Although Jeff did not want to reveal too much personal information, he responded to questions from Professor Schrenkler’s questionnaire on ethics. His answers follow:

Ethical Development: 

1. Do you feel you had/have a good understanding of your core values? How did those core values guide your decisions while on the job?

I do not believe I had a sense of my core values at the time I committed my crime. I had been raised with values, but they were not “core” in that they did not pervade every aspect of my life. While on the job I used values that were what I thought the accepted values in business. These were values I had seen my supervisors use and seen other people use on me over the course of my professional life.

2. What was the most important aspect of a career in business for you? (bottom line, wealth challenge, etc…) What motivated you the most while working for your company?

For me the most important aspect was wealth. I was motivated by getting a better role within the company or getting a better job outside the company.

3. Who do you think is responsible for the ethics of a company?

I think the leaders of a company are responsible for the ethics of a company. If the leaders are the Board, officers, upper management or whatever, it’s the people who make the decisions. However, every person is responsible for their own ethical behavior. If your morals differ from what you see practiced around you, you need to probably find another job.

Ethical Decision Making:

4. Did you have a written code of ethics at your company? If so, did you base your decisions around those codes?

I do not recall a written code of ethics at the company when I committed my crime. In my opinion I saw a lot of unethical behavior as the norm.

5. Did you believe that your business decisions followed your particular company’s core mission, vision, and values? Explain.

To answer that, I would have to know what my company’s mission was. I suppose it was to provide good customer service, and shareholder value. I was trying to earn a higher yield for my company, but I invested in something that was outside the investment policy. I suppose I could argue that I was making decisions that fit with the mission, but the decisions did not fit with my values. I should have seen that and reevaluated if I was working for the right company.

6. Did you think you should have been held to a higher ethical standard, given that you were in a position of great power? Explain.

The prosecution certainly felt I should be held to a higher standard. I felt more like I was the scapegoat for people who had more power that failed in their ethical duties. It’s easy to blame someone lower than you, but it takes some moral fortitude to take responsibility for the errors of someone you supervise. I made mistakes, but it was impossible to make them completely on my own. Yet, that’s how it was painted by the company and the prosecution.

7. Do you feel your employees were equipped to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas? Explain.

In the company I worked for employees and supervisors were not equipped to resolve ethical dilemmas. That seemed to be something reserved for Human Resources and I don’t think they always resolved things ethically. Resolution to them was to avoid litigation.

Corporate Environment:

8. Please explain the corporate culture within your company during your involvement.

In my opinion the corporate culture was convoluted. Regularly during audits I recall people hiding information from auditors and only providing to the auditors was they specifically requested. I recall issues that involved employees that I supervised being handled with very little concern or compassion for the employees, again, with the objective being to avoid any possible litigation. I saw bad decisions being made that were explained away by upper management and bad decisions by lower level management punished with termination or with the common practice of making the job so miserable the employee would quit.

9. Is it possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture, yet foster an ethical environment?

First, a company has to define what ethics, integrity, honesty, etc are. If you say that you won’t break any laws, then I would say that your ethics are the bare minimum. I’ve seen a lot of unethical behavior that was legal. If you say that your ethical standards are to follow the golden rule, Do business the way you would want others to do business, your company will probably fail. Unfortunately, the best check and balance on capitalism is morality. Laws can only do so much to prevent unethical business practices. I would say that you cannot have a “very aggressive” corporate culture and foster an ethical environment. This is not to say that you cannot have a profitable company without ethics.

Reflection/Advice/Future:

10. If you could choose to redo anything, what would it be?

I would have pursued the right thing rather than pursue money, success and a higher paying job.

11. Do you think anything good came out of this?

I suppose that there is some good that has happened. Unfortunately, I think there was a lot more pain and suffering when the government got involved. This could have been resolved with a lot less pain and financial burden for all of the parties.

12. What is your biggest regret?

That I did not act with integrity and honesty in my business dealings right from the start.

13. Do you plan on taking on the business world once again when you are released? If so, do you think you will encounter any roadblocks getting back into the business world? Explain.

I do plan to go back into the business world, but with different goals. My primary goal will be to act with integrity and honesty regardless of the outcome. I know that there will be roadblocks. The business world will always view me with skepticism. That’s part of the punishment. You have to accept that people are biased and prejudiced against you. The hope is that you can change that by your actions.

14. What advice would you give to a business student about to embark on their chosen career path?

If you can be honest, think outside yourself and be willing to accept not always getting / what you want, your reputation will be much stronger as you progress through life. I believe this is an investment and that you will achieve to higher aspirations by applying some integrity into your business life.

15. How do you feel about a business class questioning you on your ethics?

I think it’s good to get some real world perspective. I had an ethics class in college and we didn’t discuss anything about honesty, humility and selfishness. It simply told us to consider all impacted parties of a decision. Well, that leaves the decision open to all sorts of justifications. I never thought I would commit a crime. I didn’t think I was committing a crime when I was doing what I did. The problem was I did not follow my values. At the time I was not willing to accept that I had to be humble, that I was making enough and didn’t need more money. Everyone is on the precipice of committing a crime. Application of solid values is the only thing that will prevent it.

Ethical Development:

1. Do you feel you had/have a good understanding of your core values? How did those core values guide your decisions while on the job? 

As a physician, my core values are to cure when I can, to otherwise relieve functional deficits, and to first of all do no harm guided my conduct while on the job.

2. What was the most important aspect of a career in business for you? (bottom line, wealth, challenge, etc…) What motivated you the most while working for your company?

 The most important aspects of a medical practice for me was both patient satisfaction, personal lifestyle/comfort and profitability.

3. Who do you think is responsible for the ethics of a company? 

I think a company should establish broad and general ethical standards for its directors, officers and employees. I believe each individual is responsible for ethical conduct.

Ethical Decision Making:

4. Did you have a written code of ethics at your company? If so, did  you base your decisions around those codes?

 I did not have a written code of ethics at my company.

5. Did you believe that your decisions followed your particular company’s core mission, vision, and values? Explain.

 I believe my business decisions followed my company’s core mission, vision and values (see #1 above).

6. Did you think you should have been held to a higher ethical standard, given that you were in a position of great power? Explain.

 I think licensed and certified experts should be held to a higher ethical standard because they are in positions of greater power. Ethical conduct and its culture thereof should flow from the top to the bottom.

7. Do you feel your employees were equipped to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas? Explain.

My employees initiated and propagated the unethical conduct in a clandestine manner. Although they should have known better, greed seems to have clouded their judgment.

