog stand that hires only formerly incarcerated employees and provides on-the-job training to help them start a new life. Although Andrews' mission is a pertinent one, he clearly doesn't take the whole thing too seriously: Along with the fun (and fabulously alliterated) name, Felony Franks' menu includes items like the "misdemeanor wiener."
4. RecycleForce
Using the revenue generated by its recycling business, Indianapolis-based RecycleForce is helping formerly incarcerated men and women rebuild their lives by providing gainful employment and comprehensive social services. It received a $5.5 million federal grant back in 2011 that will cover an estimated 500 workers. "RecycleForce helps ex-offenders break down the barriers to employment by providing transitional jobs for up to six months, as well as comprehensive services designed to get their lives back on track ... This 'wrap-around' approach greatly increases the chance of sustained future employment and decreases the instances of re-offending," the company writes on its website.
5. Dave's Killer Bread
Dave's Killer Bread started out as the favorite organic bread at their local farmers market in Portland. Less than a decade later, it's the No. 1 best-selling organic bread in the country and on its way toward national availability. In addition to organic, non-GMO ingredients, the company has another secret: One in three of its employees is a convicted felon. "Through our partner enrichment program, we're helping our employees build hard and soft skills to enhance their lives after incarceration," the company says on its website.
6. Drive Change
Founder Jordyn Lexton and the Drive Change team. New York City startup Drive Change is currently building a fleet of food trucks that serve fresh and tasty fare while employing young people with criminal records. In addition to providing hands-on work experience and transferrable skills, Drive Change works to place its employees in permanent positions - lowering recidivism rates for young people who are treated as adults in the criminal justice system from 70 percent to 20 percent for program participants, according to the startup. All sales from Drive Change food trucks recycle back into the organization to subsidize re-entry programs.
7. Planting Justice
Oakland-based Planting Justice has a simple yet powerful motto: "Grow food. Grow jobs. Grow community." Since 2009, the organization has built more than 250 edible permaculture gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area, worked with three high-schools to develop food justice curriculum and created 11 green jobs for men transitioning from prison in the food justice movement.
8. Homeboy Industries
Through social enterprises like farmers markets, bakeries and restaurants, Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries gives a second chance to high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women through a continuum of free services and programs. Homeboy's clients are also its employees, with each of its unique social enterprises serving as job-training sites.
9. Creative Matters
It's no surprise that so many companies on this list hail from California. With more than 65 percent of inmatesreturning to prison within three years of release, the state has the highest recidivism rate in the nation, leading many social entrepreneurs to take matters into their own hands. This ad agency based in Los Angeles is a prime example: All but one of the agency's 15 employees are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. The agency has grown a pool of 30 regular accounts since opening its doors in 2010, Fast Company reports.
10. Defy Ventures
New York City-based Defy Ventures goes beyond simply hiring ex-cons by giving them the tools to go into business for themselves. The entrepreneurship program provides ex-inmates with MBA-like training, executive coaching, mentoring, parenting education, character development and career opportunities. "Our signature entrepreneurship program engages [ex-inmates] in a series of Shark Tank-style business plan competitions judged by renowned thought leaders who award up to $150,000 in seed capital to winning ventures," the company writes on its website.
11. LaunchPodium
Another success story out of San Francisco, LaunchPodium is an online marketing firm helping small businesses and entrepreneurs build websites, social engagement and advertising. Half of it's full-time staffalso happens to be made up of ex-inmates. Sure, the whole staff is only only four guys right now, but as a laundry list of mom's-house-to-millionaire stories prove, Bay Area tech startups tend to grow quickly. The firm is continuing its work with formerly incarcerated men and women in the area, even hosting newly released prisoners as "entrepreneurs-in-residence," so the trend of hiring ex-inmates is likely to continue as well.
*Also see slideshow at the bottom of the page for more companies
It's no secret that finding a job after being released from prison is an often insurmountable task, leading to skyrocketing recidivism rates across the country. While many companies are hesitant to hire the formerly incarcerated, a number of enterprises are taking a chance on these men and women - and, in turn, giving them a second chance at life.
1. Isidore Electronics Recycling
This Los Angeles-based e-waste recycling company has three missions: keep old electronics out of landfills, create long-term green jobs and reduce the city's high recidivism rate by hiring formerly incarcerated Angelenos as employees. "Here in California we have two problems - our landfills are overflowing, and our prisons are overflowing. We believe that we can help solve these two problems by creating green job prison reentry programs," Kabira Stokes, co-founder of Isidore Electronics Recycling, said in 2013. After around two years in operation, the company now employs more than a dozen people with plans to expand.
