1. Derek Jones
Crime: Repeat Offender
After leaving home aged 15, Jones became a repeat offender by his 30s. He was in a Winchester prison cell ten years ago when he finally jumped the gap to entrepreneurialism. He had been upset with the lack of letters he was receiving and devised a plan that would form a special email service for prisoners – later to be known as Email-a-Prisoner. Jones was constantly turned down for funding, however, because of his criminal past. Instead, he worked 12 hours a day washing up in a restaurant. It took two years of “battering on prison doors” before Guys Marsh Prison in Dorset decided to give it a try in 2006.
Jones has just sold Prison Technology Services for a large six-figure sum to Unilink Software, but still holds his CEO position. Over 150 UK prisons are now signed up to the scheme. He is now already onto his next venture, which is a virtual academy for ex-offenders and inmates release.
He told the press: “Sometimes you’ve got to fail to succeed.”
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2. Duane Jackson
Crime: Drug Trafficking
According to Duane Jackson, he had a troubled childhood that would have always inevitably steered him towards imprisonment. Aged 19, Jackson was arrested for drug trafficking. And although he was detained in the US, he was sent back to the UK for trial.
While in prison, he taught computing to fellow inmates. After prison, he started work as a freelance web developer. However, due to lack of training, Jackson couldn’t grasp the “jargon” of book-keeping software programmes he needed to manage his accounts with. So, he came up with a simple accounting system for owner-managers like himself, hence KashFlow was born. Now KashFlow’s CEO, Jackson believes that the skills he learned on the sly enabled him to set up the company.
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3. Duncan Bannatyne
Crime: Attempting to throw a Navy officer overboard and not paying fines
While he was a teenager in the Royal Navy, Duncan Bannatyne spent six months in Colchester military prison for attempting to throw a commanding officer overboard. Banatyne explained that he thought the officer “was an arrogant bully and I was not prepared to stand there and take his abuse”, and that he also tried to discharge himself from the Navy.
He later spent ten days in Glasgow’s Barlinnie prison for not paying a £10 fine in relation to a charge of breach of peace and resisting arrest.
Due to his lack in qualifications, no references and criminal record, Bannatyne found it difficult to find work. After a stint as a deck chair assistant in Jersey, he decided to start hiw own company. The rest is history and look at where he is now!
Now Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE, is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, and property. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den. He was appointed an OBE for his contribution to charity
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4. George Reynolds
Crime: Safe-cracking, handling explosives, burglary and theft
Born in the slums of Sunderland, George Reynolds became involved in crime early on in life. He was first convicted for stealing cigarettes, which he traded for food for his family. But Reynolds soon found himself in a world of bare-knuckle fighting, smuggling gelignite in the fridge of a Mr Softee ice cream van and blowing up safes.
After four years in prison, he moved into business, quickly amassing £300m through chipboard and kitchen worktops. In 1999, Reynolds bought Darlington Football Club, clearing their £5.5m debt , with one single cheque.
6. Samuel Chow
Crime: Armed Robbery
Samuel Chow was convicted of armed robbery and served 11 years in prison. After his release, Chow wanted to turn his life around and found a job as a storeman. He states that his boss was kind enough to teach him the ropes of running a business and was so encouraged that he applied for many various jobs – all of which declined his offer.
Finally, ten years later, he started his own paint and hardware store and has had 12 ex-offenders on his payroll. Currently, Chow has stepped forward to become the face of the Yellow Ribbon Project, a campaign to encourage employers to give ex-offenders a second chance.
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