💻 From Prison Cell to Pull Requests: How Preston Thorpe Became a Full-Time Dev — While Incarcerated

[cryptobro]

Not all tech success stories start in a garage or a dorm room. Some start… in prison.

TechCrunch recently shared the remarkable story of Preston Thorpe, a backend developer working full-time for San Francisco-based startup Turso — all while serving time behind bars.
From Rock Bottom to GitHub

Preston’s early life was far from ideal. Kicked out of his home as a teenager, he ended up selling drugs, which landed him in prison by the age of 20. After being released with no money or housing, he got arrested again.

But things changed when he was transferred to a correctional facility in Maine just before the COVID-19 pandemic. While there, he:

Enrolled remotely at the University of Maine

Spent three years teaching himself programming online and through prison resources

Became active in open-source projects on GitHub

Caught the attention of industry professionals — not as a criminal, but as a developer

Getting the Job

His GitHub activity caught the eye of Glauber Costa, founder of Turso, who was impressed by Preston’s contributions and offered him a job — only to realize later that Preston was still in prison.

But instead of backing out, Costa hired him full-time.

Thorpe is now one of about 30 inmates participating in a pioneering program in Maine that allows low-security prisoners to work remotely from prison. Participants:

Get paid market-rate salaries

Give 10% of earnings back to the state and legal costs

Gain real-world experience and a chance to rebuild their lives

Before Turso, Thorpe worked for Unlocked Labs, a company that employs inmates to build educational software for prisons.
🧠 In His Own Words

“I’ve spent the last three years learning everything I could about programming… For the first time in a long time, I was able to make a good first impression as a developer, not a convict.”

️ What Do You Think?

Should inmates be given the opportunity to retrain and work in tech — even while incarcerated?

Personally, I think if someone’s willing to put in the effort and transform their life, they deserve a shot. Talent can come from anywhere — even a prison cell.

Curious what the community thinks — would you work alongside someone like Preston?

Drop your thoughts.

[jacson4]

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[Nahid10]

If you're just starting out, focus on small wins—one gig at a time. Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, and even Discord communities can offer unexpected opportunities. And never underestimate the power of building a personal portfolio or LinkedIn profile.Most important advice? Stay professional, deliver on time, and overcommunicate. Clients love reliability more than genius.