Venturing beyond the Gates: Facilitating Successful Reentry with Entrepreneurship. Summer 2007

The rising number of individuals returning to communities from prison and jail represents one of the defining issues of time. Individuals reentering society face myriad challenges, not the least of which is securing viable employment; in addition, each individual has a unique set of experiences, needs and resources. This project stems from the understanding that to effectively address the unique characteristics of and challenges facing people reentering society, the best and brightest minds from a diverse array of fields must collaborate to develop a spectrum of approaches and solutions. The information, case studies and stories contained in this monograph aim to inspire professionals across entrepreneurship, workforce development and criminal justice fields to recognize and embrace entrepreneurship and self-employment as appropriate and valuable tools for reintegration. Given the size of the population returning home from prison and jail, one cannot afford to ignore their potential as resources for community and economic development; nor can one overlook the opportunity that entrepreneurship represents as a path to financial stability and engaged citizenship. This monograph contains the following parts: (1) Background for a Common Language; (2) Opportunities to Facilitate Successful Reentry with Entrepreneurship; and (3) Tools for Pilot Projects and Initiatives. Conversations on Reentry and Entrepreneurship--Participants are appended. A bibliography is included. [This paper was written with the assistance from Debbie A. Mukamal.]