Corporate Environment:

8. Please explain the corporate culture within your company during your involvement.

During my involvement, the corporate culture within my company emphasized patient satisfaction, mutual respect and profitability.

9. Is it possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture, yet foster an ethical environment?

Although it is possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture and to simultaneously foster an ethical environment, aggressive cultures ten to trample ethical boundaries.

Reflection / Advice / Future:

10. If you could choose to redo anything, what would it be?

If I could choose to redo things, I would avoid employment of a management company until I have completed a thorough background investigation of the people involved.

11. Do you think anything good came out of this?

As a result of my period of incarceration, I developed a high level of skill in the craft of screenplay writing. Furthermore, I have been able to identify characteristics in other people to avoid.

12. What is your biggest regret?

My biggest regret is that I did not focus all my attention on a medical sub-specialty, so that I would have a higher rank in the field of medicine.

13. Do you plan on taking on the business world once again when you are released? If so, do you think you will encounter any roadblocks getting back into the business world? Explain.

I plan to rekindle my career in medicine upon release. I am positive that my conviction on charges of aiding and abetting health insurance fraud will cause me to encounter roadblocks. The federal government has already notified me that I am barred from billing state or federal heath insurance programs. I surrendered my medical license in August 2007, and I will be able to apply for its reinstatement after August 2009, but this process can take 3-6 months of professional rehabilitation.

14. What advice would you give to a business student about to embark on their chosen career path?

I advise any student about to embark on a chosen career path to diligently develop a strong foundation and persevere in building on that foundation over time. Don’t rush!

15. How do you feel about a business class questioning you on your ethics?

I believe that ethics play a very important role in all businesses, so Business Ethics classes should be required curriculum.

What motivated the decisions that led those people who previously held positions of privilege and power into the clutches of the criminal justice system? For many, an inattention to an ethical code by which they professed to live began a slide into criminality. Others cited outside forces that influenced their decisions. In an effort to provide perspective from such prisoners for those who studied ethics, I spoke with former executives who served time for white collar crimes. When they agreed, I conducted more in-depth interviews and wrote their stories.

I told one such prisoner, whom I referred to as Robert, about this project on which I was working for Professor Jana Schrenkler. Professor Schrenkler taught ethics to students at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Robert agreed to respond to her questions honestly on condition that I masked his identity. Robert’s case had attracted attention from the national business media and he didn’t want to confront those negative stories again. With hopes that his responses could provide some insight into the mind of a former CEO, I sat with Robert for several hours.

Robert had a patrician’s bearing and demeanor. He was lean, stood well over six-feet tall, and had a full head of white hair. His appearance suggested a lifelong devotion to asceticism and discipline. Each morning at six o’clock after the prison guards unlocked the housing units, I saw Robert heading out to begin his brisk walk around the track. At 64, he seemed vibrant and in excellent health.

After earning a master’s degree in economics from a prestigious university, Robert built his career in a Fortune 500 company and remained with that organization for 15 years. When he resigned in the early 1980s, Robert held the title of Executive Vice President and presided over a budget of $600 million. He resigned in order to launch his own company in financial services. It was a company that Robert owned individually, but that managed more than $350 million in institutional funds. As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of his company, Robert had cultivated a high level of trust with his clients, most of whom were officers in publicly traded corporations or large institutions.

Despite outward appearances of total control and self-mastery, Robert said that he suffered from mood swings since childhood. They became more severe as he matured. He described sinking into deep depressions for months, and also passing through several months of manic highs. Robert’s wife and children described him as eccentric, never considering that he could be suffering from a mental disorder.

As the CEO of his firm, Robert had more than 100 employees to whom he could delegate responsibilities. The power that came with his position included an ability to take extended periods of time off, and provided unfettered control over all financial accounts. To cope with what he characterized as depression, Robert said that he began diverting funds from customers to his personal accounts. Over a period of several years, Robert embezzled nearly $10 million. He had been successful in hiding those misappropriations, but when Robert concluded that the fraud had gone on for too long, and that he could not reverse the damages he had caused, he attempted to take his life.

He e-mailed a suicide note to his wife and to a friend, thinking they would not receive the note until after his death. Robert drove to a secluded estate where he liked to spend time alone. He brought a handgun to his chest and pulled the trigger. Caretakers of the estate discovered him. They called for emergency medical attention, and a helicopter transported Robert to a trauma center. The gunshot wound missed his heart, but Robert required several major surgeries and remained hospitalized for two months.

Upon regaining consciousness, Robert divulged all that he had done to his wife and children. His son, who was a lawyer, retained a criminal lawyer who came to speak with Robert while he was recuperating in a hospital bed. Robert insisted on notifying the authorities about his embezzlement and cooperating fully to assuage the feelings of guilt that were tormenting him.

While recuperating, Robert underwent treatment for the mental disorder that led to his attempted suicide. Those who treated Robert diagnosed him with a severe case of bipolar disorder. He had been suffering from a chemical imbalance that caused the depression and manic mood swings. Those imbalances, he concluded, led to an irrationality and were the root cause of his actions. His mental instability notwithstanding, Robert offered a complete confession to authorities and agreed to accept whatever sanction the court imposed. The judge sentenced Robert to serve nine years in prison, and the criminal proceedings resulted in the complete loss of a fortune that once exceeded several million dollars in value.

Robert had been incarcerated for one year when we spoke. His responses to Professor Schrenkler’s questions follow.

1. Do you feel you had a good understanding of your personal core values? How did those core values guide your decisions while on the job?

When I asked Robert this question, he expressed a total commitment to personal core values such as honesty, integrity, loyalty, and the virtues that others associate with good citizenship. He married in 1968. Together with his wife, Robert reared two children, both of whom graduated from law school and now work as attorneys. He was a man of faith and considered the contributions he made to his community an integral part of his identity.

Those core values guided Robert’s decisions with regard to his family life, his professional life, and his social life. The bipolar mental disorder that afflicted him, however, influenced his behavior. Without prior diagnosis or treatment, he said that he sometimes lived with delusions that rules did not apply to him. During the times of depression, Robert said the unmedicated bipolar disorder caused him to lose track of those core values. It was during such times he converted funds from client accounts for his own use. He inappropriately used a portion of those funds for venture capital projects and also to purchase unnecessary luxury items. Such expenditures, he said, were made to pull him from the depression. He needed to feel invincible and with access to deep pools of client money, Robert could live as if rules didn’t apply to him.

2. What was the most important aspect of a career in business for you? What motivated you the most?

Robert said that from the time his career began, he derived a great sense of satisfaction from creating efficiencies and solving complex problems. While working his way up the hierarchy of the Fortune-500 company where Robert began his career, he said that the corporation rewarded him with large bonuses for bringing projects in ahead of schedule and under budget. Although he appreciated the financial recognition, he felt motivated most in organizing a team and a system to accomplish a task well.

