How Dr. JC Cavitt Turned a Life Sentence Into a Legacy of Healing and Education

Presenting Turn2U Scholarship Stories, a dive into breaking cycles of incarceration through education with support from The Last Mile’s Turn2U Scholarship Program.

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From being sentenced to life in prison at age 17 to recently earning a Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy, JC’s path was anything but linear. But with relentless focus and the support of the Turn2U Scholarship Program, he created a new future—one rooted in healing, leadership, and community transformation.

Education inside prison can transform lives. Education after prison—especially when it’s accessible to formerly incarcerated individuals and their families—can transform generations. That belief is the foundation of The Last Mile’s Turn2U Scholarship Program.

Research shows that people who participate in prison education programs are 43% less likely to return to prison. When that education continues beyond the walls, the ripple effect strengthens families, stabilizes communities, and stops cycles of incarceration before they begin.

The Last Mile’s Turn2U Scholarship Program is designed to fund higher education for justice-impacted individuals and their families. Few stories capture its impact more fully than that of Dr. James “JC” Cavitt.

A Young Scholar With a Shattered Dream

JC Cavitt entered the justice system as a teenager. “I committed my crime when I was 17 years old,” he recently shared on The Last Mile Radio. “And I remember one of the counselors in juvenile hall asking me, ‘So what are you gonna do? What are you gonna do with your life?’ And I told him, ‘I’m gonna go to medical school. I’m gonna be a doctor.’”

The dream that JC’s was holding onto was quickly dismissed. “He had a look of disgust on his face. He told me, ‘You can’t do that. With the charges that you’re looking at, they’ll never let you in medical school. You can’t practice medicine with a serious felony.’”

At the time, JC didn’t want to believe it. “I called my family and asked them, ‘Hey, can you check something? Can I get into medical school with a felony conviction?’ Turns out he was right. It’s almost impossible to do.”

He described the emotional cost of letting go of his life’s goal: “At 17, I had aborted a dream that I had wanted since I was seven. I didn’t know how to digest that. I didn’t want to be anything other than a doctor.”

Finding Purpose Through The Last Mile

Inside San Quentin, JC found a new sense of purpose through education. He joined the first cohort of The Last Mile in 2010 as a participant in the Entrepreneurship Program. 

JC embodied the mission that The Last Mile was striving to develop in those early days. Chris Redlitz, cofounder of The Last Mile, remembered JC’s leadership early on: “JC was ready to be a mentor from the beginning. He was doing the work, and you could see it.”

During his time inside, JC also began exploring self-help, therapeutic programs, and creative expression. That included spoken word poetry, mentoring other incarcerated men, and confronting the roots of his actions through deep personal reflection.

Reentry, Employment, and the Road Back to Academia

Despite originally carrying a life sentence, JC Cavitt obtained parole after serving more than two decades. His educational journey, including the completion of The Last Mile’s inaugural program and multiple certifications, played a critical role in demonstrating his commitment to growth, accountability, and transformation.

Like many justice-impacted individuals, he re-entered a world that had changed dramatically during his incarceration, and he kept his focus on education from the moment he left prison. “I paroled on a Friday. That following week I went to Cal State Fullerton’s campus to meet with their program director and executive director.” he told us in his first interview with the Last Mile Radio. 

JC joined Project Kinship, a nonprofit based in Orange County that provides healing-centered support and reentry services to people impacted by incarceration, gangs, and violence.

Pursuing The Highest Levels Of Education Possible

His experience with Project kinship, rooted in advocacy and community care, laid the groundwork for his next chapter—transitioning into higher education. “I came home, got plugged in, got a job on campus, earned my bachelor’s degree with honors within two years.” But JC’s ambitions went far beyond a bachelors degree. “I decided that I’m gonna give this thing a shot at my Master’s…I applied to a couple of schools, and all of the schools I applied to wanted me, so I got an option to pick.”

JC chose California State University for his Masters degree, but even then he was not done with his educational journey.  “I got my Master’s in Social Work and graduated again with high honors. Then I thought, can I do it at the next level? Do they let people with a conviction like mine get into a doctorate program?”

