The Last Mile, the highly-successful inmate jobs program that provides computer coding and web development training to incarcerated individuals, has expanded to a fifth state.

The TLM coding program will be part of the Michigan Department of Corrections’ Vocational Village at Parnall Correctional Facility. The Vocational Village prepares incarcerated individuals for careers in high-demand skilled trades, including robotics, automotive technology, and CNC machining. Studies show that employment is the key to combating recidivism.

TLM is the only full-stack coding program inside U.S. prisons. It was founded in San Quentin State Prison in 2010 and has since been implemented in prisons in Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and now Michigan. Since its inception, none of the program graduates have returned to prison.

The Michigan program will be supported by the Google.org philanthropy. Since 2013, Google.org has given more than $60 million to organizations working to expand access to hands-on computer science learning.

Watch our WorkingNation video about The Last Mile here.

Listen to our Work in Progress podcast featuring The Last Mile graduate Aly Tamboura here.

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