Once he launched his own venture, Robert said the most important aspect of his career was building relationships with leaders of great American businesses and providing them with excellent service. Cultivating their friendship and trust motivated him, he said, when he was thinking clearly. Robert cried when discussing those relationships, as he recognized that there was nothing he could do to make amends for the losses people incurred as a consequence of his actions.

3. Who do you think is responsible for the ethics of a company?

Robert recognized that leadership within the company must set the ethical code. He understood that he had a responsibility of lending by example, and his position allowed him to manifest that leadership outwardly. Internally, however, he said that he felt deficient and knew that he was not living up to his own code of ethics. Robert said that the symptoms of his disorder were more powerful than his ability to lead. He was trying to survive the lows, the depression. The response he chose resulted in lies, cover-ups, and an endless struggle with internal conflict. In retrospect, Robert said that he was amazed he had survived as long as he did.

4. Did you have a written code of ethics and did you base your decisions around those codes?

While in the earlier stages of Robert’s career, when he worked within the executive ranks of the Fortune-500 company, he said that all decisions were supposed to be made in accordance with a strict, written ethical code. As a senior executive, Robert evaluated subordinates in accordance with their compliance with the ethical code. He said that he abided by the code to the letter and that he identified personally with every virtue expressed in the code.

In leading his own company, Robert said that he did not write a code of ethics. The services he offered required a well-educated and highly trained workforce. They had a personal code of honesty that Robert said he respected. He did not feel the need to write out an ethical code, as the office was less formal than the large corporation where he had begun his career.

5. Did you believe your business decisions followed your company’s core values?

Robert said that he absolutely lived by a core set of values in his lie and that he made all business decisions in accordance with those core values while he was in control of his senses. As Robert grew into his 50s, however, he said the symptoms of his bipolar disorder caused him to deviate from those principles. That was when he began converting client assets to his own account. Through profligate spending, Robert made futile efforts to lift his depression. Those decisions resulted in millions of dollars worth of losses, including the forfeiture of Robert’s total net worth.

6. Did you think that, given your position as CEO, you should have been held to a higher ethical standard?

Robert acknowledged that he should have been held to the highest ethical standard. Ultimately, however, he was the only person who could judge his conduct. With an undiagnosed and unmedicated mental disorder, he was incapable of living up to the ethical principles that he held of high value.

7. Do you feel your employees were equipped to recognize ethical dilemmas?

The employees in Robert’s company were well equipped to recognize ethical dilemmas as they were highly educated professionals. They only had degrees of access to information, however, and could not judge Robert’s actions. He was able to cover-up the fraud as the CEO of a privately held company. Toward the end, however, some of Robert’s key employees recognized discrepancies. They resigned from the firm and Robert could tell that he had begun to lose respect as a leader.

8. Explain the corporate culture within your company during your involvement.

Robert said that he created a familiar rather than stuffy corporate culture. He did not socialize with employees, but he treated everyone with respect. He provided first-rate offices, computer equipment, chairs, and work stations. On Fridays, provided the work had been done, Robert permitted employees to leave in the early afternoon. People enjoyed their careers, and Robert said he took pride in treating them well.

Although Robert did not socialize with employees, he did make friends with clients. He expressed great sadness in acknowledging that those friendships with his former clients had been lost.

9. Is it possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture yet foster an ethical environment?

Without question, Robert said, a strong leader can foster an ethical environment in a very aggressive corporate culture. In his business, which earned revenues based on the number of employees within each client’s organization, Robert considered it crucial to earn customer trust through offering outstanding service. Robert’s employees earned a fixed salary plus bonuses, though the bonuses were tied to customer service. Every individual who worked with Robert had a motivation to nurture customer relationships, as the corporate revenues were tied in a fixed way to employee headcounts for customers, not commissions. The fraud that occurred resulted from Robert’s mental disorder, not an aggressive corporate culture.

10. If you could choose to redo anything, what would it be?

Robert regrets that he lacked the insight to have recognized the symptoms of his mental health disorder. He understands that he was highly educated, as was his wife. Nevertheless, Robert never sought psychiatric counseling or any type of treatment for his disorder. Instead, he said that he sought to even out the mood swings by spending money in reckless ways. With access to tens of millions in client accounts, that decision sank him into deeper problems.

Robert expressed deep regret at having made decisions that cost others significant amounts of money. He regrets the humiliation and financial ruin his actions have brought to his own family. He regrets that he put those who love him through turmoil during the ordeal that followed his attempted suicide.

11. Did anything good come out of this?

Although Robert expressed sadness that his actions caused financial losses for people he cares about, he said that upon his recovery from the suicide attempt, a healing began that enabled his family to grow closer together. As a consequence of the publicity that surrounded his case, both of his children had to move from California to the East Coast. They were lawyers and the media coverage of Robert’s crime harmed their careers. Robert’s wife of more than 40 years had to return to work as all of the family assets were liquidated to help cover the loss. Despite the pain that Robert’s actions caused to so many, he said that once he began the medical treatment for his mental disorder, he received medication and therapy that helped balance his moods. Over time, that treatment allowed his family to grow closer together.

12. What is your biggest regret?

Robert said his biggest regret was that he had made decisions that caused irreparable harm to many people. The financial losses were significant, and he understood that although his own family suffered the most loss of all, others had also lost in ways that he could not make whole. This regret, he said, caused an internal grief that was far worse than the justice department or imprisonment could inflict.

13. What roadblocks do you expect to encounter upon release?

Robert said that his sentence will keep him in prison until he turns 71. Despite the age, he will have to find some kind of viable employment. The felony precludes a return to the corporate sector. Robert expects that he will support himself by making some kind of use from his extensive knowledge of computer networks, though it likely will be through small business as an independent contractor.

14. What advice would you provide a business student?

Robert said that the most important advice he could offer a business student would be to value the virtue of honesty. A successful businessperson had to feel truth within himself. That meant looking in the mirror and knowing that he or she was true to the principles of truth. The pain that comes from deceit extends far beyond the individual, and in some cases, it has no end. Robert said that valuing honesty and truth would be the best advice he could give to a student.

15. How do you feel about a business ethics class questioning you on ethics?

Robert said that after he healed from the surgeries that followed his suicide attempt, and after he was released from the psychiatric hospital that diagnosed his mental disorder, he revealed everything that he had done to the FBI. Law enforcement had not known about the fraud, so Robert walked through every aspect, and provided the FBI agents with records of every transaction. He voluntarily liquidated all of his assets in an effort to recompense losses. That total cooperation, he said, brought a catharsis. Responding to the questions of a business ethics class continued the slow process of cognitive therapy.

