The Last Mile was founded to equip individuals with marketable skills for gainful employment, recognizing that jobs are crucial to successful reentry and breaking the cycles of incarceration. In 2025, the organization continued to adapt its mission-driven work to the changing world, focusing on both lived experiences and available opportunities.
This report highlights a year of capacity building, strategy refinement, and program alignment with reentry realities. It marks a transition to the next phase of the organization’s mission, grounded in evidence and the belief that effective rehabilitation is achievable.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
In 2010, Chris Redlitz was invited to speak at San Quentin to a group of incarcerated men about business and entrepreneurship. He had no idea that visit would change the course of his life — or the lives of thousands of others. What began as a single conversation became a calling. Chris and his wife, Beverly Parenti, quickly immersed themselves in the realities of incarceration in America, and in 2010, they co-founded The Last Mile with a clear conviction: that people inside prison walls are capable of extraordinary things when given real tools and real opportunity. Their vision was not charity. It was a transformation grounded in skill, preparation, and belief: Teaching marketable skills that result in gainful employment.
Sixteen years later, that vision has a new home. After three years of planning — with Chris playing a central role on the planning committee — we opened the first-of-its-kind Learning Center at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center on March 24, 2026, in partnership with CALCTRA. When Chris and Bev offered me the role of Executive Director in 2024, they handed me something more than a job. They handed me a mission in motion, a community of believers, and the foundation of something built to last. Personally and on behalf of the entire organization, I want to acknowledge Beverly and Chris for the leadership and mentorship they continue to provide. Their work continues to inspire innovation and rehabilitation across the country, and it lives in everything we do.
My father taught me that showing up is 90% of the work. It sounds simple, but I have carried that with me my entire life — and I see it proven true every single day by our students. These are people navigating enormous obstacles just to walk into a classroom, sit down, and do the hard work of learning. They do not have to. They choose to. That choice, made consistently, day after day, is the foundation everything else is built on. It is what I am most proud of, and it is the spirit that runs through every page of this report.
2025 was a year of building — sometimes quietly, sometimes against real headwinds. We deepened our curriculum to meet a labor market that is moving fast, and expanded our PATH framework to include project management, sales, and entrepreneurship alongside web development. A meaningful addition this year was the introduction of a Google Workspace simulator, giving students hands-on experience with the tools they will encounter on day one of any modern job — inside an environment where live internet access is not available. We also continued testing our Service Delivery Platform, the infrastructure that will allow multiple educational partners to deliver instruction within a single secure network at San Quentin. This is still early-stage work, and we are learning as we go — but the potential to reshape how correctional education is delivered at scale is real. None of this happened in a straight line. We made hard decisions about what to prioritize, and our team delivered.
I came to this work through a door that many of our students will recognize. My own history with the justice system is not background noise — it is the source of my clarity about what is at stake. When I walk into a classroom inside a prison, I am not a visitor. I know what it feels like to believe that the opportunities available to other people are not available to you. I also know what it feels like to be proven wrong about that. The Last Mile exists to prove that wrong, at scale, with evidence.
This report tells the story of Alysha Eppard, who walked out of prison in September 2024 and is today building web features for the Indiana Pacers — a role that came to her through skill, discipline, and a partnership between The Last Mile and a team that believed in fair-chance hiring. Alysha’s story is not a miracle. It is a result. It is what happens when someone is given real tools, real preparation, and real support. It is what our 5% recidivism rate looks like in a single human life.
As we move into 2026, we carry the groundwork of this year forward with real momentum. New state partnerships are taking shape. Employer relationships are deepening. And our curriculum is evolving to meet the moment — we are actively working to launch AI curriculum that prepares students for a workforce being reshaped by automation, and developing skilled trades partnerships that will open pathways into industries where demand is high and opportunity is real. Because the economy does not wait, and neither can the people we serve.
None of this is possible without you. Thank you to our funders, partners, volunteers, correctional agency colleagues, and employer champions who show up for this work. Thank you to our staff, who bring both rigor and humanity to everything they do. And most of all, thank you to our students and alumni — past, present, and future — who remind us daily that transformation is not a program outcome. It is a choice. We are honored to be part of the journey.
