Simon Jacobson and Vicki Johnson of Billings, Montana, smile at one another after Jacobson completed a year-long web development and coding program offer by The Last Mile, a nonprofit that provides opportunities for justice-impacted individuals, at the North Dakota State Penitentiary on July 18, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Even though he may never get the opportunity to use his new web development and coding skills outside of the prison walls, one North Dakota inmate says he is grateful for the opportunity to learn and perhaps inspire others.
“Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world,” Simon Jacobson said, quoting former South African President Nelson Mandela during his remarks to the other participants in a prison coding program. “I send my deepest respect, regards and gratitude to The Last Mile team as a whole for the life-changing impact that they are doing throughout our country.”
On Friday, Jacobson was one of 10 prisoners who received coding and web development certificates during a ceremony at the North Dakota State Penitentiary.
Jacobson, currently serving a life sentence at the North Dakota State Penitentiary after pleading guilty to murder, kidnapping and robbery charges in 2014, was the teacher’s assistant for the program.
“I’m making sure I take a firm stance on doing the right thing and showing these men, doing the right thing is what a man does,” he said.
The program participants completed one of two six-month programs in web development fundamentals or server and data technology training through The Last Mile, a nonprofit that provides opportunities for justice-impacted individuals through education and technology training.
Eric Rick, program facilitator for The Last Mile, said the recidivism rate for graduates of the program is under 5% and 75% of the program graduates are employed within six months of their releases. The recidivism rate for all inmates in the state prison system is about 37%, according to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“The Last Mile exists to unlock potential and break the cycle of incarceration,” Rick said. “It is changing lives through technical education and reentry support.”
Rick said the participants take 30 hours of training per week with much of their instruction coming through textbooks, video modules and remote instructors who graduated from the program as former inmates themselves.
“I’m just so proud,” he said. “I’m sad to see them go, but we start another class in August, so we just keep this ball rolling.”
The Last Mile program is operating in 19 prison facilities across eight states, he said. In North Dakota, up to 12 participants are chosen each year from dozens of applications.
Rick said he is hopeful they can expand on some opportunities for program graduates in coming years to get them using their skills through other work programs before they are released.
Davion Burris, another graduate of the program, will be eligible for parole in 2027 and said being able to take this class gives him hope for his future. He said the support network they built among the program participants was essential for them having success.
“We go at our own pace, but depending where the next person is at, they can help you with where you are at,” Burris said. “Certain people remember certain things better and in that aspect we all feel like a group of family.”
He said he hopes to continue his multimedia training in the future and learn more about audio and video production.
Jacobson said he wants to stay involved in the program to help others because it can be overwhelming at times.
“The amount of lines of code you have to go through starts off at 50 to 100 lines of code,” he said. “And then pretty soon your projects are thousands of lines of code, dozens of folders you have to pick through and debug every time you build something, so it’s definitely a tough process.”
Vicki Johnson, Jacobson’s friend for more than 15 years, traveled from Billings to watch him receive his certificate.
“He was trying to make me cry and it almost worked,” Johnson said. “He’s fantastic and just a people person. Very charismatic, loving and kind, and he’s changed his life so very, very much.”
Support from people outside of prison is important because it helps the program participants push through the difficult moments of prison life and helps hold them accountable for the improvements they are trying to make, Jacobson said.
“I got people counting on me. I got people supporting me and feeding into my dream and vision that I want to build for myself,” he said. “It’s critical to me.”
The Last Mile program is funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and administered by the U.S. Department of Labor.
“It’s been such an honor to walk alongside you during this part of our journey,” Jacobson said as he concluded his remarks to the other participants. “Go forth and ignite the world. Hallelujah. Education has taught me that the greatest investment we can make is in personal relationships and the development of the folks around us … rise, shine, grind and repeat.”
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