Summary:

In speaking with Robert for this project, he broke down in tears several times. I was surprised, as I did not know about his suicide attempt, his bipolar disorder, or much of anything about his case. To me, he was simply another prisoner whose demeanor and image fit that of a successful CEO. We have many such men who now serve time in prison.

I asked Robert whether he had apologized to the victims who suffered financially from his crime. He said that he could not find the strength to reach out. Part of the therapy, he said, was trying to keep his mood swings from elevating. It was a constant struggle and one that he had not yet mastered. It was the reason that he asked me to conceal his identity. The past still haunted him, tormented him with shame and guilt. As a defensive mechanism, he said that he had to protect his mental health, at least for now.

Ronald L. Rodgers, Pardon Attorney
1425 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 11000
Washington, DC 20530

Re: Inmate Michael G. Santos #16377-004
Petition for Commutation of Sentence

Dear President Obama:

I am writing in support a petition for communtation of the sentence of Michael G. Santos #16377-004. He is currently incarcerated in Taft Federal Correctional Institution. I had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Santos for the first time in February of this year. I am conducting informal research on the subject of business ethics and white collar crime. My research led me to Mr. Santos, who has written numerous books on his experiences in prison as well as the stories of fellow inmates, many of whom are incarcerated for white collar crime.

Upon meeting with Mr. Santos, I will honestly say I did not know what to expect. I have had some experience with incarcerated individuals through youth group prison and youth ministry, so I was not fearful of going to a prison. I was prepared for a hardened criminal who had been institutionalized beyond recognition. After all, being locked up for over 20 years is bound to change a person.

My meeting with Mr. Santos was nothing as I expected. He was warm and friendly and extremely well spoken. His manner of speaking reflected his two degrees earned while in prison. I laughed when he told me his degree was in the same field as the PhD I am earning through the University of Minnesota (Human Resource Development). I spoke easily about my research and asked him for direction in publishing. We talked the entire two hours and could have continued for much longer. I found him to be extremely knowledgeable, helpful and genuine.

However, with all that said, it was not the most striking part of Michael Santos. What struck me the most was how happy he was. He was practically radiating positive energy. Being a University professor, I can easily spot fake people and the ways they try to communicate the opposite of how they feel. I was honestly expecting someone who was a bit jaded about the prison system and had an edge of bitterness about his long incarceration. I expected Mr. Santos to put on a show of professionalism for my benefit so that I would not be uncomfortable. This was not the case.

After the meeting at Taft FCI, I met an old friend for lunch. I struggled to describe the meeting I just had because above all else, I struggled to understand what really struck me about Mr. Santos. Upon further reflection, I now see that it was the combination of his genuine acceptance that his calling in life is to help people flourish in prison and his excitement about his writing and research on prison reform. In addition, he enjoys writing fellow inmates’ stories in order to help people like me to further our understanding about the crimes that are committed and the people behind the crime.

If the prison system’s entire purpose is to (a) punish for crime and (b) retrain individuals for entry into society, I believe the system has more than accomplished its goal with Mr. Santos. Not only has he bettered himself as an individual through education and self reflection, he designs training and mentors others in the system (and outside the system, like me). He is truly giving back to society from outside of society. That should be commended and recognized in the form of letting Mr. Santos give back to society as a citizen, rather than an inmate.

I voted for you. I voted democrat for the first time in my life in this election. People ask me why I voted for you and I say because I can see you are a true leader. I am a self described “leadership junkie”, so I know a leader when I see one. You are a person of integrity. A person who deliberates a decision and then accepts responsibility for it in the end. I know that if you met Michael Santos you would be as impressed as I am with what he has accomplished in prison in order to better both himself and others. He exhibits many of the same qualities you do. Therefore, I ask you to please consider commuting his sentence so that he can bring his expertise and knowledge to the general public sooner rather than later.

Thank you.

Jana Schrenkler
Assistant Professor of Business
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights, box 1529
Winona, MN 55987
507-457-1491
jschrenk@smumn.edu

Lessons on Ethics from Prison: An Analysis of Correspondence Between Incarcerated Corporate Executives and Business Ethics Undergraduates

JANA SCHRENKLER, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

ABSTRACT

Business Ethics is complicated for undergraduate business students to truly understand unless they have a personal experience related to the subject. This paper explains a project that involved an exchange of letters between business undergraduate students and former corporate executives now incarcerated for ethical violations and fraudulent business practices. The project scope, results, learning objectives, and ethical themes evident in the letters are discussed and analyzed.

Introduction

Many authors, business professionals, and educators are emphasizing the need for more ethics education in business school curricula.  Dean Krehmeyer argues in Business Week Online that business schools are not doing their job to educate future MBAs  in the area of ethics. He states that business schools need to reject the idea of either teaching ethics as a course or integrated throughout the curriculum. Rather, business schools should embrace a curriculum that encompasses a single course in ethics, cross-curricular ethics, and ethics in the “broader school community”.  It requires “strong support from the business school leadership, faculty, and students…” (Krehmeyer, 2007).

While teaching on a fixed-term contract at a mid-sized state university in the Midwest, I brought up this fact to the business department, stating my dismay at not having a standalone course in Business Ethics in the undergraduate business program. After some discussion, I learned the faculty thought the integration of business ethics throughout the program (in areas such as marketing, management and business law) was sufficient to address the ethical needs of their undergraduate business students.

I successfully lobbied the department to let me offer an elective, a survey course in Business Ethics in the spring 2008 semester. After a successful registration period in which 43 students (juniors and seniors) enrolled, I embarked on the first standalone course to be offered in the past decade in Business Ethics at this University. As I pondered how to structure the course, it never occurred to me that by March we would be learning about Business Ethics from some of the most notorious corporate criminals of the 21^st century.

Beginning

After watching a few films depicting famous corporate scandals from the beginning of the decade, I found I was fielding quite a few questions from students such as, “What were they thinking?” and “How could they let it get so bad?”  Of course, I did not have the answers. One can only speculate on these matters so much from the front of the room. This tied in well with our frequent discussions of why making ethical decisions can be difficult, as if you are constantly operating in gray areas rather than black and white. In fact, I often found myself repeating our class motto of Think in the Gray when the students were frustrated with the lack of concrete answers.

