Jennifer Fleming has been incarcerated for six years, with about two more to serve. She is one of 14 women selected to participate in the year-long Last Mile program. While she isn’t too tech savvy, Fleming says she’s ready to learn.
Fleming is a single mom of three and says being behind bars has made things tough.
She hopes that through completing this program, her chances of getting a job will increase.
Last Mile program co-founder and executive director, Beverly Parenti, says it’s not just about gaining coding experience, but also soft skills that’ll help the women seek and keep jobs.
Outside of classroom costs, the program itself is about $5,000 a year. Parenti says, from what has been seen in California where the program begin in 2014, that money is made back through the reduction of recidivism.
“We want to reduce recidivism and save the spending on prisons,” says Parenti.
According to the Indiana Department of Corrections, there are more than 25,000 people incarcerated in 22 state prisons. There is a 37 percent recidivism rate in the first three years post-release and 75 percent unemployment rate among formerly incarcerated adults one year post-release.
The Last Mile has had zero recidivism for formerly incarcerated people and 100 percent employment for returned citizens.
Gov. Eric Holcomb says this program is not only a win for the inmates, but also taxpayers.
He says businesses are already asking about hiring graduates of the program.
The first day of class is Monday April 9.
State leaders are focused on ensuring Indiana has a workforce capable of meeting the state’s job needs for the next few decades. And that conversation increasingly turns to the state’s public schools, tying high school education to workforce development.
When asked whether it’s too much to ask a 14-year-old to decide what they want to do with the rest of their life, Gov. Eric Holcomb is direct.
It may be no surprise that education makes it less likely for a person to end up back behind bars.
But since 2010 many higher education classes in Indiana prisons have faded.
Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Peter Balonon-Rosen reports on one remaining college-level program that not only educates students, but also transforms them in the process.
Gov. Mike Pence’s proposed budget, unveiled Thursday, includes increased funding for the Department of Correction and new prison construction. But, it includes no money for local community corrections.