At Hope International University, JC’s academic drive and lived experience from incarceration all converged as he stepped into graduate-level work, pursuing his Doctorate of Marriage and Family Therapy. But it wasn’t easy—and it wouldn’t have been possible without support.

The Turn2U Scholarship Program Makes Education After Prison Possible

JC enrolled in a Doctorate of Marriage and Family Therapy program—a milestone that may not have been financially feasible without the Turn2U Scholarship Program. Specifically, the Hans Schoenburg Scholarship, awarded annually to one TLM alum, provided the critical financial and emotional support he needed to take that step.

The scholarship honors Hans Schoenburg, a Yale graduate, technologist, and community builder whose life’s work centered on generosity, equity, and the power of connection. Hans was a passionate advocate for gift economies, mutual aid, and using technology to bring people together—and he got that same spirit to his work with The Last Mile.

“I realized it wasn’t just for me.” JC reflected, “There are thousands of men and women that went through The Last Mile that I was representing as well. I took that with pride, I took it with honor, and I wanted to make sure that I represented us to the best of my ability.”

The Challenge of Pursuing a Doctorate after Prison

JC described the pursuit of his Doctorate as one of the hardest things he’s ever done. “By far, getting my doctorate in marriage and family therapy has probably been one of the hardest tasks I ever had to do,” he told us.

Despite the strain, he pushed through. “There were many times when I thought about quitting along the way. Trying to balance a full-time job as the executive director for Project Rebound, having a child and marriage, on top of pursuing a doctorate at this level and the research, the hours upon hours of research and coming up with my dissertation…I just had to tell myself, buckle down. And three years later to walk across that stage was just so impactful and meaningful.”

His dissertation topic—the impact of incarceration on intimacy in men, post-release—was directly shaped by his lived experience and his desire to help other people heal after incarceration.

The Turn2U Scholarship Program helped make that possible. In addition to financing his education, it supported a ripple effect of healing, knowledge, and leadership that JC is now using to transform lives beyond his own.

From Healing Himself to Healing Others

JC now holds a Doctorate of Marriage and Family Therapy, leads Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton, and is raising a family. “Ever since I was seven years old, I knew I wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “Now, to have crossed that stage, with people calling me Dr. Cavitt, it is a dream fulfilled.”

His story embodies the long-term goal of the Turn2U Scholarship Program, and of The Last Mile as a whole. We aim to reduce recidivism recidivism, but this should be a symptom of a larger movement that breaks the generational cycle of incarceration through education, mentorship, and opportunity.

A Proactive Investment in the Future

As Chris Redlitz described it, “The Last Mile classrooms are reactive—we meet people after they’ve already been incarcerated. The Turn2U Scholarship Program is proactive. It empowers people before that cycle starts. Especially when it supports the children of our alumni—that’s where we see generational change.”

Launched with the generous support of TLM’s cofounders, advisors, and dedicated volunteers, the Turn2U Scholarship Fund is sustained by a growing community committed to education, equity, and opportunity. These contributions directly enable the program’s impact and expansion.

In 2025, the Turn2U Scholarship Program grew to include three distinct scholarship tracks:

• The Louise Redlitz Scholarship, for students pursuing two- or four-year degrees or vocational training
• The Founders Scholarship, awarded to children of San Quentin alumni
• The Hans Schoenburg Scholarship, awarded to one adult TLM alum each year

An upcoming article will focus on the Scholarship recipients who are children of TLM participants—young people who, statistically, face an increased risk of incarceration unless early intervention and opportunity are present. “

We will explore that work in a future article,” Redlitz added. “Because investing in a child’s education may be the most transformative step we can take to end mass incarceration.”

Learn more about the Turn2U Scholarship Program

Dr. JC Cavitt’s story represents what is possible when educational access is paired with accountability, mentorship, and belief.

If you’d like to support the Turn2U Scholarship Program—or learn more about sponsoring the next scholar on their journey—reach out to The Last Mile.

Together, we can create more stories like JC’s. Stories that don’t end in a cell—but begin in a classroom.

Watch the full interview with Dr. JC Cavitt here!

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By Robert Roche, VP of Marketing at The Last Mile.

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