I began to sense the subject of business ethics was not being communicated in a way that truly impacted the students personally. In his article, Professional Ethics: The Importance of Teaching Ethics to Future Professionals, Nichols states, “students’ ethical beliefs are shaped by their personal experiences, peer pressure, family, and cultural and religious standards.” (Nichols, et al 2007). I take Nichols’ sentiment to mean that in order to truly understand business ethics, there needs to be a personal experience attached to the subject. So, in order to give my students a good understanding of how to make ethical decisions and what exactly that entailed in the business realm, I needed to reach them on a personal level. I needed them to hear about real situations first hand, to learn from those who actually made the decisions. Thus, the Corporate Criminal Project was born.

Structure

After learning Jeff Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Facility in Waseca, MN (a mere two hours from the University), the students wondered if interviewing Mr. Skilling was a possibility. After inquiries to the prison about a personal interview with Mr. Skilling failed, the idea of writing a letter was decided upon by the members of the class. After discussing the unlikely reality of Mr. Skilling actually answering a letter, the class decided it would be a good idea to contact a few more former executives who were incarcerated, like Mr. Skilling, for similar charges. An assignment was crafted that involved each student doing a search for incarcerated former business executives. They were to gather the following information: name, location, address, register (inmate) number, former company and position, charges, and release date. The students gathered information on twenty-three people. I am sure more could have been found if not for our limited timeframe.

After locating the executives, the students crafted questions they would ask if they were to interview them in person. The questions ranged in quality from, “Dude, what were you thinking?” to “Didn’t you know you would go to prison?” to “How did it feel to cheat all those people?” and finally “Are you [bleeping] crazy?” Eventually, the list of over 400 questions was narrowed and revised to fifteen questions in four categories.

As their instructor, I was a little nervous about sending the questionnaire. Knowing there would be no meaningful correspondence if the questions were offensive or intrusive, I tried to guide the class on how to create questions that would help uncover the ethical component of the situation, not the legal component.  

Ethical Development

1.       Do you feel you had/have a good understanding of your personal core values? How did those core values guide your decisions while on the job?

2.       What was the most important aspect of a career in business for you? (bottom line, wealth, challenge…) What motivated you the most while working for your company?

3.       Who do you think is responsible for the ethics of a company?

Ethical Decision-Making

4.       Did you have a written code of ethics at your company? If so, did you base your decisions around those codes?

5.       Did you believe that your business decisions followed your particular company’s core mission, vision, and values? Explain.

6.       Did you think you should have been held to a higher ethical standard, given that you were in a position of great power? Explain.

7.       Do you feel your employees were equipped to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas? Explain.

Corporate Environment

8.       Please explain the corporate culture within your company during your involvement.

9.       Is it possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture, yet foster an ethical environment?

Reflection/Advice/Future

10.   If you could choose to redo anything, what would it be?

11.   Do you think anything good came out of this?

12.   What is your biggest regret?

13.   Do you plan on taking on the business world once again when you are released? If so, do you think you will encounter any roadblocks getting back into the business world? Explain.

14.   What advice would you give to a business student about to embark on their chosen career path?

15.   How do you feel about a Business Ethics class questioning you on your ethics?

Upon completion of the questionnaire, I crafted a personal letter to each of the twenty-three executives explaining the project, asking for their participation and ensuring that we were indeed real people, not a random journalist looking for a story. To help convey the personal nature of the request, I included a small picture of the entire class, hoping that putting faces to the questions would increase the response rate. 

The letters were mailed in mid-February and then we waited.

Answers

As we waited and progressed through the remainder of the semester, I sensed a growing anticipation and anxiety within the class. Comments like, “They have to answer us because it’s educational.” and “But, we sent a picture! They have to write us back!” and my favorite “Well, what else do they have to do?” are examples of the types of discussions held before class. Students discussed the likeliness of getting responses in a timely manner. They also discussed what the possible answers might include. Do you think they will tell us why they did it? Do you think they regret anything? Do you think we will get to read what was not in the press? I reminded them that many of the people on the list were probably filing appeals so we may not receive a lot of responses.

Our first response came about two weeks later from a former owner of a remodeling company in Kansas City, Brent Barber. (Side note: Mr. Barber gave permission to use his name and the content of his correspondence in a separate document after the letter was received.) Mr. Barber, former CEO of Midtown Restoration LLC, confessed to 104 federal felonies. His guilty plea covered 289 fraudulent mortgage loans totaling $19.6 million (Morris, 2006). He is incarcerated in the Big Spring Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, TX until 2016. According to the FBI press release, the takedown of Mr. Barber and his associates was part of “the largest nationwide enforcement operation in FBI history directed at organized groups and individuals engaged in financial institution fraud” (FBI, 2004). Mr. Barber’s nearly illegible scrawls on the eight-page questionnaire were deciphered by the students and the results were transcribed into a document that was shared on our online course management site.

More letters came from executives, but they were handwritten apologies for not being able to fully answer the class’s questions due to pending litigation. However, even though the executives did not answer the questionnaire, we were able to glean some interesting insights from the tone and themes once their letters were compared.

Finally, two more letters arrived from incarcerated executives that fully answered all fifteen questions. Both asked for their names not to be used, but the content of their correspondence was permissible to use in the academic setting. In total we received seven responses, three which were complete responses to the questionnaire in its entirety. The industries represented in our response sample include: energy, home restoration, mortgage banking, publishing, retail, and a global conglomerate. Responses arrived from Federal Correctional Institutions in Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. The range of respondent charges included grand larceny, conspiracy, falsifying documents, accounting fraud, securities fraud, and mortgage fraud. Sentences ranged from 29 months to 12 years.

 Themes

Before discussing the ethical themes in the letters, I feel it is interesting that all of the respondents apologized for their handwriting and many mentioned they did not realize how dependent they were on computers until being forced to correspond via handwritten letters.

The questionnaire respondents indicated they had all been raised with good values and personal moral character. Students’ impressions of the respondents were that they were of poor character, raised in unstable families with questionable moral values. In fact, many of the respondents were raised in stable families and stated they had a clear understanding of their personal core values. Our discussion of the students’ preconceived notion of “criminals” centered around “the chicken or the egg” questions. Was the person of questionable moral character before or after the incident in which they were caught? Did the organization make them unethical or were they unethical before?

Mr. Barber indicated his informal organization did not necessitate having a code of ethics, but the other two executives were employed by large corporations that had formal ethics programs.  All stated they were familiar with and, in fact, tried to adhere to the values stated in the code. Further, one executive admitted, “I assumed since I wrote them I had them well mastered.”  

All agreed that ethics starts at the top. The ultimate responsibility for ethics is with the owners or executive team. At the very least, the theme was communicated over and over that the executives were responsible, but overall everyone needed to also be accountable for the ethics of the company and their own personal ethics. A quote from one of the executives sums it up well, “The ‘tone at the top’ is very important and mistakes made at a high level can cascade through an organization.”