With gratitude and purpose,
Kevin McCracken
Executive Director, The Last Mile
In 2025, The Last Mile focused on strengthening the systems that support consistent outcomes across the country:
The United States has one of the largest incarcerated populations globally, with millions going through prisons and jails each year, impacting families and communities. Despite high investment in incarceration, recidivism rates remain high, highlighting a focus on punishment over reintegration. The financial and human costs are significant, as time in prison harms employment prospects, disrupts families, and decreases social capital. Without proper intervention, release from prison often leads to instability rather than successful reintegration.
Reentry into society faces various barriers beyond individual motivation, including employment restrictions, housing limitations, debt, and limited educational access. Many return home without reliable support or paths to economic stability.
Traditional reentry models often handle these issues separately, focusing on immediate needs while neglecting long-term stability. Educational and program support usually ends at release, leading to unstable outcomes despite initial progress.
Employment is crucial for successful reentry, providing stability, income, and a sense of belonging. When combined with preparation and support, it reduces the risk of recidivism and enhances community well-being.
The Last Mile integrates education, reentry support, and employer engagement into a cohesive system to promote lasting positive outcomes.
The challenges surrounding mass incarceration, reentry instability, and employment barriers are interconnected. Individuals returning home face structural obstacles that compound quickly: limited access to opportunity, rapidly shifting labor markets, and the need to rebuild stability in a short period of time. Addressing any one of these issues in isolation produces limited outcomes. Sustainable success requires a coordinated strategy that prepares individuals for modern employment, supports stability during reentry, and creates pathways into meaningful work.
In 2025, The Last Mile responded to these challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset shaped by more than a decade of experience. As generative artificial intelligence accelerated changes across the global workforce, entire categories of entry-level work began to evolve. Rather than reacting after the impact reached returning citizens, The Last Mile moved early to redesign curriculum, strengthen reentry systems, and expand employment pathways simultaneously. This three-part strategy reflects a holistic approach to opportunity, combining education, reentry continuity, and employment creation to produce some of the strongest outcomes for returning citizens in the country.
Preparing Returning Citizens for an AI-Driven Workforce
The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence has reshaped the labor market in ways few predicted even two years ago. Tasks once considered foundational entry points into technology careers began to be automated. Entry-level coding roles, documentation work, debugging, and even portions of software design increasingly became augmented or replaced by AI-assisted workflows. Companies began hiring fewer junior developers while expecting new hires to operate across broader skill sets, including communication, problem-solving, project coordination, and AI-assisted productivity.
For organizations built around preparing people for employment, this shift required immediate action. The Last Mile had built a national presence on teaching coding skills, a strategy that produced strong employment outcomes for years. However, the organization recognized that preparing students exclusively for a single technical pathway would become increasingly risky as AI transformed hiring practices. Rather than waiting for placement outcomes to decline, The Last Mile expanded its curriculum to reflect the new realities of the labor market and the skills required for long-term adaptability.
The Last Mile’s original coding program was developed in response to projected labor shortages in the Silicon Valley technology sector. At a time when companies struggled to find qualified developers, the organization created a rigorous curriculum focused on web development fundamentals, collaboration, and professional communication.
Designed to develop foundational skills that are relevant and competitive in the current business environment.
Training in audio and video post-production by teaching skills such as video editing, sound design, and sound finishing.
The emergence of generative AI fundamentally changed the landscape for entry-level technical employment. Tasks traditionally assigned to junior developers, content creators, and technical support roles are increasingly automated or augmented by AI systems. Companies now expect new hires to operate across broader skill sets, including communication, project coordination, problem-solving, and the ability to leverage AI tools effectively. This shift reduces reliance on narrow technical specialization and increases demand for adaptable professionals who can learn quickly and contribute across functions. In response, The Last Mile rapidly expanded its curriculum in 2025 to move beyond a single career pathway and toward a comprehensive employment readiness model designed to prepare returning citizens for a wide range of modern roles.
