3/6/2017
Scott Budnick, renowned movie producer of the Hangover, put his Hollywood career on hold to focus on helping incarcerated youth. He founded the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), a nonprofit that provides support services for those formerly incarcerated.
Scott became passionate about criminal justice reform in 2003, when he agreed to volunteer his weekend at a writing class offered at a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles. Moved by the inmates' stories, Scott began visiting every weekend and maintained connections with many of his students as they transferred to adult facilities or were subsequently released. He quickly identified huge gaps in criminal justice reform work involving the incarceration of children and lack of supportive housing.
Scott uses his Hollywood connections as a platform to incite meaningful change on both a legislative and grassroots level. With the help of five former students, he was able to get in front of the California State Senate majority leader and reverse the $2 million budget cut for prison college programs. He also set up a fellowship program for formerly incarcerated youth. Today, ARC supports more than 300 former inmates, including a housing program that provides a 12-week job training program. Scott is also looking to get back into film by launching a new production house that will focus solely on social justice issues. LEARN MORE