{"id":4907,"date":"2018-01-15T09:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T17:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsincerity.us\/?p=4907"},"modified":"2023-05-20T05:23:48","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T05:23:48","slug":"john-legends-unlocked-futures-takes-aim-americas-recidivism-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kilde.org\/new-sincerity\/john-legends-unlocked-futures-takes-aim-americas-recidivism-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"John Legend’s Unlocked Futures<\/i> Takes Aim at America’s Recidivism Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Legend \u2013 the silky-voiced pop star who turns all the heads \u2013 is a social justice ninja working hard to reduce recidivism. First, through his non-profit FREEAMERICA<\/a>, and now with an accelerator program called Unlocked Futures, Legend tackles prison reform with the deep belief that some simple changes can make a monumentally positive impact.<\/p>\n

Studies show that the lack of resources available for folks after they get out of prison is likely what leads them back in. Finding a support network and landing a job soon after release will statistically make a formerly incarcerated person much less likely to return to prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo often are formerly incarcerated individuals locked out of job opportunities because of their past,\u201d Legend stated<\/a> last spring on New Profit. \u201cI have seen that entrepreneurship is a viable way for formerly incarcerated individuals to build sustainable livelihoods and contribute to their communities and neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through a large grant from Bank of America and mentorship from New Profit, Unlocked Futures gives funding and coaching support to formerly incarcerated individuals who are pushing mission-driven organizations and companies.<\/p>\n

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John Legend with Unlocked Ventures entrepreneurs. Photo: better tarrant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Will
Will Avila, founder of Clean Decisions. Photo: Unlocked Futures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A few organizations from the accelerator’s first round include an app called Flikshop<\/a> that makes it easy to send photo postcards to inmates,  Hope House <\/a>\u2013 housing for formerly incarcerated women getting back on their feet \u2013 and Clean Decisions, a commercial kitchen cleaning company that employs all formerly incarcerated folks. Will Avila, Clean Decisions founder, says initiatives like Unlocked Futures are what is needed to break the cycle.<\/p>\n

“Entrepreneurship is a powerful cycle because almost every returning citizen I know is crafting a business that helps others who have served time,” Avila told Nationswell.<\/p>\n

With the success of Unlocked Futures, we get a glimpse of how different a nation built around support networks and second chances can look. It’s innovative, it would save us a lot of money (our prisons cost taxpayers $80 billion a year), it would make a lot of families happily whole again.<\/p>\n

Go here<\/a> to read up on Unlocked Venture’s first round of kickass entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

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