This updated approach emphasizes foundational digital literacy, structured thinking, professional communication, and AI-assisted productivity. Students learn how to use generative AI responsibly, develop prompt-craft skills, and apply AI tools to real-world workflows through guided simulations and project-based learning. Rather than preparing individuals for one specific job category, the curriculum builds professionals who understand how to learn, adapt, and grow within evolving industries. These pathways extend into project management, sales, entrepreneurship, and other employment tracks built on this shared foundation, ensuring graduates are equipped to navigate a dynamic labor market and pursue sustainable careers across multiple sectors.
Digital literacy classes provide foundational skills for navigating the digital world, covering topics like computer basics, internet safety, email, and software applications.
AI literacy track promoting the use of workplace simulators to enhance problem-solving skills and adaptability in a technology-driven environment.
Designed to develop foundational skills that are relevant and competitive in the current business environment.
Training in audio and video post-production by teaching skills such as video editing, sound design, and sound finishing.
The Project Management track equips students with the frameworks and methodologies for planning, executing, and delivering complex projects across various industries.
The Sales and Professional Communications pathway develops key communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills essential for success in professional roles.
Entrepreneurship training develops the strategic and personal skills needed to identify opportunities in uncertain environments. Participants learn business modeling, market analysis, and pitching while enhancing their emotional intelligence and resilience.
Our service delivery platform enables partner organizations to deliver their own curriculum within The Last Mile’s secure classroom technology environment, allowing multiple providers to introduce specialized learning modules alongside TLM programming.
Connecting Classroom Learning to Real-World Opportunity
As The Last Mile expanded its curriculum in 2025, experiential learning and employment partnerships became central to how students apply skills in real-world environments. These experiences connect classroom instruction to professional expectations, introduce students to working professionals, and create structured pathways into employment. Together, volunteering, experiential learning, and apprenticeship partnerships form a continuum that moves students from education to opportunity.
In 2025, The Last Mile expanded its volunteer program to create more meaningful experiences for both students and volunteers. Programming moved beyond traditional resume and interview preparation to include career talks from professionals across a wide range of industries, as well as personal development conversations designed to energize and inspire students in the classroom. These engagements exposed students to different professional pathways while reinforcing communication, confidence, and goal-setting.
The program also introduced new ways for volunteers to connect directly with students. Virtual guest lectures, training sessions, and panel discussions brought outside voices into the classroom and expanded access to professionals who may not have previously participated. This broader approach strengthened the learning environment and helped students connect classroom skills to real-world careers.
Experiential learning is the process of developing skills through participation in hands-on experiences. The Last Mile prioritizes experiential learning because education within community creates an environment that nurtures creativity, builds meaningful connections, and clarifies next steps for continued growth. Students benefit from interacting with professionals, collaborating on projects, and practicing communication in settings that mirror real-world expectations.
These experiences reinforce classroom instruction while helping students develop professional identity and confidence. Exposure to working professionals, industry perspectives, and collaborative exercises strengthens problem-solving abilities and prepares students for workplace environments they will encounter after release. Experiential learning transforms education from theory into preparation for opportunity.
Apprenticeship partnerships create structured pathways into fair-chance employment by connecting returning citizens with real work opportunities supported by multiple partners, including the Indiana Pacers and NBC Universal. In this model, organizations share responsibility to ensure both employers and apprentices receive the support needed for long-term success. The BRIC Foundation serves as an employer of record to ensure apprenticeships are formally structured while also providing mentoring, professional development, and continued growth resources. Employers like Solidarity Media Network, along with the Indiana Pacers and NBC Universal, not only provide direct employment opportunities but also demonstrate a commitment to fair-chance hiring.
This approach benefits everyone involved. Employers gain access to skilled and motivated candidates who already possess foundational training, with the additional backing of prestigious partners like the Indiana Pacers and NBC Universal. Apprentices receive real credentials, professional experience, and continued mentorship. By distributing responsibilities across partners, this model not only makes fair-chance hiring more accessible but also reduces risk for employers and creates sustainable employment pathways for returning citizens.
