“Nothing wrong with MY aim, just gotta change the target.”

- JAY-Z

SHOOTERS is a professional digital media skills program for formerly incarcerated individuals. The goal of SHOOTERS is to increase employment opportunities and reduce recidivism tendencies for individuals through mentorship and technical training.

SHOOTERS is based in Philadelphia, PA.

This is THE ISSUE

Every year, more than 650,000 people are released from prison nationally. Returning citizens come home to an economy of slashed wages, competitive hiring, and a new, higher baseline of technology-based job skills. Carrying the stigma of their criminal record and branded as a “hard-to-hire” population, formerly incarcerated individuals rarely have access to the training and networks that would place them in tech or digital media positions.

25%

1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have a criminal record, which reduces their access to employment and civic services.

76%

The U.S.'s recidivism rate remains stubbornly high, with 76% of individuals re-arrested within 5 years.

89%

According to some studies, up to 89% of former offenders are unemployed at the time of re-arrest.