In California, where more than 40,000 individuals are released from state prisons each year and nearly 40 percent return within three years, the need for collaborative, community-driven solutions is urgent. The Hackathon aimed to address these challenges head-on by developing practical tools to improve reentry success, reduce recidivism, and strengthen pathways to employment and stability.
"What happened in these rooms wasn't theory; it was real problem-solving," said Teresa Hodge, CEO of Mission: Launch and Chair of the Aventiv Advisory Board. "When justice-impacted people help design the tools they need for work, housing, and stability, the outcomes are stronger, faster, and rooted in lived experience. This partnership helps create true second chances in California."
Through roundtable discussions, California-focused ideation, listening sessions, and concept design, participants developed several core solution areas aligned with the state's priorities. Each area was informed by partners in attendance, whose specialized expertise shaped the discussions:
- Wellness and Life-Skills Learning (supported by Anti-Recidivism Coalition and community wellness educators): Opportunities to expand tablet-based content that strengthens mental wellness, communication, advocacy, conflict resolution, and decision-making, skills foundational to reentry success.
- Improved Access to Education and Content (shaped by Dress for Success and literacy advocates): Flexible learning formats including audio/video options for diverse literacy needs, with simple, intuitive pathways accessible on tablets.
- Reentry Navigation and Resource Support (developed with reentry organizations and county partners): A potential reentry module on Aventiv tablets featuring curriculum introductions, success stories, transition-literacy guidance, and county-level resource directories.
- Career Readiness and Pathways (informed by Conservation Fire Camp Camps and wildfire/forestry partners): Tablet-delivered tools to support realistic career planning, résumé support, and pathways tied to California's workforce needs, including forestry and fire recruitment.
"I'm grateful to be part of this Hackathon; it was filled with real energy, real ideas, and a vision that feels achievable," said Sam Lewis, a national advocate for justice impacted individuals. "Innovation is the next step in transforming correctional facilities into places where people can access technology, education, and rehabilitation. My hope is simple: that every person in custody, in every city and state across our country, has a tablet in their hands so they can learn, grow, and work toward becoming the best version of themselves."
Fireside Chats and Listening Session
- Fireside chats featured focused conversations on digital skills, second chance employment, and the role of AI in expanding opportunity. Jane Oates, former president of WorkingNation, workforce expert and member of Aventiv's Advisory Board, discussed the potential of AI to deliver personalized, scalable learning for incarcerated individuals, helping them build skills that meet today's evolving labor market. Florida Cares also joined the fireside chat discussions, reinforcing the importance of family connection and transparency in building meaningful reentry solutions.
- Aventiv also hosted a candid, community-centered listening session with formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. Originally designed to create space for open, honest conversation, the session invited participants to reflect on past experiences, raise concerns, and share any feedback about engaging with Aventiv moving forward.
- The session also highlighted Aventiv's commitment to listening with intention. Many noted that having a dedicated, judgment-free space to voice concerns and reflect on past experiences was an important step in rebuilding trust.
- Participants shared powerful stories of personal progress, highlighting how tablet access supports learning, connection, confidence-building, and preparation for life after release. These insights informed several of the Hackathon's key solution areas and underscored where expanded content and improved design can create the greatest impact.
"These listening sessions ground us in what matters most," said Margita Thompson, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Aventiv Technologies. "Hearing directly from justice-impacted people ensures we design technology that aligns with California's workforce needs, centers lived experience and strengthens connection and opportunity in the reentry journey. "These insights help us build technology that supports people as they reenter into the real world and move forward."
Roadmap and Next Steps
Mission: Launch and partners will now shape these ideas into a reentry innovation roadmap, identifying the most viable concepts to advance toward real-world implementation in California communities.
For more information on Hackathon events, visit Mission: Launch's website.
About Aventiv Technologies
Aventiv Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is a leading provider of innovative, secure technology solutions that transform connectivity for correctional facilities, law enforcement agencies, incarcerated individuals, and their loved ones. Through its trusted brands—Securus Technologies®, Securus Monitoring®, and JPay®—Aventiv delivers over 80 cost-effective, safety-enhancing products that drive operational efficiency and create meaningful connections that strengthen community outcomes. Serving over 1,800 agencies nationwide, Aventiv is part of the Platinum Equity portfolio. Learn more at www.Aventiv.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
About Mission: Launch
Mission: Launch Headquartered in Columbia, MD, Mission: Launch (M:L) supports individuals living with arrest or conviction records and uplifts the voices of families impacted by mass incarceration. Its mission is to shorten the time it takes justice-impacted individuals to achieve economic stability through pathways to family-sustaining wages. For over a decade, Mission: Launch has led the country in building cross-sector bridges through convenings, coalition building, and innovation cohorts. Signature initiatives include the Bank on 100 Million Coalition, the hackathon convening platform, and LaunchPad Career Pathways, a 12-month career exposure program for justice-impacted workers to drive American growth in high-demand sectors.
SOURCE Aventiv Technologies
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