HOUSTON — A non-profit is helping men who are in prison become entrepreneurs.
The non-profit PEP, or Prison Entrepreneurship Program, partners with local businesses to mentor prisoners and reintegrate them back into society.
"I had been in trouble since I was 12 years old because I didn’t grow up with my parents. Both of my parents went to prison," said Michael Galloway.
Galloway was supposed to be another statistic. When he turned 21, he was charged with criminally negligent homicide.
"I killed one of my best friends on accident," said Galloway.
Galloway said he was trying to unload a pistol when he accidentally let go of the hammer and the bullet killed his friend. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison and was denied parole.
"When I got sentenced, I didn’t feel like I was going to get out of there. My whole life flashed before my eyes," he said.
But his whole life was changed three years before his prison sentence ended. He was contacted to join PEP.
"We have used the vehicle of entrepreneurship to foster change in the prison population," said PEP CEO Bryan Kelley.
Kelley said for 18 years, the non-profit has offered inmates in the state of Texas an opportunity for a fresh start while they’re in prison. They teach them character development, public speaking, and how to develop and execute a business plan.
Once they’re out they help them with transitional housing and everything they need to reintegrate themselves into society. Along the way, they partner members of the program with successful business people to help mentor them and make their businesses a reality.
"That is what I explain to them, education be damned. If you want something, you go learn about it, do what you need to do and make it happen," said volunteer and businessman John Hunter.
About 60% of the men in their program are violent offenders with 40% of those having a prior criminal history. They say the program has between a 7% and 7.5% recidivism rate.
Kelley himself is a success story. He was charged with murder and served 22 years in prison.
"I was in just a desperate state and I didn’t know how to turn things around," said Kelley.
He knows it might be difficult for some of the victim’s families to see them out of prison living their life. The goal of the program is to make sure they don’t end up in jail again and hurt someone else.
"It's in everyone’s best interest for someone who has caused harm and redirect those energies and becomes healing instead of hurting. We want to stop the cycle of poverty and crime. Don’t want to have our graduates re-offend," Kelley said.
It's something Galloway said he doesn’t take lightly.
"One of the things that I struggled with is my friend is no longer here. He doesn’t get to be here, to have a family, to go to school, to go to college, to do all these things. I needed to honor his life by how I live out the rest of mine," said Galloway.
The program does not take sex offenders. So far they have helped start over 600 businesses.
You can find more information about the program on its website.