Leading With Heart: Transforming Corrections From the Inside Out
What if corrections focused on healing, not punishment?
What happens when you take a former warden with over three decades of experience and put him in a room of 70 people impacted by the justice system? At Awake Window & Door Co., you get our June All Hands lunch. It was our pleasure to host Brian Koehn, CEO of Social Purpose Corrections (SPC). Not only did we get a chance to hear him share his heart, but we got a chance to share ours.
When you meet Brian Koehn, CEO of Social Purpose Corrections (SPC), it becomes clear this isn’t just a job to him; it’s a calling. Guided by faith, humility, and deep compassion, Brian is quietly disrupting the traditional corrections system by doing something revolutionary: listening.
“I don’t think we can change anything if we don’t start with the people who are living it,” Brian says. He’s referring to both staff inside facilities and the incarcerated or formerly incarcerated folks who know the system from the inside out. For him, these voices aren’t separate, they’re essential to any meaningful reform.
That belief came to life during a recent visit with the Awake Window & Door team. Awake, a company rooted in fair chance opportunities and staffed by many people impacted by the system, welcomed Brian for a powerful, transparent conversation about what real correctional change requires. The team shared personal insights, hard truths, and bold ideas. Their lived experience created the foundation for a dialogue that was raw, vulnerable, and urgent.
There was one overwhelming theme: humanity must be restored to the corrections system.
Team members spoke about the urgent need for staff accountability, where residents are treated with dignity and respect. They emphasized the importance of mental health support for incarcerated individuals, families and correctional staff alike. Reentry preparation, everyone agreed, must be holistic and individualized, equipping people with the tools they need to succeed after release.
Longtime Awake partner Brett Matossian of ReEntry by Design joined the discussion, offering his insights and further deepening the connection. What began as a listening session evolved into a moment of true partnership. Brian left with a renewed sense of responsibility to carry these voices forward in SPC’s mission.
“It’s not about saving anyone”, Brian often says. “It’s about dignity. Disrupting and reinventing an environment where staff and residents alike can be safe, grow, and heal.”
SPC was founded on the belief that everyone is worthy of transformation. A former warden with nearly three decades in corrections, Brian could have continued experiencing new levels of success on the traditional path. Instead, he chose purpose. Under his leadership, SPC centers dignity as a daily practice. Programs are co-created with impacted people. Staff input shapes policy. Everything is grounded in the belief that healing is possible for everyone who works, lives and is adjacent to the system.
Change isn’t easy. Corrections is high-stress and deeply resistant to reform. But Brian leads with patience and courage. “We owe it to the people in these environments to do better”, he says. “And we can do better if we listen.” One of Brian’s guiding quotes comes from Glen Martin: “Those closest to the problem are those closest to the solution.”
Listening is at the core of everything Brian does. He asks questions, honors stories, and creates space for people to speak their truth. That’s exactly what happened with the Awake team. People leaned in, lifted their voices, and became an even greater part of the solution. In doing so, they elevated two of Awake’s core values: challenging the status quo and owning the problem of a broken system.
As Social Purpose Corrections grows, it does so on a foundation of faith, compassion, and collaboration. “It’s not about being perfect,” Brian says. “It’s about progress. It’s about building something better, together.”
In a system long defined by punishment, Brian Koehn is leading a quiet revolution rooted in people, purpose, and the radical belief that transformation begins with listening.
Join the Movement to Humanize Corrections
Because transformation starts with listening. And change starts with us.
- Partner with SPC
- Bring a Listening Session to Your Organization
- Support Programs Rooted in Dignity and Healing