A recent reality show in Canada offered 10 former inmates the opportunity to start their own businesses, with the winner receiving $10,000 of start-up money from venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation website, Redemption, Inc. offers former prisoners “tough and revealing challenges that will test, demonstrate and improve their natural abilities, and expose their character flaws, gradually moving them away from their illegal past and ever closer to a legal enterprise of their own.”
The show recently concluded, with 26 year-old Alia, a former drug trafficker, taking the grand prize. (Other participants were offered and accepted “exit packages” of lesser amounts to pursue their goals.) A “follow-up” program tracking the progress of the contestants is scheduled to air tonight (March 5).
“We have to change public perception of ex-convicts” says O’Leary, in an article about the show for the Globe and Mail (Toronto). “Most Canadians don’t realize that when you come out of prison you’re a complete pariah. You can’t get a car loan or money from a bank to start a business. So most end up back in prison within 24 months. It’s just so wrong. We need to fix this problem.”
O’Leary has invested more in the cause than just the prize money offered on the show. The program website includes a section on “The Bigger Picture,” which discusses a number of barriers the recently-incarcerated must face upon returning to society. There is also a forum where visitors can discuss issues concerning the justice system, and share stories about their experiences.
Perhaps the biggest plus for the program is that it puts names and faces to the menacing perception of ex-convicts, and encourages viewers to root for them. Changing hearts and attitudes toward those attempting to begin a new life is the first step in creating a system that is effective in enabling these people to be successful.
Do you think such a program would be a success in the United States? Would you watch?