Rehabilitated – the top six most reformed criminals

The correctional field is a multi billion dollar-a-year business in the United States alone, employing thousands of administrative and technical employees, not to mention the countless probation officer jobs and other support staff. While most of us will never see the inside of a jail cell, there are those that have gone through the system and come out the other end a better person; true examples of what ‘rehabilitation’ can mean. Here are our top six reformed prisoners:

Kweisi Mfume

A high-school dropout, Kweisi was on a track of self-destruction that led him to multiple stints in prison. Eventually, he decided to turn his life around, and would go on to receive a degree from John Hopkins University, get elected to Baltimore City Council, then onto Congress, and eventually become the president of the NAACP.

Kevin Mitnick

Kevin Mitnick was a hacker before the internet as we know it even really existed. Charged with stealing software when he was only 16, he was imprisoned for seven years. Once released, he put his knowledge to good use by starting his own security company to help others protect their infrastructure from those looking to cause digital harm.

Georgia Durante

She was a getaway driver for the Mafia and was put in prison for her crimes of involvement with the infamous group. Once released though, she took her driving skills down a more legal route by starting her own stunt driving company, an organisation that’s since choreographed scenes for over 100 movies.

Frank William Abagnale

You’ve seen him played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Catch Me If You Can, but his life of crime was far from glamorous. He wrote $2.5 million in bad checks and posed as an airline pilot, lawyer, and even a doctor in what many call the greatest con of all time. When he was released from his inevitable prison sentence, he went to work for multiple institutions helping to protect them from fraud.

Judge Greg Mathis

One of the most well-known reformers, Mathis was in a gang and spent time in prison in his younger days. Putting that life in the past, he got his G.E.D., went to Eastern Michigan University and then on to law school. [His successful courtroom reality show has been airing since 1999.

Danny Trejo

Danny spent over a decade in a life of crime that ended with him behind bars for drugs and armed robbery.  Once rehabilitated though, he was given a chance at acting, and has flourished ever since, appearing in the Sky Kids franchise and over 15 other big-name films.