Immediate Support for a Successful Return Home
The first 72 hours after release are among the most vulnerable periods in the reentry process. Individuals are expected to navigate transportation, supervision requirements, employment planning, housing coordination, and basic survival needs almost immediately, often without reliable access to technology, stable communication, or financial resources. Small disruptions during this window can quickly compound, creating missed appointments, lost opportunities, and instability that undermines the progress made during incarceration.
The Last Mile designed its 72-hour reentry protocol to reduce these risks and replace uncertainty with structure. By providing immediate contact, technology access, transportation coordination, and stabilization support, the organization ensures that returning citizens move directly from release into a supported pathway toward employment and stability. This early intervention establishes momentum, reinforces accountability, and strengthens the likelihood of long-term success.
The Last Mile’s 72-hour reentry protocol ensures critical support during the most vulnerable transition period:
Returning citizens connect directly with a case manager within the first 24 hours of release. This early contact establishes accountability, confirms safety, and begins coordinated planning for employment, housing, and supervision requirements. Immediate communication reduces isolation and ensures no one navigates reentry alone.
Each participant receives a MacBook identical to the device used during training. This eliminates digital barriers to job applications, communication with employers, supervision check-ins, and continued education. Graduates leave custody ready to apply for jobs, attend virtual meetings, and begin professional work immediately.
Transportation is coordinated for essential early appointments, including parole meetings, employer interviews, benefits enrollment, and housing navigation. This support prevents missed obligations that could jeopardize release conditions and ensures participants can focus on stability and employment preparation.
A structured stabilization assessment addresses urgent needs, including food access, clothing, medication, communication tools, identification, and safe housing. Addressing these essentials removes immediate stressors and allows returning citizens to focus on employment and long-term stability.
Reentry at The Last Mile is a continuous process that begins before release and extends beyond initial employment. Alumni receive individualized support in housing, job readiness, education, and stability.
Long-term stability involves more than just getting an initial job. The Last Mile’s approach emphasizes ongoing growth, education, and community engagement to support alumni over time. Graduates connect with a national network built on shared experiences and mutual support, participating in virtual events and in-person gatherings to celebrate milestones like job achievements and educational advancements.
Their career development follows a structured path focused on economic mobility:
Alumni play a vital role as mentors, instructors, and advocates at The Last Mile, often returning as teaching assistants or guest speakers. Their experiences as returned citizens strengthen the network and create a supportive environment, offering credibility as they share how they've overcome similar challenges.
Long-term stability requires more than just employment. The Last Mile's reentry support focuses on housing security, financial literacy, family reconnection, mental health, and community engagement. Addressing these areas is essential for lasting success; instability elsewhere can undermine solid job outcomes.
Many alumni seek further education after release, from certifications to university enrollment. The Last Mile aids this by linking them with education partners, scholarships, and academic advising, enhancing career prospects and supporting their identity transformation begun in incarceration.
Success is measured not only by employment rates but also by housing security, financial progress, family reconnection, and community engagement. These factors contribute to The Last Mile's low recidivism rate of around 8%, demonstrating that treating education, employment, and reentry as an integrated system improves outcomes.
Alysha Eppard interviewed for a job from a prison classroom — months later, she walked into the Indiana Pacers organization as an employee.
Alysha Eppard still remembers the first time she walked into the Pacers organization as an employee. Months earlier, she had been inside a prison classroom interviewing for the opportunity that would change her life.
Like Billie Edison before her, Alysha’s story shows what can happen when transformation meets opportunity. Her path began with addiction and incarceration. It led through years of hard work, sobriety, and education inside prison walls.
Today, she is thriving within the Indiana Pacers organization through a groundbreaking apprenticeship program.
Mission-driven employment that uses commercial strategies to maximize social, environmental, or community impact for returned citizens.
Turn2U Productions represents this model in practice. Turn2U is a for-profit enterprise that provides fair-chance employment for graduates and supports The Last Mile’s mission. A portion of its revenue funds education and reentry programs, creating a cycle where business growth leads to more opportunities for students and alumni. Each project completed benefits both clients and the development of pathways out of incarceration.
Turn2U aims to provide justice-impacted professionals with opportunities to build skills, advance their careers, and participate in equity ownership as the organization grows. By offering ownership opportunities, Turn2U promotes long-term financial stability and wealth-building beyond salaries. This reflects a vision of inclusive capitalism, where everyone who contributes to the organization shares in its success.
In 2025, Turn2U expanded its services to meet market demand and leverage skills from The Last Mile’s training programs. Now offering website development and short-form content creation alongside promotional products and branded merchandise, Turn2U enables clients to work with one partner for their digital presence and brand activation.
Turn2U Productions was founded to address a key challenge for justice-impacted individuals after release: access to stable employment. While education and reentry support create opportunities, long-term stability depends on earning income and gaining experience. Social enterprise offers a model that connects these outcomes to our mission.
Presenting an innovative new model for rehabilitation
The Last Mile significantly shaped the use of technology and education in the new learning environment. With over a decade of experience at San Quentin, the organization brought institutional trust and operational expertise to define the technical infrastructure and educational workflows for the modern classrooms.
Establishing the largest programmatic presence at the facility, The Last Mile partnered with CALCTRA to go beyond traditional classroom delivery to create a technology ecosystem that mirrors contemporary professional environments. The goal was to ensure that students learn using the same tools and collaborative practices they will encounter after their release.
This evolution indicates a broader shift in how correctional education functions. Students no longer move from outdated classroom environments to modern workplaces. Instead, the learning environment itself prepares them for contemporary employment expectations.
A defining feature of the San Quentin project is the development of a service delivery platform that supports multiple educational partners within a secure technology environment. Traditionally, prison educational programs operated in isolation, limiting student access to various learning opportunities.
The new platform changes this model by enabling different organizations to work within the same secure network while maintaining specific access controls. Students can now participate in various programs throughout the day, using different tools based on their coursework in a monitored environment.
This multi-tenant architecture enhances educational delivery in corrections, enabling the introduction of new curricula without requiring new infrastructure. It also supports remote instruction and future opportunities, such as job interviews and internships, within secure parameters.
The San Quentin project is significant for its potential to be replicated across correctional systems. Its established infrastructure and partnership model provide a blueprint for scaling education and reentry preparation. This service delivery model allows multiple organizations to offer education within a secure framework.
As states rethink rehabilitation in corrections, the San Quentin model demonstrates how modern correctional education can succeed when technology, programming, and leadership align. The Last Mile’s work shows that education can begin in prison, continue after release, and create pathways to employment and stability.
The goal is not to replicate a single facility but to expand a system in which education, technology, and reentry support work together for successful reintegration.
The work completed in 2025 was intentionally focused on building the foundation required for meaningful expansion. Rather than pursuing growth for its own sake, The Last Mile invested in curriculum design, technology infrastructure, and operational systems that could support scale without compromising quality or outcomes. These efforts were undertaken with a clear understanding that the next phase of the organization’s impact would depend on readiness, alignment, and trust.
As a result, 2026 begins with a strengthened network of partners positioned to translate this groundwork into expanded opportunity. Collaborations with state Departments of Correction are moving from pilot programs to more durable, multi-site implementations, enabling consistent delivery of education and reentry support across facilities.
Employer partnerships developed over recent years are also deepening in scope and sophistication. In 2026, these relationships will support earlier student engagement, clearer pathways from training to employment, and expanded access to roles across multiple industries. These partnerships reflect a shared commitment to fair-chance hiring grounded in demonstrated skill, preparation, and accountability.
Philanthropic partners continue to play a critical role in this next chapter. Investments made in 2025 supported the development of the PATH curriculum, the San Quentin technology build, and the systems required to sustain reentry continuity. In 2026, this support enables innovation to move from concept to execution, including expansion into new states, onboarding additional facilities, and refining technology platforms designed for national reach.
Together, these partnerships position The Last Mile to move from a year of building into a year of activation. The organization enters 2026 prepared to scale proven models, deepen impact across communities, and continue demonstrating that when education, employment, and reentry are designed as an integrated system, outcomes follow.
