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Finding work after leaving prison is no easy task as employers often refuse to hire ex-offenders. An estimated 60% of those leaving prison are unemployed a year later, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Now, a Charlotte program is seeking solutions to help people who were formerly incarcerated get jobs.
“This is the place you can get a second chance; you can get a third chance,” Shaun Corbett, the founder & director of Lucky Spot Leadership & Barber Academy, said.
Students tell WCNC Charlotte that their past doesn't define them in the classroom.
“It was a learning experience," James Gaiten, a student at the academy, said.
Gaiten was incarcerated for 15 years. He says his criminal record held him back not just on the job hunt, but also emotionally.
"I had a dark past, didn’t see the light," Gaiten said.
But now, the present is bright as he preps for his clientele at the barber shop.
“I get what I want to do, what I love to do," Gaiten said.
"It’s called Lucky Leadership and Barber Academy because we’re teaching them to be leaders in the community, their families, their lives, their relationships," Corbett said.
Corbett is now using his life experiences by paying it forward. He was once behind bars, and is now at the forefront of success with several shops around North Carolina.
“It’s like a full circle moment," Corbett said. “Barbering saved my life. I learned direction in a barber shop. It wasn’t just a job, it’s never been a job for me."
The lessons at the barbershop go beyond the clippers, naturally; it's about learning yourself, about who you are.
“It's just like life if you don’t have a clear direction of where you’re going it’s going to be very difficult," Corbett said.
Shaun Corbett is the first African-American to own and operate a barbershop inside any Walmart store across the country, with the first location open in Charlotte on Wilkinson Boulevard called Lucky Spot Barbershop.
He's also created a non-profit organization, Cops and Barbers, that provides opportunities and scholarships for young adults to attend barber school that may have not had the means or support to attend traditional college, so they can obtain a trade and have a viable career.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.