This documentary believes in second chances.
Incarceration is a $500B annual cost to our economy. And that cost doesn't stop when someone exits prison. Reentry to society after incarceration is a huge problem in the United States. We do not have the proper systems in place to support someone leaving incarceration; which leads to more than half returning to the system within a year.
Our story surrounds the INVEST Program - an 8-week entrepreneurship program for justice-impacted individuals. Entrepreneurship is key to this population, as they often face significant unemployment barriers due to housing, banking and employer discrimination.
But this program is so much more than that. Over two years, 8 other cohorts have graduated, and we have watched the personal transformation that takes place. It's magical. It has resulted in a recidivism rate 5x lower than the national average.
This is a story of hope. This is a story about how love transforms. And this is a story about how community and culture...is the answer.