Salon Owner Teaches Life Skills Through Braiding
Salon owner Alisha Hinton is teaching inmates how to braid. But it's more than just learning how to do hair, it's about gaining valuable life skills after they serve their time.
Transcript
00:00 Salon owner Alicia Hinton is teaching inmates how to braid hair, but it's more
00:06 than just learning how to do hair. It's about gaining skills to reenter society.
00:11 I have more control of the braid. Alicia Hinton, owner of Leisha Lou Salon, has
00:16 been doing hair for two decades. She specializes in natural hairstyles like
00:22 braids and locks. I love braiding. I love helping people feel beautiful. I love
00:26 helping people feel good about themselves. Hinton is now taking her
00:30 passion out of the hair salon and into the Polk County Jail. She's teaching
00:36 hair braiding to female inmates who are serving time there. Hinton's class not
00:41 only teaches hairstyling, but also focuses on entrepreneurship. I teach
00:46 them how to create a business model, how to identify who their target market
00:51 would be, and we build a business for whatever it is that they want to do. Each
00:55 class starts with writing down positive affirmations on the board. The new
01:01 skills being taught are changing the way the inmates view themselves. I'm learning
01:05 how to have a relationship with myself, to have more confidence in myself, to
01:11 know that you know that I'm actually good at something and this class is
01:15 really you know teaching me that. Hinton tells me the goal is to reduce
01:19 recidivism and allow the inmates to contribute to society when they are
01:23 released. Teach these women how to be an entrepreneur and how to braid hair so
01:29 that when they come home they're able to have a job, they're able to build a
01:32 business, have more confidence. I'm Rebecca Petit for Scripps News.