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Joe Williams Inducted Into International Ashoka Fellowship printer-friendly

By Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public elects founder of “New Creations Community Outreach,” which provides community support for newly-released prisoners to avoid recidivism.

Joe Williams knows exactly what newly-released prisoners need in order to turn their lives around and avoid returning to prison. He knows because he spent 13 years as a heroin addict and drug dealer who went to jail numerous times and spent a year in the military prison in Ft. Leavenworth. He believes that prison recidivism is not caused by poverty or opportunity to commit crimes, but by profound social isolation.

"By God’s grace and mercy, I emerged from a life of crime and addiction,” say Williams, and he has dedicated his life to improving the chances for others to do the same. He was the founding director of a Prison Fellowship Ministries program which was eventually spun off as an independent group, “New Creations Community Outreach.” The group takes people who have been disaffected by society and their families and replants them in communities dedicated to their freedom.

For his vision in creating a new way to integrate former inmates back into society, Williams is one of 18 social entrepreneurs from the United States, Canada and Mexico who were inducted into an international fellowship by “Ashoka: Innovators for the Public” at a special ceremony on November 14, 2006, at the Google campus in Mountain View, California. Once elected, Fellows benefit from being part of the Ashoka fellowship for life.

New Creations Community Outreach (formerly Transition of Prisoners) helps newly-released prisoners re-assimilate into the community and provides extensive support to help them turn their lives around including: housing aid, employment and education assistance, substance abuse counseling, and life skills training such as parenting and financial management. Perhaps most important, each client is assigned to a mentoring team from a local church whose members are trained to provide social and emotional support during what can be a very lonely and challenging time. There are currently 85 churches and 120 mentors in the Detroit area where the program is based.

New Creations has an astounding success rate. The recidivism rate for those in the program is just 18%, a fraction of the national average. Recidivism is an enormous social problem in the U.S., where there is a 67% chance that someone who has served their time will return to a life of crime and be re-incarcerated. Nearly two million would-be citizens are locked away during years when they would normally be working, starting families or attending college. Tragically, about half of them are African-American (mostly males) even though Black men make up only six percent of the US free population. For the last 25 years, the U.S. has annually imprisoned more Black individuals than any country on earth – including South Africa during the days of apartheid.

In addition to the financial costs of incarcerating two million people, removing so many Black men from their families and communities has created a deficit of male role-models, particularly in urban centers. A child whose parent has been imprisoned is far more likely to enter a life of crime himself. There are literally generations of American citizens who have experienced the social disintegration that results from this dysfunctional “rehabilitation” system.

Williams feels a strong sense of calling to help former prisoners and their families get back on track. “When they come out, they are very fearful,” he says. “They know what they are facing, and you see the relief on their faces when they realize we are here to help them, that we really care about them. We see success stories, the transformations. Eighty percent were in for drug-related crimes. They went to prison at early ages and now they are coming out in their late 20s and 30s lacking basic social skills. They’ve never had a job; they’ve never had positive male role models. So we are not only providing services but providing role models as well.”

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Ashoka elects leading social entrepreneurs to an international Fellowship of their peers, providing significant financial support and an array of pro-bono professional services, primarily through three strategic partnerships: McKinsey & Company, Hill & Knowlton, Inc. and the International Senior Lawyers Project. Additional support is available from Ashoka for Fellow-initiated collaborations and exchange visits.

"Ashoka is working to elevate and strengthen the ‘citizen sector’ around the world,” says Ashoka founder Bill Drayton in announcing this year’s Fellows. “We admire the qualities traditionally associated with leading business entrepreneurs – vision, innovation, determination and long-term commitment – and we look for those entrepreneurs who are committed to systemic social change in their fields. Ashoka Fellows are recognized for their innovative solutions to some of society’s most pressing social problems.”

Ashoka Fellows work in six broad fields: learning/youth development, the environment, health, human rights, economic development and civic participation. Selection criteria include the social impact of the idea, demonstrated creativity in problem solving, the newness of the idea and the entrepreneurial quality of the founder.

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a global community of social entrepreneurs who deliver innovative solutions to social problems. To build this citizen sector community, Ashoka identifies and supports leading social entrepreneurs, creates opportunities for collaboration, and builds systems and institutions that facilitate high impact social solutions. In the 25 years since its founding, Ashoka has provided start-up financing, professional support services, and connection to a global peer network for more than 1800 leading social entrepreneurs in over 60 countries. Ashoka's global fellowship is privately financed by individuals, venture networks, foundations, and leading business entrepreneurs.

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