Bolivian prison entrepreneurship

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in research into the small enterprise environment of the Bolivian prison, and to examine that environment and its possible value in prisoner rehabilitation.Design/methodology/approach – To provide a first‐hand analysis of small business enterprises in the Bolivian prison, the author's experience of working in that context is used as field research material and provides the basis for a discussion of necessity‐based entrepreneurship in that unique context.Findings – The paper provides a detailed description of the Bolivian prison's social organisation. It evaluates that structure as a unique environment distinguished from both other penal systems and other settings for necessity‐based small enterprise. The paper then discusses Bolivia's low recidivism rates, and draws the conclusion that the necessity for small enterprise activity in the Bolivian prison could have the unintended result of providing a successful prisoner rehabilitation mechanism.Research l...