There is big money to be made with convicts today, not just by attorneys, but also consultants who are living the age-old adage of following the money. Based on the surge of convictions for federal crimes over the past decade, a new consultant niche is upon us - prison consultants.
Every category has its fair share of consultants and many have so-called coaches. Life coaches, baby coaches, dating coaches, and yes, now prison coaches! It makes perfect business sense when you think about it. There will always be crimes and people who commit them. There are plenty of criminals to go around - market share for everyone. The only thing missing in this consultant niche is saturation. There's still time to get in on the ground floor. The only caveat - to be a credible prison consultant you had to have done the time, so to speak. You need prison cred!!! A new channel has emerged over the past ten years.
They come in all shapes, sizes and brands. Wall Street Prison Consultants is a biggie, with a classic tagline - "Going from the exchange floor to the prison yard." They offer a course, "Fedtime 101", where you learn prison etiquette. Dr. Prison went for the descriptive brand with little thought. Prefer the online version? Log onto PrisonCoach.com. Looking for the Americana spin? American Prison Consultants is the one for you.
They don't come cheaply. Some engagements can run well in excess of $10,000. But after all, it is a consulting service where knowledge gleaned is worth what you pay for it. Everyone from Bernie Madoff, sports stars Plaxico Burress and Michael Vick, and Martha Stewart paid for the advice to learn what life is about in the Big House. Working with a prison consultant is like working with a college coach or consultant. The parallels are uncanny - you want to get into the right prison, have the right roommate and make impressions on the right people - the guards and "the man" - the warden. The difference being college offers far more freedom.
Herb Hoelter of the National Center for Institutions & Alternatives was Bernie Madoff's prison consultant. (He took the case pro bono for the halo and exposure for his brand.) What ultimately helped Madoff were all the clients that Hoelter had in the system. It offered Madoff a built-in buddy system when he was finally incarcerated in North Carolina. There is nothing like inside information - truly priceless. It is the ultimate game plan for coping. An overwhelming majority of prison consultants learned the ropes by serving prison time themselves. It takes one to know one.
Right now prison consultants and coaches are a classic marketing niche. Not enough critical mass is in place to call them a full-fledged category as there is not enough competition. Everyone can get along and make money. After all, the entry price is high - prison time! Lots of clients with little competition - a wonderful concept in the intensely competitive world in which we compete today.
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