If the tone at the top is so important, how is that tone communicated throughout the organization? Many feel ethics is communicated through hiring the right people or through corporate culture.  Others feel it is enough to communicate ethical expectations through a values statement or code of ethics. In fact, our respondents agreed that there should be clear expectations sent out from the executive team to all organization members in multiple ways. “… I assumed too much that others would do or think as I do and perhaps failed to make my feelings clear to everyone. Without direction everyone will choose their own path.” It seems you need to give employees a framework for making ethical decisions and a language with which to communicate about ethical issues.

One example of a company that has done just that is Lifeworks Services, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Eagan, Minnesota. Lifeworks’ mission is to serve “our community and people with disabilities as we live and work together.” (Lifeworks, 2004) On a tour of their corporate offices a few years ago, I noticed the same 5×7 sign hanging throughout their offices. I noticed it because it was everywhere – on every cube wall, desk, framed on the wall, etc. Their way of communicating ethical language was to create and communicate to everyone their version of ethical standards and behavior.

Being the cynical business professor that I am, I asked my student (an employee in the accounting department) if this mantra was really followed by all Lifeworks’ employees. She shared with me that all decisions made were basically run through these four criteria. If you could justify all four areas to your boss, you were likely to get your request granted on the spot. Everyone in the organization could recite the Values-Based Decision-Making model by heart. Lifeworks had successfully created a language of ethics and decision-making for their employees.

Assuming the employees have a common ethical language and template for decision-making, there is another issue the executives agreed upon. Executives should be held to a higher ethical standard, but there is a point where the employees should be held accountable too. Surprisingly, not one of the response letters read like an excuse. Specifically, the executives were fully aware they were ultimately responsible for what went wrong in their company. However, accountability at the lower levels was a theme. This theme was evident in the following quotes:

Several times during the time frame [in] which this was happening (being investigated for mortgage fraud) I told myself to shut down the company and stop what was happening. I was the one person that had the ability and responsibility to do that. Once a situation arose that affected [the employees] financially, they too made personal choices to violate their beliefs.

Generally yes – [executives should be held accountable], although not so much as to let our lower levels ‘off the hook’ for a high standard as well.

I believe I was held to a [higher] standard incorrectly and alone.

While I was sifting through the 400-plus questions submitted by my class for the questionnaire, one question stood out above the rest. Is it possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture, yet foster an ethical environment? A common thread throughout all of the respondent’s letters was the high level of competition in both the corporate and industrial environments. Students connected with this question in a way I would not have expected. The majority of the students would be graduating at the end of the semester. They had high hopes and ideals for their first foray into the professional job market. In class discussions, often they would argue that competition does not bring out the worst in people. Rather, it drives sales and forward-thinking behavior within organizations. They failed to see that it could also be a company’s downfall if not properly managed. Our respondents treaded carefully in their answers to this question.

I think it is a very fine line. If [compensation] is not very carefully constructed, I believe you can lose control of a very aggressive culture.

Yes, but it is more difficult. I have found that the more aggressive employees lived in the grey areas and they dipped to the dark side easier.

Yes, but it needs to be set out from the top from the start and maintained. No plant will grow without water, so too ethics must be valued.

It seemed as though they recognized the need for an aggressive and competitive culture, yet their experience led them to realize it can quickly consume the organization and impact ethical decision-making. Let’s face it, competition drives our economy. However, how does an executive team balance both the drive to win and making ethically responsible decisions?

Following up on the prior question of aggressive culture versus ethical decision-making, the executives had contrasting opinions on the question that asked if their employees were equipped to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas. Similar to the ethical language discussion a few paragraphs back, the executives opinions differed in that some felt the open management style (open door policies and such) just was not enough to guide employees through difficult decisions. However, another stated that it seemed that once their ethics were tested, the employees compromised their values for personal gain. And yet another, Mr. Barber, blamed the clients his employees were working with (banks, lenders, etc) because as he saw it, the lenders’ ideals were “all a bit lax”. Only one executive offered a solution in hindsight, “We probably could have developed some training, led by senior management, to reinforce our values and to try to influence our culture. “

Learning Outcomes

What did the students learn from this experience? The students asked for advice upon entering the business world from all of the executives. You can tell from the advice that some are still a little bitter and yet others have taken a more reflective approach.

You only have one life to live and your reputation can never be erased.

Look [at] how you live your life and the issues you have. These issues will occur in business also. The hard choices will generally get you where you set your goal. Never take an easy solution if you know it’s wrong. Things will always work out if you do the right thing.

Always stay on a path that allows you to be learning as much as possible. One of your most important assets is your capabilities as you can put yourself in an environment where you are learning and enhancing them or you will be stagnant and this asset will be depreciating. Second, conduct yourself with the highest degree of integrity possible. Your reputation is a binary attribute – it is either an asset or liability. Understand that your integrity is at risk with every memo you write, e-mail you send (or, in fact receive) or maybe you leave on phone mail. If ever viewed at a later date, such communication can be misinterpreted or misunderstood so beware of unintended nuance. As Arthur Andersen used to say – ‘think straight, talk straight’.

An overwhelming theme was the honesty and graciousness with which the former executives shared their thoughts and feelings about ethics. They were candid in their responses, which helped the students identify with them on a personal level. For example, when asked how the executives felt about a business ethics class questioning them on their personal ethics, the responses were frank and sincere.

Mixed feelings. Obviously people that do not know me probably think I have been unethical in the past. That is not a good feeling; especially for someone who believes in his integrity. However, I would like to think that one day my experiences can help future business people learn and that businesses will be better for me sharing my thoughts. So, in that sense, I am pleased to share some with you.

I wish I could flood the mountain tops and yell to everyone [about ethics] whether they listened or not. Do not make the needless mistakes I have made.

I know the position I have put myself in so I don’t have issues with it. I actually am surprised the questions weren’t more difficult and personal. I am not and would not be afraid to answer any other questions you or anyone else put before me. I hope you find [some] value in my answers.

 As a business instructor, I struggle with how to communicate both the personal and subjective nature of ethics to my students. How can I make them realize that this is not just a set of theories – utilitarian, deontological, justice, etc? How can I get across to them that this is a very real, very common occurrence on the job? My goal with this project was for the students to realize that they may be put in a situation where they will have to choose between personal gain and ethical responsibility, just like the employees and executives who participated in this project. I feel this was accomplished to a degree that was reasonable in the time frame allowed and with the information obtained from the letters.

