Best Thing on the Internet Today: The LAST MILE at San Quentin Prison

A program that offers inmates of a notorious American prison the opportunity to connect with the world using social media

I came across an entry on Quora that resonated well with me today. 

“What are some aspects of incarceration that could not possibly be guessed at by someone who hasn’t experienced it?”

I noticed that one of the respondents was from the infamous San Quentin State Prison in California, an infamous prison housing long-term (and death row) inmates. I wondered how he’d gained access to Quora. Surely inmates aren’t allowed to roam freely on the internet? I noticed at the bottom of his response that he was part The LAST MILE, a group of 5 San Quentin-ites who had been selected to participate in a program to learn about business and the internet. Everything “outside” (as inmates call it) must seem pretty hazy and overwhelming to a bunch of men who don’t really know what Twitter is. 

Take a look at their responses on the LAST MILE blog, on Quora, or follow them on Twitter. Their insights and their stories are pretty compelling. Like, very compelling, actually. Distractingly so. Prison seems like a hard gig. 
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Jessica Carroll is the Toronto Standard’s “Best Thing on the Internet Today” columnist. Follow her on Twitter at @jssckr.

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