Christie Luther was inspired to start a program assisting incarcerated Oklahoma women in attaining their cosmetology licenses. It started with her own life experience.
“I met God over the shampoo bowl,” said Luther. “I was incarcerated myself. In prison I worked in both the beauty shop and the law library. Women would come into the shop, and most of them could only do terrible haircuts because their training and education had been interrupted. Their greatest wish was to complete their training.”
The idea for Christie’s mission was born. Upon her release in 2012, she began collaborating with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering Boards. On March 27, 2017, space was opened for her program at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center.
It took years of hard and planning to bring her dream to life. Luther laughed, “This wasn’t well received in the beginning. Bringing tools and razors and scissors into a medium security unit? It took us a little while to prove ourselves.” She had her students first practice on mannequins, and after enough time and practice, they began doing the hair of officers and staff members. Eventually, when a woman was being released from prison, they would do a whole make-over for her.
Today, Luther is a master cosmetology instructor and an instructor at Oklahoma’s first beauty college in a women’s prison. She also serves as a celebrate recovery leader and as a board member of the Oklahoma Board of Cosmetology.
In explaining the importance of her program, Luther said, “Many studies show that Oklahoma incarcerates more women per capita than any other state. When incarcerated women are released, many have very little to return to. They lack job skills, education, homes, support and transportation—this can contribute to re-offenses and a return to prison. We are willing to bridge the gap and teach them skills so that they can return to society as successful re-emergent taxpaying citizens.
“We want to redeem what was broken. We want to help prepare people so that they will have jobs as soon as they leave prison. I have letters from several salons that say, ‘I will hire every one of your people.’”
Luther added, “We also assist with job placement, housing, clothing, life skills, mentoring and recovery support, in order to bridge the gap from the prison gate back into the community. The effort is to reduce recidivism rates and to change women’s lives after prison.”
Maria, a graduate from the R.I.S.E. (Re-entry, Investment, Student, Education) program, testified to what Luther’s program has meant to her: “This program changed my life. I lost a daughter and then I completely lost myself to drugs and ended up in prison. Today I’m an assistant manager. This program saved my life, and I want to help other people in the same way.”
Jessica, incarcerated from 2014 to 2020, said, “Participating in R.I.S.E. allowed me to step right into a career as soon as I was released from prison, which is a major obstacle for most people. I now manage my own salon and employ six others, most of which are felons. Christie has been a godsend to me. She has been a friend and walked with me through many of life’s obstacles. And I have gone back into the prison to help teach because I want to give hope to others. It helps me ground my feet. I want to let them know that if I can do it, they can do it.”
Over the past seven years, the R.I.S.E Program has assisted 143 women through the program in attaining a free education and finding jobs after being released from prison. These women have a zero percent recidivism rate to date compared to the Oklahoma state average of 22%. Luther and her team have helped women find homes, re-establish relationships with family and children and learn life skills that have helped them become successful members of society. Christie Luther is changing the narrative in Oklahoma through redemptive entrepreneurship.
Learn more about the program and how to donate at riseprograminc.com.
