One program has been gaining traction online for its hard work in trying to help incarcerated people to find stable jobs once they are released.
The number of people in prison is sky high.
Many countries are currently facing problems in terms of the number of incarcerated people they have in their prisons.
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Currently, across America, prisons house more than 2 million people.
Re-offending statistics are also incredibly bleak.
While it has been estimated that 650,000 people will be released from American prisons in 2020, according to wtxl , the chances of those people reoffending are shockingly high.
In fact, it is projected that around 83% of those released will re-offend.
However, one program is aiming to change this.
The Last Mile began as an idea in the mind of Chris Redlitz and his wife Beverly Parenti in 2010. The idea for the program came about when Mr. Redlitz went into San Quentin State Prison to speak to inmates about business and was impressed by the prisoners’ desire to learn.
Today, The Last Mile helps prisoners forge a better life.
Jason Jones, one passionate member of the organization, described The Last Mile’s goal as, “using technology to try and solve mass incarceration,” in an interview with wtxl .
Jones is a software engineer who works with the organization by helping to teach prisoners how to code.
There are already many success stories from those having followed the program.
Once the inmates have completed the program and are released from prison, The Last Mile helps to connect them with tech companies and helps them find employment. Some have already had success finding work with the likes of Google, Facebook, and Slack.
The Last Mile is also slashing recidivism rates!
In its 10 years, The Last Mile has had a 0% recidivism rate amongst its graduates, with Jones himself being a graduate of the program. That is a massive decrease from the 83% recidivism prediction from the Department of Justice.
The Last Mile also hopes to help prevent people from offending in the first place.
By building upon the successes that they have had inside the prison, The Last Mile hopes to go into communities and prevent people from offending in the future. Jones enthusiastically explained:
“You are talking about disrupting the status quo of people not normally getting access and opportunity […] Not only are we driving down the recidivism rate where people get out and don’t come back no more, but we also have the ability to go back in the community and stop people from going into prison in the first place”
The program has proven that “change is possible.”
The Last Mile has a few celebrity backers as well, including MC Hammer, who hope that spreading the word of The Last Mile will encourage more prisons to work with the organization.
One of the founders, Beverly Parenti, told wtxl, “What The Last Mile has shown is that a change is possible […] I am [also] very proud to say that we are equally represented in men and women’s prisons and we also have four facilities for youth”.
Parenti also claims that The Last Mile is also beneficial to taxpayers.
As it costs approximately $75,000 to house a prisoner for a year, the impressive recidivism rates of The Last Mile’s program make it a promising economic boon to taxpayers as well as being a fantastic opportunity for the prisoners themselves.
Parenti herself claimed, “We know for sure that there are better uses of our funds than spending on prison”.
Hopefully, more prisoners will be able to take advantage of this opportunity in the future.
In founder Chris Redlitz’s own inspiring words: “Generally, many people inside want to do better […] So, create that opportunity, because 90 percent of people are going to get out, the question is, ‘who do you want them to be?'”
And, as the organization continues to grow and partner with more prisons, they will hopefully be able to continue adding success stories, such as Jones’, to their growing list of achievements.
h/t: wtxl
