In Tennessee, women’s correctional facilities are experimenting with entrepreneurship training to reduce recidivism rates. Known as Building Entrepreneurs for Success in Tennessee, or BEST, the program was co-founded by Karen Vander Molen in 2014. Its goal is to prepare inmates for the job market, but also set them up with the skills they need for self-employment, given that finding a job with a criminal record is often difficult. Last year 75 women applied for the program and 19 were selected. In addition to business training, the course also focuses on character development and written and oral communication skills. “[Graduates of the program] will either be a super employer or a much more savvy, committed and adept employee,” Vander Molen said. “We need them to be coming out with the skills and the confidence and the wherewithal to rejoin society as a contributing member.” The Prison Entrepreneurship Program, or PEP, in Houston, inspired the Tennessee program. Created in 2004, PEP’s 1,300 graduates have a 7 percent recidivism rate. All graduates were employed within 90 days of their release and 185 started their own businesses.