There’s a hidden universe of small sole proprietorships, companies serving inmate needs that major corporations and state contracts fail to address. They fill niche needs, everything from locating and ordering books for prisoners, to custom services tailored to the specific needs of the individual.

On Monday, January 27, 2020 I will post “Are You Being Served?” –the first post in a series introducing you to the world of inmate service companies. All of these companies and organizations provide needed services that inmates are thankful for, and they ease the burden of incarceration.

I am big on the belief that rehabilitation is the key to incarceration. Rehabilitation encompasses a wide range of needs and desires that must be met in order to succeed. Most of those needs and desires can be met at the institutional level and through the departments and services provided to inmates. Some are met through vendors under state contracts, but others are not.

Inmate services provided by the mom and pop companies across the country step in to fill these needs. They are the quiet, unsung important cogs of the rehabilitation wheel that has many grooves. By easing the sting of incarceration, guys are more willing to consider constructive paths.

I’ll tell you all about it in this Monday’s post, “Are You Being Served?”

*If you are an ex-inmate and would like to write a guest essay about what life has been like post-incarceration I’d like to hear from you. Contact me through the contact page on this site.

—Christopher—