Inmate entrepreneurs enrolled in The Last Mile, an entrepreneurship training program at San Quentin State Prison, presented their business proposals to an audience of 300 business executives, public safety officials and fellow inmates on March 27.
The presenters’ business concepts were all phone applications that focused on such topics as youth empowerment, culture preservation and firearm safety. Many of the concepts were developed from the entrepreneurs’ experiences of what was lacking in their own environments growing up.
“I wish I’d had something to help me understand my emotions then,” said participant Vinh Nguyen, referring to the circumstances that led him to commit first-degree murder. Nguyen’s proposal was an application that helps young people identify and process their emotions during stressful times. The application, “Moodringer,” monitors the wearer’s vital signs to alert the wearer of elevated levels; it also sends an instant notification to the wearer’s “support team,” a group of people with close ties to the wearer.
“This device will give young people a tool that could prevent them from making the same mistake I made,” Nguyen said. “You are only a ring away from mindfulness.”
According to California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, who attended the presentation, TLM is essential because it equips inmates with the necessary skills to keep up with a swiftly advancing global society.
“Ten years ago, Twitter was still a sound. Facebook didn’t exist. The cloud was in the sky. 4G was a parking space. LinkedIn was a prison. Those things didn’t exist. Now they’re ubiquitous in our lives,” Newsom said. “Unless you have the skills that can adapt to that new reality — and programs like TLM provide those new, fresh skills of tomorrow — you’re not going to fare well.”
“A vast majority of these people are going to be back out on the streets, and we want them educated, and we want them empowered, and want them to have the kind of confidence they’re going to need to enter a workforce that’s radically changing day in and day out,” Newsom added.
TLM is the brainchild of venture capitalists Beverly Parenti and Chris Redlitz and provides inmates with the opportunity to develop innovative business concepts.
Parenti and Redlitz “invented something from nothing,” said TLM board member John Hamm. “They got things that impeded the program out of the way. They never considered giving up. They are the most humble and committed people I’ve ever met.”
Parenti said the purpose behind TLM originally was to reduce recidivism and reduce the cost of prison spending. They have since expanded the program to include a computer coding class, called Code 7370. “The results are exceeding expectations and show what is possible in a prison setting,” she said.
Code 7370 is scheduled to have its first graduation on April 20.
Redlitz said he advises TLM participants to build businesses based on their passions; then, “they swim in a shark tank and learn how to present their ideas in a professional manner,” Redlitz said. “In the end, when the men return to the community, they’re transformed into confident businessmen.”
Indeed, confident and professional was how the men appeared. According to entrepreneur and musician MC Hammer, a longtime TLM adviser, all the presentations were well thought-out. “These men are committed,” Hammer said.
The men’s business proposals covered a wide range of social needs.
Participant Azraal Ford said he wanted to confront high school peer pressure by creating an online community called “Schooligans.” Ford, a self-identified ex-bully, wants to give the teenage community a safe, online support system and forum to express themselves fully.
“Schooligans would allow teens to identify with others who are having the same struggles they’re having,” Ford said.
Participating teenagers would be able to create their own profiles and connect with other teenagers via online messaging, Ford said.
Reginald Hola created “My Tribe,” a social media platform that provides users with online tools to understand and preserve their cultures. Families create their own profile, complete with generations of family documentation.
“A person without knowledge of his history is like a tree without roots,” Hola said. “My Tribe is home to everyone. A tribe can say where your heart is. A tribe is waiting for you.”
Sam Hearnes was inspired to create “The Village,” an online command center to help locate missing persons, because his own father was abducted when he was a child. The Village aims to upload critical information regarding missing persons and to update both law enforcement and select members of the community, called “Village Angels,” in a more time-efficient manner.
“The first three hours are critical in finding missing children,” Hearnes said.
Jason James presented his application “Getting Parents’ Attention” (GPA), which monitors the grades of high school student athletes. Those who excel academically are rewarded with the Wiseman Trophy, not to be mistaken for the Heisman Trophy. The application provides students with interactive ways to learn while focusing on their athletic pursuits at the same time.
s “Combat Chess” is an animated, blitz-speed chess game with characters created from favorite action figures. It’s also a spectator sport for an online audience.
“VocaLock,” a voice-activated firearm trigger lock that is password-protected, was created by participant Chung Kao. It comes complete with a GPS and is tamper-proof.
Participant A. Terrell Merritt brought to the table “Windows of Praise,” a social media platform that allows church choirs to compete against one another in an American Idol-like event. The platform’s slogan is “Look in, Listen, and Be Inspired.” TLM graduates are testament to the effectiveness of the lessons learned through the program. Chrisfino Kenyatta Leal, Darnell Hill, James Houston and Heracio Harts, all past graduates of TLM, are currently out of prison, employed and applying the skillset learned in TLM to their daily work lives.
Leal is employed at RocketSpace, a San Francisco-based tech incubator.
Hill works as an advertising agent with ePantry. Houston is a youth coordinator in Richmond, serving as a mentor to at-risk teenage boys and girls.
“I started taking programs to show my son that people can change. I found my voice and used it to help all those around me,” Houston said. “My passion was helping the youth avoid the problems that caused me to come to prison.”
Harts is a salesperson for an Internet marketing firm called Doz.
“In order for dreams to come true, all the preparation means nothing, unless you execute the action,” Harts said regarding his training through TLM.
Several business executives who mentor TLM participants applauded the work that graduates accomplished and encouraged the potential behind these ideas.
“The potential for growth in this industry is incredible. All you need is hard work and persistence,” said keynote speaker B. Bonin Bough, vice president of Global Media and Consumer Engagement at Mondelez. “The skillset that you’re learning are sought after as talent to build businesses.”
MC Hammer acknowledged the band “Contagious” and Emily Mesko who provided the music for the event. James Cavitt also performed his spoken word piece, “Where I Live,” which described freedom not as a tangible place, but instead a mindset.
San Quentin News thanks Nancy Mullane, independent reporter and producer of The Life of the Law, www.lifeofthelaw.org , who recorded the quotes of Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.
