The Intersection of Innovation & Incarceration: A Nonprofit Success Story

 
 

The Intersection of Innovation & Incarceration: A Nonprofit Success Story

Project Return addresses a defining dilemma of our time—mass incarceration. Learn how the leading nonprofit innovator achieves reentry success and low recidivism with a whole-person approach to social enterprise.

November 22, 2021

Over the past three decades, felony incarceration has grown by 70% in the state of Tennessee which ranks 12th for incarceration in the US. Close to 15,000 people are released from prison annually, in Tennessee alone. Based out of Nashville, Project Return has recently expanded to Chattanooga because of their commitment to serving urban areas. We were joined by Project Return CEO Bettie Kirkland and Social Enterprise Director Larry Craig who shared about their successes, challenges, strategy, and recent expansion to Chattanooga.

A HOLISTIC APPROACH

Project Return is taking on an outsized problem that drives inter-generational poverty and is underpinned by structural racism. A challenge this complicated necessitates an aggressive and innovative approach. Incarcerated individuals, when they are released, may only have the clothes on their back and a few dollars to their name. A successful new beginning can seem a long way off in the face of immediate desolation. This is where Project Return steps in.

The nonprofit’s work is relationship-based; it operates on the understanding that their clients are human beings of worth who deserve holistic care the moment they step outside the gates. One of Project Return’s core services is transportation—time spent chauffeuring lets the drivers listen to the participants’ new needs and struggles, report the information back, and craft solutions in real-time. The kind of care their clients receive is decided by the individuals themselves.

INNOVATION + SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Project Return offers a multitude of innovative signature services that bolster participants post-incarceration. Immediately following release, individuals are given hot meals and medical, dental, and vision services addressed by local partners. Project Return then helps them acquire a birth certificate and any clothes, shoes, and tools needed to apply for employment. Individuals are also coached through next steps to help alleviate anxiety and uncertainty in the process.

The most important and difficult step to re-entering society is securing a job. Whether an employer is averse to making hires with a criminal record or the individual lacks transportation, the challenge is steep. Project Return offers work within one of their three social enterprises:

  1. PROe: A staffing company, PROe provides a first job, staffing worksites of transitional employment partners. Through real-world experience and on the job coaching, their people go on to be successful employees within their community.

  2. PROPS: PROPS is a property solutions company, offering property, janitorial, and other services, while also employing Project Return participants.

  3. PRO Housing: An affordable housing company, PRO Housing offers the opportunity for stable housing to people who otherwise may be excluded due to having a criminal record.

These social enterprises not only offer vital work and housing for Project Return participants, but also generate revenue to allow workers to be paid and programs to continue. An approach not often seen in the nonprofit world, but one that has proven successful for them.

A SUCCESS STORY FOR EVERYONE

The issue of mass incarceration is a societal one. While Projet Return addresses needs on an individual basis, their work impacts larger communities. As working members of society, recently released persons simultaneously pay taxes and reduce the amount of taxpayer dollars needed to operate the prison. They also spend money back into their local economy.

Local partner employers are key to helping individuals and the communities their businesses serve—as well as the businesses themselves. Longitudinal data from places that hire previously incarcerated people shows that they stack up better than non-incarcerated individuals.

If you are an employer who would like to partner with Project Return, reach out to them today to see how you can get involved.

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