Information liberation: According to Silicon Valley darling Catherine Hoke of Defy Ventures, felons are “natural-born entrepreneurs” budding with potential whom she can rehabilitate to stay out of prison with 95 percent efficacy.
From The Daily Beast:
Defy Ventures brings the gospel of entrepreneurship to an unlikely place: prisons.
The nonprofit company founded by Catherine Hoke says it is dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated people start their own businesses and stay out of prison. “Transform the hustle,” the company’s tagline encourages.
Defy has received grants from Google and the conservative Koch brothers. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg wrote a foreword to Hoke’s new memoir. Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called Hoke’s work “incredibly inspiring” on his podcast. Hoke’s project even has White House interest: She had a call with Jared Kushner’s office in January to discuss a visit about prison reform.
But while Defy woos Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., scandal has rocked the company’s leadership. Last month, Defy fired its president after he blew the whistle on allegations of sexual harassment by Hoke and fraudulent statistics exaggerating the program’s successes.
Hoke describes Defy as a second chance—not just for people with criminal histories, but for herself. A former employee at a private equity firm, Hoke left Wall Street to launch a business skills-training program for Texas prisoners in 2004. In 2009, she was banned from Texas prisons after she was discovered to have had sexual relations with four program graduates. MORE HERE
Sorry to hear that. My boss promoted them a couple of years ago, and I might have gone on one of their prison visits if there wasn’t so much effort just to get there. And I have promoted them in conversation as a great example of what can be done. I still think the concept is great, but I guess not this bunch.
I have said many times over a 30+ year career in policing that if the people being arrested (especially drug dealers) put their skills to work in legitimate ways, they would probably be very successful. So, I agree with the concept she is advocating, but a 90%+ success rate? I don’t see that happening. When you consider that most drug treatment programs have success rates of less than 10%, anything close to 50% becomes phenomenal. I would still like to hear more about exactly what services/ skills they provide. Well, except for the ones that got her in trouble…
Sorry to disagree with this concept but I view it differently. She isn’t focusing help on small time downtrodden people who came from poor environments which would be potentially a noble idea. She has placed her efforts on apex predators who’s clawed their way to the top of criminal gangs. They got there by being the most ruthless and violent of their peers.
Everything about their instincts will lead them to further criminal acts albeit in the white collar world instead.
Or maybe I’m just too jaded to see the bright side. I still think this skank is an opportunistic hustler and a slut to boot.
@organgrinder – I would argue that by rehabilitating any of these offenders we get a double benefit. Certainly want to help anybody in a tough situation who is willing to work their way out.
John Dillinger Said he robbed banks because that is where the money is. Therefore, she went to the prisons because that is where the dicks are!
Awwwwww, a mud shark with a golden heart.
If they weren’t using condoms, she best get tested.
So she’s a scam artist with a fetish for thugs, and created an easy venue for her to indulge her predilections.
Kinda like a pedophile becoming a scout leader.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christine-quinn-criticizes-cynthia-nixons-bid-governor-shes-an-unqualified-lesbian-1095911
I think the rules governing ‘non-profit’ status need to be reviewed, changed, or… something. It seems any hustler can set up a non-profit and then with glowing admiration go about ripping off the government (without our consent) or the weak minded.
She’s trash, no better than any she ‘helped’.