Selected
Good Jobs & Inclusive Entrepreneurship

The Last Mile

Reducing recidivism through in-prison tech education and post-incarceration mentorship.

Team Leader
Beverly Parenti
Reducing recidivism through in-prison tech education and post-incarceration mentorship.

The Problem

Despite having the world's highest incarceration rate, America's prison system has a five-year recidivism rate of 77 percent. This proven lack of effective rehabilitation makes incarceration a cyclical problem.

The Solution

The Last Mile (TLM) provides scalable in-prison tech education and post-incarceration mentorship. TLM's vocational training for high-demand jobs has proven to increase social mobility, open career pathways, and reduce recidivism. TLM leverages a custom-built remote instruction software, proprietary Learning Management System (LMS), and thoughtfully curated curriculum to teach: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, Node, Express, MongoDB, Mongoose, and React.

TLM students are taught remotely by an instructor in real time. Students complete coursework through the LMS, a sans internet platform created specifically for incarcerated students.

Stats

The Last Mile has served 1,000 alumni and supports approximately 300 currently incarcerated students per day.

What is the name of your organization?
The Last Mile
What is the name of your solution?
The Last Mile
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Reducing recidivism through in-prison tech education and post-incarceration mentorship.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
San Francisco, CA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
—
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
—
What specific problem are you solving?
Despite having the world's highest incarceration rate, America's prison system has a five-year recidivism rate of 77 percent. This proven lack of effective rehabilitation makes incarceration a cyclical problem.
What is your solution?
The Last Mile (TLM) provides scalable in-prison tech education and post-incarceration mentorship. TLM's vocational training for high-demand jobs has proven to increase social mobility, open career pathways, and reduce recidivism. TLM leverages a custom-built remote instruction software, proprietary Learning Management System (LMS), and thoughtfully curated curriculum to teach: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, Node, Express, MongoDB, Mongoose, and React. TLM students are taught remotely by an instructor in real time. Students complete coursework through the LMS, a sans internet platform created specifically for incarcerated students.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
TLM serves America's incarcerated population, in turn also serving the marginalized communities from which most incarcerated individuals come from. Of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the US, over 60% are from African American and Latino communities. The median pre-prison income among incarcerated adults is $20,800 -- over 50% less than the average US adult's annual income. TLM provides vocational training and post-release mentorship to individuals as a means of preventing recidivism. By equipping those who are incarcerated with the hard and soft skills necessary for gainful employment after release, TLM offers individuals new career pathways that would not have otherwise been available to them. This has proven to prevent recidivism, as 0% of TLM graduates have returned to prison after their release.

Organization Type:
Nonprofit

Headquarters:
San Francisco, CA, United States

Stage:
Scale

Working In:
United States

Solution Website:
thelastmile.org

Solution Team:
Beverly Parenti
Beverly Parenti
Executive Director
Carrie Murchison
Carrie Murchison
Returned Citizen Advocate
Precious Hicks
Precious Hicks
Remote Instruction Coordinator
Jason Jones
Jason Jones
Remote Instruction Manager