An Analysis of Entrepreneurial Education in the Criminal Justice System

Currently, American federal and state prisons release more than 600,000 offenders each year that contribute to the estimated 70 million or more Americans that have some form of criminal record. By holding a criminal record, successful reentry for offenders are difficult because the criminal record serves as a barrier to public benefits. There are many correctional education programs designed to help offenders while in prison to overcome these barriers. Entrepreneurial education programs are becoming more popular, due to the positive recidivism and post-release employment results. The purpose of this study is to compare entrepreneurial education to other programs while analyzing the components that make the program successful. This thesis concludes that entrepreneurial education programs utilize logotherapy components derived from Viktor Frankl’s psychotherapy to achieve lower recidivism and higher post-release employment rates. To draw this conclusion, this thesis presents a literature review which contains information regarding the current criminal justice system, and the current educational programs offered. Furthermore, the analysis of entrepreneurial education developed after an in-depth review of phenomenology and Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy