The Last Mile

08/26/2026

Check out CALCTRA's latest podcast episode with the legend himself, Dave Dahl!

Episode 17 - The Story Behind the Killer Bread: Dave Dahl's Journey...

08/25/2026

The job market is changing fast. Preparing people for reentry means preparing them for the workforce that exists now, not the one that existed a decade ago.

In this clip, Sierra Robinson explains to Robert Roche why The Last Mile built PATH: an innovative workforce curriculum combining digital literacy, AI, project management, sales, entrepreneurship, and other transferable skills.

Sierra also shares why lived experience was essential to its design, helping ensure the curriculum reflects the realities students face inside correctional classrooms and the opportunities they will encounter after release.

PATH is built to give students more ways to adapt, explore, and build the future they want. Read the full article to learn how PATH is reshaping career preparation after prison - link in bio

08/24/2026

We were to excited to see Dave Dahl continuing to inspire folks with his story at Folsom State Prison. Stay tuned for his episode on CALCTRA's podcast later this week!

08/19/2026

Walking out of prison marks the beginning of another demanding journey.

Returning citizens often have to secure housing, employment, transportation, healthcare, identification, and access to technology—all while reconnecting with family, meeting supervision requirements, and navigating the stigma of incarceration. Even the most motivated person can struggle without a strong support system.

Armando Gonzalez understands that journey firsthand. Today, as a Senior Reentry Case Manager at The Last Mile, he uses his lived experience to help others build stability, pursue meaningful careers, support their families, and define their own futures.

The Last Mile begins preparing students before release and continues walking alongside them after they return home. Our reentry team provides practical resources, career preparation, employer connections, professional development, and something equally important: a supportive community that answers the phone when life gets difficult.

Together, we are changing the script on what happens after incarceration—and helping returning citizens move from surviving to building lives filled with opportunity, purpose, and lasting impact.

Become part of our supportive community and help make more stories like Armando’s possible: thelastmile.org/donate

08/13/2026

Comment “Second Chance” For the Full Interview!

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During his 33 years of incarceration, Michael “Harry-O” Harris became a leader inside San Quentin — creating groups, mentoring others, and advocating for opportunities that could help people transform their lives.

When Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti first came to San Quentin with an idea to bring technology education inside, Michael was one of the people who recognized what it could become. At a time when new groups faced a moratorium at San Quentin, Michael advocated with prison leadership and offered up space and time from programs he was involved with to help give what would become The Last Mile a chance. As Michael puts it, he had a “small part in helping birth” TLM.

Years later, his commitment to criminal justice reform continues on the outside, and his message in this conversation is simple: people who are incarcerated will eventually come home. The question is who we want them to be when they do.

“You want them to be the best human beings they could be.”

For Michael, investing in education, opportunity, and rehabilitation isn’t only about the person coming home. It’s about their families, their neighborhoods, and the communities they return to.
From helping create opportunities inside San Quentin to continuing the fight for criminal justice reform today, Michael has never stopped believing in what can happen when people are given a real opportunity to change.

08/12/2026

The United States spends more than $80 billion each year on corrections, yet we still know remarkably little about what happens after people return home.

New data from The Last Mile reveals how precarious those first weeks can be:

• 60% could not cover a $100 emergency using cash or savings
• Fewer than 1 in 6 could cover an unexpected expense above $400
• 81% were unemployed, with most actively searching for work

In his recent article, Sr. Manager of Research and Analytics Sam Bufe explains why recidivism alone cannot tell us what makes reentry succeed—and how is working to build a national dataset that can help organizations improve programs, strengthen policy, and direct resources where they matter most.

Read the full article - link in Bio.

Does your organization work with formerly incarcerated people? Help us build a more representative picture of reentry by participating in the national survey initiative. Contact Sam at [email protected] to get involved.

08/11/2026

Prison rehabilitation should not depend on luck.

Yet across the country, access to education, workforce training, and reentry support often depends on where a person is incarcerated. Disconnected records and outdated systems can erase years of progress after a transfer or release.

The Last Mile has built a secure Platform to change that—connecting residents with educators, service providers, workforce organizations, and employers while preserving progress from intake through reentry.

In our latest article, we explore how connected correctional infrastructure could strengthen rehabilitation, improve public safety, and provide every resident with a clearer pathway home.

Read our latest article to learn more!

https://thelastmile.org/the-platform-for-true-prison-reform/

08/06/2026

Comment “PAVING THE ROAD” for the full interview!

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Before The Last Mile had classrooms across the country, it started as a big idea—and Michael “Harry-O” Harris was asking the hard questions from the start.

Michael is an entrepreneur and music industry pioneer known for helping launch massive brands like Death Row Records. But his history with The Last Mile began inside San Quentin in 2010, when our co-founders Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti first arrived with an ambitious proposal: bring technology and entrepreneurship education inside prison.

From inside the walls of San Quentin, Michael became an important early champion of the vision that would grow into The Last Mile.

On May 14, he returned to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center to join our technology showcase and see how far that vision has come. We also had the opportunity to sit down with him for an incredible interview about his life, legacy, and belief in what becomes possible when people are given a genuine opportunity.

Before the cameras rolled, Chris stopped by. The two immediately began revisiting their shared history—and we knew we had to keep the cameras running.

Comment “PAVING THE ROAD” and we’ll send you the full interview between Chris Redlitz and Michael Harry-O Harris.

08/04/2026

Some stories stay with you long after you read them.

Chris Young grew up with parents struggling with addiction. As a child, he lived for years without electricity or running water. With few opportunities and desperate to survive, he and his older brother turned to selling drugs to make ends meet. After losing his brother to su***de, Chris continued down that path and was eventually sentenced to two life terms in federal prison. But in solitary confinement, he made a decision that changed everything.

Today, Chris is an author, speaker, and advocate for hope, resilience, and second chances. As he says:”Your mentality equals your reality.”

His memoir, The Wound Is Where the Light Enters, is a powerful reminder that no matter where you’ve been, your future is not determined by your past. Chris’s journey is one of extraordinary resilience—and proof that hope can transform lives.

At The Last Mile, we believe that hope is where change begins, and we are excited to showcase Chris as a Changemaker who is willing to tell his story to make a difference.

Want to read Chris’s Book? Comment “Mentality” below and we’ll send you a 20% off coupon for his book.

07/29/2026

Striking new research from our team at The Last Mile, led by Senior Manager of Research & Analytics Sam Bufe, finds that 6 in 10 returning citizens surveyed could not access even $100 in liquid savings when they first connected with our reentry team.

That level of financial instability leaves almost no margin for error. A transportation problem, application fee, or unexpected bill can quickly threaten employment, housing, supervision requirements, and long-term stability.

Yet America collects remarkably little data about how these conditions change after release. We often know when someone returns to the justice system, but far less about the economic pressures, personal support, and opportunities that shaped the outcome.

Read Sam’s new article to explore what our alumni data reveals, why recidivism alone cannot explain reentry, and how The Last Mile is working to build a clearer national picture of life after incarceration.

If your organization serves formerly incarcerated people, we invite you to join our national survey initiative. By sharing the survey with your community, you can help build the evidence needed to strengthen reentry programs, policy, and advocacy nationwide.

Learn more or join the initiative by contacting Sam at [email protected].