The Last Mile (TLM) is a reentry organization started in 2010 by venture investors Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti at San Quentin State Prison in California. The US has just 5% of the world's population yet 25% of the world's prisoners. And many prisoners, unable to find work after release, return to prison. TLM's idea is simple: 'reentry needs a job, and the preparation should begin while inside.' So it gives prisoners a year of intensive coding education (web development, software, video production, without internet access) and, after release, connects them to a one-year paid apprenticeship with tech companies. It now runs in 21 classrooms at 16 facilities in eight states, with over 1,400 having studied cumulatively and 738 returned to society as citizens. Their recidivism rate is 4.5%—dramatically low compared to the high US general rate.
●●○ medium
There is no confirmed −; independently verified + decide the position (B). No unreachable strike-through.= non-additive meter
The Last Mile: Learning to code behind bars, never to return. The letter is B; certainty is medium. Unconfirmed concerns are placed under “Watching.” (As of 2026-Q3; estimate based on public information.)
Main narrative
One person’s story (N1)
+ A single story
Chris Schuhmacher, who committed a serious crime young and served 17 years, could not see how to rebuild his life after release. He learned coding at The Last Mile, went through a one-year paid apprenticeship after release, and is now a software engineer at Fandom, building online communities for fans worldwide. Participants speak transparently about their crimes and histories, which reportedly eases employers' anxiety.
Source nature: Stand Together／WorkingNation / P1 First-party / independent (third-party). Positive effects are not used to offset negatives.
Positive / negative effects
+ effects
- Founded in 2010 by VCs Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti at San Quentin. A year of in-prison coding education (no internet) + a paid apprenticeship at tech companies after release. 21 classrooms at 16 facilities in eight states, over 1,400 cumulative, 738 released. Four pillars: in-prison education → development practice → franchise rollout → reentry via hiring/community/government.P1 First-party / The Last Mile
− effects (confirmed)
- No confirmed −.
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- Independent verification of the recidivism rate; confirming effect independent of selection; expansion to women and diverse prisoners; long-term tracking of post-release job retention; rollout to other states/countries.
A second look
The plus is an effect on prisoners and former prisoners (People)—reentry through education, skills and dignified work, and breaking the negative cycle of recidivism—with a measured 4.5% recidivism rate, over 1,400 people, a post-release pipeline with tech companies, and a response to the US structural problem of mass incarceration. Caveats: the recidivism rate is essentially self-reported (the early '0%' was a small sample); participants are motivated and somewhat selected (part of the effect may stem from that); and activity is US-centered. Recognizing the genuine, symbolic (San Quentin) reentry plus but noting the selection and self-reporting, B/medium.
Sources
How to read this assessment
- Reachable upper bound (ceiling): a confirmed − sets the ceiling, and independently verified + decide the position within it. + do not cancel out −.
- The weight of evidence is not symmetric: only confirmed − are counted; the volume of disputes or allegations goes under “Watching.” + are counted from independent evidence, while an organization’s own PR is treated as “reference.”
- Size is not value: scale is not used in the assessment. Matters that stay within money or competition—investors, shareholders, sanctions, trade secrets—are also excluded.
- The letter (assessment) and certainty (how reliable the information is) are separate axes.
This is a translation; the Japanese version is authoritative. The assessments here are generated automatically by AI based on published criteria. The operator does not alter individual results. Because they are AI-generated they may contain errors, and they are opinion and commentary, not statements of fact. Where evidence is insufficient, the entry is marked “On hold.” Requests for correction are accepted via the form.
Terms: Narrative Value = an assessment (A–G) of the distance between the narrative an organization tells and its reality / Ceiling meter = a visualization of the reachable upper bound / Watching = unconfirmed matters not counted / Protected stakeholders = people, animals, nature, and future generations. | Generated by: AI | As of: 2026-Q3 | Back to top