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Civic Ventures, Purpose Prize Winner
Mark Goldsmith, 2008
An extraordinary social innovator who is cutting recidivism rates of 18- to 24-year-olds on Rikers Island
Mark Goldsmith of Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO) was a winner of the 2008 Purpose Prize, the nation's only large-scale investment in social innovators over the age of 60. The Prize recognizes those who are taking on society's biggest challenges, and rewards those with the passion and experience to discover new opportunities, create new programs, and make lasting change.
Mark received $100,000 for his work to reduce recidivism via GOSO, a non-profit organization he founded in 2004 that has helped more than 400 young men get out and stay out of prison. The program has had an amazing impact on recidivism rates: fewer than 10 percent of GOSO participants have been rearrested, compared to a 66 percent average at Rikers Island.
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Watch Mayor Bloomberg's Tribute to Mark Goldsmith
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