My overall hope is that my students came away with a greater appreciation for ethical decision-making and the sacrifices it may take to stay true to your personal morals and values in the face of competition and the drive to succeed.

The final lesson on ethics from prison is in the form of three great quotes from our respondents. All three quotes echo the one thing I wanted my students to learn from our time together in Business Ethics – no matter how strong you think your values and morals are, they can become compromised very quickly unless you are vigilant in your awareness of ethics both on the personal and corporate levels.

We all know right from wrong, it is a question of how much money, greed [and] desperation will it take for you to do what you know is wrong.

Once you take the first step it starts a process that can find you in my situation.

It is easier to move that line ever so slightly daily until you don’t realize how far off course you really have wandered.

References

FBI Announces Operation Continued Action Targeting Financial Institution Fraud. (2004) Press Release. Retrieved from www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel04/contaction091704 on August 12, 2008.

Krehmeyer, D. (2007) Teaching Business Ethics: A Critical Need. Business Week Online.  P4.

Nichols, N. (2007) Professional Ethics: The Importance of teaching ethics to future professionals. Professional Safety. P37-41

Values-Based Decision-Making. Lifeworks Services, Inc. 2004.

Jana Schrenkler is an Assistant Professor of Business at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona, MN. She can be reached via email at jschrenk@smumn.edu.

Justin graduated from the University of Southern California in 1997. He had played third base for the Trojans’ baseball team, and he earned a degree in psychology. Following his graduation, Justin pursued a career as a stockbroker.

Justin acknowledge that he had been reared with privileges, good role models, and advantages that others did not enjoy. By his 25th birthday, the then distinguished brokerage house of Bear Stearns employed him. When he was 26, the rival firm of UBS recruited Justin by offering him a mid six-figure signing bonus. At 28, Justin allocated and oversaw more than $150 million worth of securities. As a young, single man, Justin’s annual income placed him in the top three percent of all American earners.

Despite what others would have considered a smashingly successful career, Justin yearned for more. Greed and envy clouded his judgment. When he learned that a client of his was operating a Ponzi scheme, Justin took steps to shield himself from liability. Though he did not take appropriate steps to report the fraud to authorities. Having done so would have cut into the commissions he counted on earning. By abusing the discretion that came with his position, Justin became complicitous with the fraud.

Those were the reasons that brought him to prison. While we were together, I asked Justin to participate in a project on which I was working to gather data on the subjects of ethics. I explained the efforts I was making to contribute to the work of Professor Jana Schrenkler, of Saint Mary’s University. Professor Schrenkler had designed a questionnaire that I was using as a guide. Justin’s responses follow:

Ethical Development

1. Do you feel you have a good understanding of your personal core values? How did those core values guide your decisions while you were on the job?

Now, with nearly a year of imprisonment behind me, I have a much better grasp of my core values. Ironically, those were the same values that guided me as a child and through my college years. I was an athlete. I valued the importance of honesty, hard work, self-discipline. Once I graduated college, however, my allegiance to such values diminished. I had entered the world of money management. As a stockbroker, I made decisions that would lead to short-term earnings. I deeply regret having lost the core values that I know to have been right. I am ashamed to admit that while I was building my career, the values that drove my decisions had more to do with greed and immediate gratification.

2. What was the most important aspect of a career in business for you? What motivated you most?

As a young stockbroker, I was compensated in accordance with the amount of trading commissions I generated. I felt a constant pressure and motivation to earn more. My colleagues encouraged me to devote my time to activities that would yield higher commissions on trades, and fees we could earn through other areas, such as margin loans and asset management. The more money I had under management, the more income I generated for my brokerage house, my colleagues, and for myself. High earnings motivated me. Such values led me to decisions that I now regret.

3. Who do you think is responsible for the ethics of a company?

A company is made of individuals, and every individual who works for the company bears a responsibility for its ethical culture. The culture of ethics begins at the top. It works its way down through officers, supervisors, and every employee.

Ethical Decision Making

4. Did you have a written code of ethics at your company? Did you base your decisions around those cods.

We had a written code of ethics at both Bear Stearns and at UBS. Yet it was not a part of the culture. As financial services professionals, we had requirements to participate in various continuing education courses. Unfortunately, those were not the codes that drove the culture. I participated in the obligatory courses, though I focused more on my responsibilities as a young broker. As I perceived them, and as I was compensated, my superiors expected me to generate an income. Naturally, they expected me to use the discretion of a professional. Though I sensed that my duty was to the firm and to surpassing Wall Street earning expectations. The subject of ethics was not one we discussed.

5. Did you believe your business decisions followed your company’s core values?

I am ashamed to say that yes, I believe the decisions I made were consistent with the values of my company. This acknowledgment may strike some as absurd. I was a stockbroker, and a decision I made resulted in my being charged with securities fraud. Yet I am referring to the company’s core values as I perceived them, not to the company’s published values.

The published values may have touted the importance of ethics, integrity, and honesty. Unfortunately, such was not the emphasis at UBS or Bear Stearns. Indeed, both firms have been disgraced in recent months because of their unethical cultures.

My decisions were unethical. Unfortunately, I also feel they were consistent with the unethical culture in which I worked. That does not excuse my behavior, as I recognize now that I should have made decisions based on honesty, integrity, and the good character of which I was capable. Indeed, I let myself stray from what I know to have been right.

6. Did you think you should have been held to a higher ethical standard, given your position?

Without question, I should have been held to the highest ethical standard. I was reared in a good home. I had an education from the best schools. My clients trusted me to look after assets worth millions. That position leaves me without excuses, only a great deal of shame.

7. Do you feel your employees were equipped to recognize ethical dilemmas?

As a broker with many clients I employed an assistant. Her allegiance was to me and to the commissions I was generating. I do not believe that I provided her with the leadership necessary to recognize or resolve ethical dilemmas

Corporate Environment

8. Please explain the corporate culture within your company during your involvement.

I worked at Bear Stearns and UBS for the majority of my brief career. Prior to those two firms, I briefly worked at Merrill Lynch. Ironically, all these firms have been mired in scandal since the economic crisis began. One of the reasons, I believe, was that the corporate culture was driven by greed rather than good citizenship. I recognized it within weeks of beginning my career. I am ashamed to admit that I lacked the strength of commitment and judgment to act in accordance with a code of values that I know to be superior.

