Turn 2 U Inc. dba The Last Mile (TLM) is an Oakland, CA based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for personal and professional growth for justice-impacted individuals through education and technology training.^[1] The Last Mile is celebrating more than a decade as an organization, originating with its first program in San Quentin State Prison with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. TLM has leveraged the power of public-private partnerships with Department of corrections and industry-leading companies to build and expand its programs. Programs are currently operating in 16 facilities across 7 states in the United States, including California, Indiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, North Dakota, Montana and Massachusetts.^[2] TLM has been able to expand its purpose, "To Imagine, Build, and Open Doors," into other facilities through these partnerships as well as funding and employment opportunities from the technology sector. Through in-prison education, transitional support, and workforce reentry, TLM is disrupting the system of mass incarceration across the United States. In-classroom curricula and course material prepare students for meaningful employment in modern job roles including web development, software engineering, and audio and video production. Students cultivate personal and professional development in alignment with the technical education and with the support of TLM reentry staff, volunteers, and a community founded on shared lived experience.^[3]

History

After visiting a business class at San Quentin State Prison, Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti created The Last Mile. The program was founded to address the high rates of unemployment amongst the formerly incarcerated population after they are released, by empowering justice-impacted people with the skills needed to succeed in today's job market.^[4]

Entrepreneurship

The Last Mile was initially modeled as a pro bono startup accelerator inside San Quentin, designed with prison security protocols and restrictions in mind. With mentorship from Redlitz and Parenti, each participant conceptualized a business, developed a business plan, and prepared a business pitch. In May 2012, the inaugural TLM Demo Day was held at San Quentin State Prison with six graduates pitching their starup ideas in front of 350+ business and tech C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, government officials, and new organization.

The Last Mile was initially modeled as a pro bono startup accelerator inside San Quentin with restrictions imposed to meet prison security protocols. With mentorship from Redlitz and Parenti, each participant conceptualized a business, developed a business plan, and prepared a business pitch. In May 2012, the inaugural TLM Demo Day was held at San Quentin State Prison^[5] with six program graduates pitching their startup ideas in front of 350+ business and tech C-Suite executives, entrepreneurs, government officials, and news organizations.

Computer Coding

In 2014, The Last Mile launched its coding program, the first fully inclusive computer programming curriculum available in a US prison, in partnership with the California Prison Industry Authority.^[6] Code.3730 was implemented at San Quentin as a career training program with the goal of teaching students to become software engineers, improving their opportunities for self-sustaining employment when they returned home. It has since evolved to become The Last Mile’s Web Development program.^[7]

Expansion

After launching at San Quentin State Prison, The Last Mile continued expanding amongst California’s correctional facilities for men, women, and youth throughout California. In 2018, The Last Mile launched its Web Development Program in Indiana facilities and has since continued to expand to other states, as outlined in the table below.^[8] The Last Mile focuses on implementing its programs at the state level with a combination of public and private funding.

Locations

^[9]

Programs

TLM utilizes a custom-built remote instruction software and Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver educational programming into correctional facilities across the country. The organization’s staff creates and delivers course content with coordination support from classroom facilitators, who oversee students’ daily activity in person.

In-Prison Education

• Web Development Program -- A 12 month coding program in which students learn full stack software engineering using a platform that simulates the internet. The course curriculum includes web development fundamentals, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and Bootstrap, as well as MERN, a software stack that includes four open-source technologies: MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js.

Reentry Mentorship

• Career development -- Support in areas such as resume writing, interview prep, and soft skill building.
• Job placement support -- Connections to apprenticeship and employment opportunities, as well job search assistance.
• Alumni community -- Access to TLM’s network of alumni who share and discuss common obstacles and goals in the reentry process, particularly relating to career development.

Impact

Fair-Chance Hiring

The Last Mile is regarded by advocates of both prison reform and workplace diversity, as the program's results have proven to reduce recidivism and mobilize nontraditional career pathways. After decades of incarceration, alumni have been hired by Slack, GoodRx, Zoom, Dropbox,^[10] Adobe,^[11] the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI),^[12] VMware, Fandom, and Checkr,^[13] among other companies, after becoming qualified full stack developers through TLM's in-prison program.

Media coverage

The program has been covered in Reuters,^[14] The Atlantic,^[15] BBC News,^[16] ReadWriteWeb,^[17] TechCrunch,^[18] and other newspapers and magazines.^[19]

The program was also discussed by Neil Cavuto in his TV show for the Fox Business Network.^[20]

References

External links

• Official website