Jason Sole: From Prison to PhD - A Success Story of Overcoming Drugs and Gang Li

Jason Sole is a former drug dealer, member of a notorious street gang, and a three-time convicted felon. The middle of three children, Jason was raised on the mean streets of Chicago by a father who was addicted to drugs and an overburdened mother left to pick up the pieces. He joined a gang and turned to a life of crime to gain a lucrative position of authority and financially improve his life.

As a result of his criminal activity, Sole has been incarcerated in numerous correctional facilities. Yet despite the height of the odds stacked against him, he turned his life around by earning both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Criminal Justice. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his dissertation to complete his doctorate in Public Safety with a specialization in Criminal Justice.

Jason is an assistant professor at Metropolitan State University. He is a national keynote speaker and gang trainer, including serving as a national trainer for One Circle Foundation. Through his firm, Jason Sole Consulting LLC, he offers juvenile and criminal justice agencies the tools they need to influence people affected by delinquency, incarceration, poverty, and other social ills. In addition, he is a 2013 Bush Fellow who is focusing on reducing the recidivism rate among juveniles throughout the state of Minnesota.