The second chance campaign in the U.S. aims to reintegrate people who have served prison sentences into society more effectively, with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism. One component of this effort is removing the question on hiring forms asking whether the applicant has a prison record (which often acts as a barrier to employment); something about which Dave's Killer Bread has been particularly progressive (see Strategic CSR – Dave's Killer Bread and Strategic CSR – Second chances; for related issues on employment discrimination, see: Strategic CSR – Discrimination and Strategic CSR – Dementia). The article in the url below reveals that similar efforts to support those who have paid their debt to society are underway in other countries, such as Venezuela:
"They once used the house to hide their kidnapping victims as they awaited ransom. Now they are converting it into an office for a rum distribution business. The drastic shift by the crime boss Luis Oropeza and his gang is part of an unusual social reintegration project that has brought relative calm to the town of Sabaneta as lawlessness engulfs much of Venezuela."
The potential business benefits of working with otherwise stigmatized populations quickly becomes apparent:
"… the program has also helped its founder, the rum maker Ron Santa Teresa, to survive — and even thrive — in a country where the economy has been caught in a downward spiral for years. … Instead of joining the scores of businessmen fleeing the country to escape kidnappings, arrest or financial ruin, the aristocratic Vollmer family that runs Santa Teresa chose to stay and engage with Sabaneta's criminal gangs and with the socialist government that had once promised to destroy the country's elite. In the process, the Vollmers have gone from declaring bankruptcy to becoming exporters of an award-winning vintage rum."
Not only is this creating opportunities for individuals to turn themselves around, the project is also having societal-level effects:
"Mr. Vollmer's leadership has also helped break the vicious cycle of murder and revenge that had made Sabaneta one of the most violent towns in the country. … When the project, known as Alcatraz, began in 2003, the county surrounding Sabaneta recorded 174 homicides per 100,000 residents … . Although the Venezuelan government long stopped publishing statistics, Santa Teresa estimates the rate has dropped to a quarter of that figure. Anecdotal evidence appears to support the claim."
The low recidivism rate suggests there is real value in the project:
"Santa Teresa contends that 70 percent of 216 gang members that went through Alcatraz — a two-year re-education program that includes rugby games, psychology sessions and vocational training — no longer pursue a life of crime. More than 100 of them have been employed by the company."
In a country where poverty is the norm and the government is dysfunctional, crime offers a way of life; business similarly offers an overarching structure and purpose, but with a longer life expectancy – it is also legal, and commercially viable:
"Dismantling local gangs significantly reduced theft and kidnapping threats against the company's property and employees, Mr. Vollmer said. Rugby matches organized by Santa Teresa among the former gang members have been a powerful marketing tool. And after Alcatraz expanded to Venezuela's jails in 2007, Santa Teresa's executives were able to foster relationships with underworld bosses, shielding the company from the extortion fees that plague most other businesses in the country."
The innovative approach to social reform and progressive business creates value, in the broadest sense:
"In 2000, when hundreds of poor families invaded the company estate with the government's support, Mr. Vollmer voluntarily provided part of his land for a social housing initiative. The offer helped the company escape expropriation and allowed Mr. Vollmer to build important relationships with the government of Hugo Chávez, who was then president. 'We converted this crisis into a great opportunity,' Mr. Álvarez said."
It is also clear that differentiation offers commercial success, even while it can antagonize less innovative competitors:
"Mr. Vollmer's collaboration with Mr. Chávez, and his successor, Nicolás Maduro, has angered many of his peers, who accused him of aiding a government they say has destroyed democracy and committed grave human rights abuses. Mr. Vollmer shrugs off the attacks, pointing out that it is easier to criticize from exile than to try creating positive change from within Venezuela.' Starting in our county, we want to build a society that is better,' he said."
Take care
David
David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2023
In Venezuela, a Rum Maker Offers Gangsters a Life Outside Crime
By Isayen Herrera and Anatoly Kurmanaev
October 16, 2021
The New York Times
