The U.S. prison system is in desperate need of reform. This appears to be one of the few ideas on which both the republicans and democrats seem to agree.
Here are 3 glaring facts that make the case obvious:
The U.S., with 5% of the world’s population and 25% of its prisoners, is the world leader in incarceration
Nearly 3 out of 4 of previously incarcerated individuals will commit additional crimes and return to prison within 5 years
The U.S. spends over $50 billion per year incarcerating its citizens
RiseUp Ventures is focused on tackling this massive problem by unlocking the potential of incarcerated individuals thru innovative programming centered around entrepreneurship and mindfulness training. Our thesis is that with a foundation of mindfulness, the inmates we work with will have a better understanding of “self”. And from that true understanding of self, they can make better decisions and will be empowered to go out and do great things in the world - something which they are all capable of doing.
Our founder Steven Zuckerman, launched RiseUp by piggybacking on the Dade County Boot Camp program which focuses on helping young men from 18 to 25 years old (who are known as cadets on the inside), develop discipline and life skills to enhance their chances of success upon release.
Our initial intention was to help cadets prepare for entrepreneurship in their life after prison. However, after just one session, it was the mindfulness programming that really left us speechless. Teaching meditation, pranayama and other mindfulness techniques to the cadets immediately emerged as the most powerful tool for their personal growth. At the end of a mindfulness session, there was one cadet who enthusiastically burst out, “it stopped!” - referring to the incessant chatter of his mind. Afterward, he had a look of wonder as he shared about how peaceful the experience was for him.
Don’t get me wrong, rolling out mindfulness in prisons hasn’t been perfect. We don’t have a room full of enlightened people quite yet. Just like teaching meditation on the outside, when we go into a session, a handful of students will keep an eye open with a look of skepticism on their face. Thankfully, a good friend of ours heard about the work we’re doing in the prisons and out of the goodness of her heart put us in touch with Ariel, the founder of Muse. We connected with Ariel for a coffee, she was moved by the work we are doing in the prisons and immediately offered the support of Muse!
We were very excited as both Steve and I use Muse as a part of our personal meditation practices. I have always admired how it can take something that is by nature intangible and amorphous, and make it ‘real’ by providing audio feedback. What an amazing tool for our cadets to use.
Our first Muse session with the cadets was a big hit. The Muse headband transformed their meditation experience from a state of uncertainty, to one of awe. I will never forget the feeling of wonder and peacefulness that came over the room that day. During our sessions with Muse there were zero looks of “am I doing this right”. The cadets would put the headsets on and drop right into a session confidently knowing what to do. It was inspiring to see!
We’re in our early days, but stay tuned. At RiseUp, we believe that by taking innovative technology solutions like the Muse headband, and combining it with entrepreneurship and a holistic, community driven post-prison release approach, we can provide a vehicle for making an important difference in our community. Reducing recidivism just a few percentage points will make an enormous economic and social impact in terms of dollars saved and crimes prevented. Transforming previously incarcerated individuals into mindful entrepreneurs has a ripple effect as it not only helps them achieve their potential and stay out of prison, but they become a catalyst for positively impacting the vicious cycle of crime, prison, and violence in their communities.