2. Delancey Street Restaurant
For 40 years, the San Francisco-based Delancey Street Foundation has provided a home and all services to thousands of residents at no cost to clients or local taxpayers. How? By creating its own revenue through social enterprises like Delancey Street Restaurant, a local favorite for its tasty eats and breathtaking views of the Bay Bridge. In addition to helping out with funding, the restaurant also serves as a training space for residents trying to get back on their feet. "All tips are considered donations, and all restaurant proceeds after food costs go directly to house, feed and clothe our residents and teach all skills, values and attitudes needed for a successful drug-free and crime-free life in the mainstream society," the foundation says on its website.
3. Felony Franks
Chicago paper company owner Jim Andrews hired dozens of ex-inmates in his nearly 20 years in the business. But in 2009, he decided to take things a step further by launching Felony Franks, a hot dog stand that hires only formerly incarcerated employees and provides on-the-job training to help them start a new life. Although Andrews' mission is a pertinent one, he clearly doesn't take the whole thing too seriously: Along with the fun (and fabulously alliterated) name, Felony Franks' menu includes items like the "misdemeanor wiener."
4. RecycleForce
Using the revenue generated by its recycling business, Indianapolis-based RecycleForce is helping formerly incarcerated men and women rebuild their lives by providing gainful employment and comprehensive social services. It received a $5.5 million federal grant back in 2011 that will cover an estimated 500 workers. "RecycleForce helps ex-offenders break down the barriers to employment by providing transitional jobs for up to six months, as well as comprehensive services designed to get their lives back on track ... This 'wrap-around' approach greatly increases the chance of sustained future employment and decreases the instances of re-offending," the company writes on its website.
5. Dave's Killer Bread
Dave's Killer Bread started out as the favorite organic bread at their local farmers market in Portland. Less than a decade later, it's the No. 1 best-selling organic bread in the country and on its way toward national availability. In addition to organic, non-GMO ingredients, the company has another secret: One in three of its employees is a convicted felon. "Through our partner enrichment program, we're helping our employees build hard and soft skills to enhance their lives after incarceration," the company says on its website.
6. Drive Change
Founder Jordyn Lexton and the Drive Change team. New York City startup Drive Change is currently building a fleet of food trucks that serve fresh and tasty fare while employing young people with criminal records. In addition to providing hands-on work experience and transferrable skills, Drive Change works to place its employees in permanent positions - lowering recidivism rates for young people who are treated as adults in the criminal justice system from 70 percent to 20 percent for program participants, according to the startup. All sales from Drive Change food trucks recycle back into the organization to subsidize re-entry programs.
7. Planting Justice
Oakland-based Planting Justice has a simple yet powerful motto: "Grow food. Grow jobs. Grow community." Since 2009, the organization has built more than 250 edible permaculture gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area, worked with three high-schools to develop food justice curriculum and created 11 green jobs for men transitioning from prison in the food justice movement.
8. Homeboy Industries
Through social enterprises like farmers markets, bakeries and restaurants, Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries gives a second chance to high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women through a continuum of free services and programs. Homeboy's clients are also its employees, with each of its unique social enterprises serving as job-training sites.
9. Creative Matters
It's no surprise that so many companies on this list hail from California. With more than 65 percent of inmatesreturning to prison within three years of release, the state has the highest recidivism rate in the nation, leading many social entrepreneurs to take matters into their own hands. This ad agency based in Los Angeles is a prime example: All but one of the agency's 15 employees are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. The agency has grown a pool of 30 regular accounts since opening its doors in 2010, Fast Company reports.
10. Defy Ventures
New York City-based Defy Ventures goes beyond simply hiring ex-cons by giving them the tools to go into business for themselves. The entrepreneurship program provides ex-inmates with MBA-like training, executive coaching, mentoring, parenting education, character development and career opportunities. "Our signature entrepreneurship program engages [ex-inmates] in a series of Shark Tank-style business plan competitions judged by renowned thought leaders who award up to $150,000 in seed capital to winning ventures," the company writes on its website.
11. LaunchPodium
Another success story out of San Francisco, LaunchPodium is an online marketing firm helping small businesses and entrepreneurs build websites, social engagement and advertising. Half of it's full-time staffalso happens to be made up of ex-inmates. Sure, the whole staff is only only four guys right now, but as a laundry list of mom's-house-to-millionaire stories prove, Bay Area tech startups tend to grow quickly. The firm is continuing its work with formerly incarcerated men and women in the area, even hosting newly released prisoners as "entrepreneurs-in-residence," so the trend of hiring ex-inmates is likely to continue as well.