At Perryville Women’s Prison, preparing for life after incarceration takes a creative turn with a “Shark Tank”-style competition.

As part of a six-month program, participants learn essential business skills, develop their own ideas, and pitch them to a panel of professional judges. “It’s very much like Shark Tank,” shared Michelle Cirocco, executive director of the Televerde Foundation. “In fact, some of the gals will actually watch and study the Shark Tank to get ready for this.”

The impact goes far beyond the competition. “People come into prison and get lost in the system,” shared one participant. “This gave our dignity back. It gave our confidence back.”

The results speak for themselves: 987 women have participated, 701 have been released, and the recidivism rate is an astonishingly low 1.2 percent. Televerde Foundation partners like Gretchen Meyer from Aventiv Technologies see the value, having hired 13 graduates so far. “They take the opportunity given to them and do wonderful things,” she said.

Programs like this are proof that second chances matter. Watch the inspiring Channel 12 News clip to see how Perryville is helping women rewrite their futures through the power of a single pitch.