At Rikers Island, a massive prison in New York City, 66% of released prisoners end up coming back after committing a new crime. Jack Goldsmith, a former cosmetic industry executive, heard about this when he was volunteering there.
At age 65, he decided to try to fix this. He created "Getting Out and Staying Out," a program in which participants sign contracts agreeing to coaching and school upon their release. When they get out they get a coach, clothing, metro cards, an electric alarm clock, an ID card and a brand new resume.
The recidivism rate for those in the program is 10%
Goldsmith just got a Purpose Prize, a $100,000 award sponsored by Civic Ventures for older Americans who have used their wisdom and time to do extraordinary things. Click here to learn about the other winners -- Arlene Blum, Jock Brandis, Mark Goldsmith, Joseph James, Michele McRae, and Catalino Tapia -- and how to follow your own second life dreams.
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I think this is a great idea. Some will probably say that we're rewarding criminals, but we're not. We're rewarding people who have paid their debt to society by simply allowing them a chance to get their lives onto a different path. That helps all of us!
And I thought the article was going to be about a virtual megachurch in Second Life.
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