We Are Cortex | Cory Pride

Fudging the rules a tiny bit at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center might have been the crack that opened the door for Cory Pride’s post-prison career. Pride spent years incarcerated, but learning a little about computer programming led to a chance to dive in with both feet while he was still an inmate.

That experience led to his job as a software developer with Unlocked Labs, which boasts a mission of “breaking the cycle of re-incarceration.”

“I actually learned software development while incarcerated, but I had to sneak the books,” Cory said. In a 2022 interview with St. Louis Public radio, Pride said that book-learning led to an intensive software development course while in prison. That’s where he met the cofounders of Unlocked Labs.

For him, Unlocked Labs is that meaningful connection. “I definitely don't take it for granted, and it makes it that much more important.”

Now he’s part of a team that creates software so incarcerated individuals can take programming classes without the security risk of being connected to the internet. He knows from his own experience how difficult getting that kind of training can be when prison walls separate you from the “to and fro” of software innovation.

“I definitely understand their pain,” he said. “Being able to develop a software that helps to alleviate some of those hurdles is definitely something worth waking up for.”

Part of Pride’s job also includes working on contract coding jobs for other companies — some of which he encounters within Cortex while he works for Unlocked Labs.

“We've had the opportunity to brush shoulders and make some connections with individuals that otherwise we may have not come across,” Pride said. “The events that are sponsored here, the art show was amazing. It's definitely been beneficial being in this building, in this area.”