NCJ Number
230591
Date Published
2007
Length
94 pages
Annotation
This monograph intends to stimulate interest, spur momentum, and provide guidance for a national initiative that will promote entrepreneurship (self-employment) as a reentry option for individuals returning to their communities after their release from incarceration.
Abstract
In the fall of 2006, the Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice convened a series of "Conversations" between experts in the fields of entrepreneurship, criminal justice, and workforce development, which included academics, practitioners, funders, policymakers, and formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs. Discussions produced innovative ideas for a national initiative that promotes self-employment among formerly incarcerated persons (FIPs), providing a conceptual framework for this monograph. Part I of this monograph, "Background for a Common Language," presents key information, terminology, and statistics on the criminal justice system, entrepreneurship, and microenterprise development. Basic information on incarceration and reentry addresses pathways through the criminal justice system, incarceration trends and demographics, the consequences of mass incarceration, and recent developments in the reentry movement. Basic information on "entrepreneurship" defines it simply as "a method of generating income in lieu of or in addition to traditional employment." An overview of "microenterprises" is also presented, defined as "a business with five or fewer employees requiring $35,000 or less in start-up capital." Common microenterprises include repair services, cleaning services, specialty foods, jewelry, and arts and crafts. Part II, which is entitled "Opportunities to Facilitate Successful Reentry with Entrepreneurship" outlines five opportunities for facilitating successful reentry with entrepreneurship. These opportunities offer relevant research, case studies, and profiles of thriving businesses founded by FIPs. Part III, "Tools for Pilot Projects and Initiatives," contains tools for the development of pilot projects, with attention to resources for leveraging funding streams, contact points for State and local agencies needed to launch and sustain an effective project, and ideas for innovative program design. A 51-item bibliography and appended listing of participants in the "Conversations on Reentry and Entrepreneurship"