9. Is it possible to have a very aggressive corporate culture, yet foster an ethical environment?

Yes it is, I am certain of it. Such a culture, however, must be nurtured from the top. Although as a young broker I chose the path of least resistance, I had the privilege of acquaintance with some outstanding investment managers. They did not work for the large Wall Street firms. Instead, they ran boutique firms, and the leaders of those firms personified excellence. They were living the values they professed, and rewarded their employees with regular training. That training included speakers who offered seminars on ethics, balance, and the inherent value that accompanied lives of significance. The leaders of those firms aggressively recruited clients, though they emphasized that their culture differed from aggressive trading strategies. They nurtured long-term relationships with the client. Such was a winning strategy, though it was not one I appreciated at the time.

Reflections

10. If you could choose to redo anything, what would it be?

I would have continued to pursue higher education. I should have not only advanced to graduate school, but I should have continued learning in informal ways. My focus was wrongly placed on earning a high income. In my early 20s, I lacked patience and discipline to appreciate the value of wisdom. I needed more raining to grasp the significance of reputation, of leading a values-centered life. That misdirection did not serve me well. As a consequence of my having lost touch with my core values, I made decisions that disgraced my career. Worse, it contributed to the victimizing of others.

11. Did anything good come out of this?

Yes. I feel sad for the trouble I caused to so many others. Though I feel grateful to have had this opportunity to recalibrate my life. Prison has given me a wake up. I intend to live the remainder of my life as an honest man, never having to look over my shoulder because of unethical decisions I made. In time, I hope that efforts I make to redeem the bad decisions of my early career earn  my place back as a good citizen.

12. What is your biggest regret?

The biggest regret I have is the shame I have caused to my family, and the lifelong disgrace my decisions bring to me. I strive to atone, but there are some bad decisions we can make that we cannot undo. I caused others harm, and each time I see a financial scandal on the news, I feel a sense of humiliation. It stings. I regret the bad choices that I made in order to serve my interests at the expense of others.

13. What roadblocks do you expect to encounter upon release?

I am a felon and I am barred from the securities industry. My convictions have cost me well over $500k in hard costs, fines, and restitution orders. I expect to work the rest of my life to pay off the costs that were associated with the greed and poor judgment of my early career as a stockbroker. Somehow, I hope to make contributions to society, though I must also find a method to sustain myself. Perhaps I can teach, as I’ve learned lessons that can be of value to others. Still, I do not know the restrictions or stigmas I will encounter as a man released from federal prison. I must also learn to live with the shame that follows me like a shadow.

14. What advice would you provide a business student?

As a young student at USC, I dismissed courses or lectures on ethics. I never expected they would have relevance to me. Yet as I entered the business world, I was constantly confronted with ethical dilemmas. They would have been a dilemma to me at all if I had had a strong core. I would advise business students that an education does not end with a degree. Each individual should recognize the value that comes with a commitment to learning. Taht student should not neglect the importance of ethical lessons, as they are human lessons. I learned mine from the wrong side of prison boundaries. As a consequence, I carry a heavy burden. I advise students to recognize that they must prepare themselves for the challenges and ethical dilemmas of the business world.

15. How do you feel about a Business Ethics class questioning you on your ethics?

I feel a sort of catharsis in writing about the shame that I carry within me. I made some bad decisions, decisions that I would not have thought possible when I was a college student. Talking about my disgrace is like an exercise in expiation. If I were speaking in person, I suppose that those in audiences would cast aspersions at me. As a felon, I will have to learn to live with the disgrace I have brought upon myself. By talking about my ethical lapses, however, I hope that I may help others, and I hope that I may begin the healing process for myself.

Summary:

I found Justin honest and remorseful for his actions. Perhaps his efforts to atone will help him reconcile with his conscience and with society. I welcome reader questions and comments.

My term in prison began in 1987, when I was 23. I had not been incarcerated previously, though the length of my sentence necessitated that I begin serving my term within the impregnable walls of a high-security United States Penitentiary. After many years, my adjustment pattern persuaded administrators to lower my security level. They transferred me to various Federal Correctional Institutions of medium and low-security. Since 2003, I’ve been confined in camps with men who served time for securities fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, tax evasion, and other crimes related to careers they once led.

An irony of having served 22 years was that it brought a certain status and credibility within prison boundaries. I had earned an undergraduated degree from Mercer University and a graduated degree from Hofstra University during my confinement. Besides those academic credentials, publishers brought several of my books to market, and I maintain a growing presence on the Internet as a consequence of the daily content I publish at PrisonNewsBlog.com.

Some within the broader society may have held a dubious view of such qualifications. In prison, however, they were platinum-plated, superior to degrees from the Ivy Leagues. The work I had done as a prisoner, together with the time I had served, merited a reputation within my community. It assuaged anxieties others had about sharing their stories with me. They knew that I was writing to help others learn more about prisons, the people they held, and strategies for growing through confinement.

Through this commitment to gather data from my fellow prisoners, I stumbled upon an academic project that Professor Jana Schrenkler was coordinating. Professor Schrenkler teaches business classes at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Recognizing the need to construct courses that would teach future MBAs in the area of ethics, Professor Schrenkler coordinated a questionnaire that she was sending to former business executives who were serving time in federal prison.

Bob, a fellow prisoner who was serving time in the same prison as me, received one of the unsolicited questionnaires from Professor Schrenkler. Bob had been the CEO of a manufacturing company with more than a billion dollars in annual revenues. He was bitter about his conviction and did not feel inclined to participate in Professor Schrenkler’s study. Being familiar with my interests in contributing to society, however, Bob passed along Professor Schrenkler’s inquiry.

I wrote Professor Schrenkler to introduce myself and to offer contributions. Although I was not a white-collar offender, I explained, I served time with hundreds of men who were convicted for crimes related to decisions they had made through the course of their careers. Such men were more accessible to me than to those in society. Prison administrators did not make it easy for researchers to talk with people in prison. Unlike those in traditional academic settings like Professor Schrenkler, I was immersed in the prison community. Further, my status as a long-term prisoner sometimes freed the men to talk openly with me.

Professor Schrenkler responded favorably to my letter. In time, she coordinated permission to visit me in Taft Camp. During the two hours that we spoke, I described my experiences of living in prison and told Professor Schrenkler what I had learned through my work of interviewing others. I also listened to the challenges she was facing in gathering data from former business professionals who were serving time in federal prison.

The articles that follow in the ethics category may contribute to Professor Schrenkler’s efforts to help business students grasp the importance of making value-based decisions. I interview the men I profiled with full disclosure on the project I was working. I wrote briefly about the crimes and convictions as the men described them to me. Some of the men allowed me to use their real names while others asked that I shield their identities. Following the brief introductions of each subject, I asked the men to respond to questions Professor Schrenkler had gathered. The questions include the subheadings of: Ethical Development, Ethical Decision-Making, Corporate Environment, and Reflections.

I hope readers find some value in this work, and I invite questions or comments.