By the Numbers

Inmates to Entrepreneurs seeks to reduce the recidivism rate by helping ex-offenders start over. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. In more than 40 of the 50 states, 4 in 10 offenders return to state prison within three years of their release.
2. At the time of their first arrest, 90 percent were employed.
3. At the time of their second arrest, 89 percent were unemployed.
4. Parole violators account for more than 30 percent of all prison admissions.
5. More than 700,000 prisoners are released annually. That is a little less than 2,000 per day or 40 per day per state.
6. There are more than 1.7 million federal and state prisoners currently.
7. Of current state prisoners, 95 percent are scheduled to be released back into society at some point.
8. It is estimated that 3 million former prisoners are in the population today.
9. On average it costs $24,000 to house a state prisoner for one year.
10. The highest re-arrest rates are for those convicted or robbery (70.2 percent), burglary (74.0 percent), larceny (74.6 percent), and motor vehicle thefts (78.8 percent). This suggests that recidivism is money-driven.