Never, ever, ever give up

I love stories like this one in today’s Washington Post about the Prison Entrepreneurship Program in Texas. While the name may conjure images of contraband cigarettes and a behind-bars drug trade, it’s, well, kind of about that. It’s about the fact that skills involved in setting up a complex, underground system for trading contraband items in jail may just be skills that are useful in setting up a successful, independent business.

The organization selects soon to be released inmates for an intensive business course, where they must complete assignments, are mentored by business executives, and eventually propose their own business plans. The program boasts a high success rate, including 93 percent employment, which is critical in preventing recidivism. The most heartening aspect of the program is the fact that it shows that these inmates, generally considered “undesirables” in society, are able to rise to the challenge and do the hard work necessary to succeed.

These programs serve as evidence that people (including students) respond to expectations - if we, as a society, expect former inmates to act like criminals, then that's likely what we'll get, but if we challenge ourselves to expect more, we might just get a group of people with the kinds of entreprenuerial skills our society relies on.