Economic Crisis Opens Possibilities for Prison Reform

By · Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 · 2 Comments »

I’ve been following newspaper reports that describe a crisis in the California penal system. Prison population levels have soared beyond the system’s capacity to handle effectively. Without sufficient space, administrators have crammed three prisoners or more into cells designated for one. Thousands more serve their time locked inside gymnasiums and rooms designed for recreation. Such […]

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Topics: Prison reform · Tags:

Locking More People of Power in Prison Will Promote Prison Reform! Bring in the Governor!

By · Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 · 3 Comments »

News reports show that federal law enforcement officers have arrested the sitting governor of Illinois. Governor Blagojevich may soon follow his predecessor, Illinois’ former governor Ryan into federal prison. I’ve been locked inside various federal prisons since 1987, and it always pleases me when formerly influential members of society join our community of felons. Besides […]

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Compare Sentences for White Collar Crime With Nonviolent Drug Offenders

By · Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 · 5 Comments »

Disparity in sentencing laws has been a topic in the news for years. Such discussions usually revolve around arguments comparing sentences for those who sold crack cocaine with sentences for those who sold powder cocaine. I’m all for expanding the argument and comparisons. As a long-term prisoner who has been locked in federal prison since […]

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Topics: Injustice in America · Tags:

Prison Camps Waste Taxpayer Resources

By · Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 · 4 Comments »

Prison reforms should include the elimination, or significant restructuring, of minimum-security camps. I have been a federal prisoner since 1987, and since then I’ve served time in high-security penitentiaries as well as Federal Correctional Institutions. In 2003, administrators transferred me to serve the final decade of my sentence inside the open boundaries of various minimum-security […]

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Media Attention May Promote Prison Reform

By · Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment »

Television networks have begun broadcasting shows that bring the ugliest aspects of the prison culture into American living rooms. Shows like Lockdown, Maximum-Security, and Inside America’s Prisons perpetuate the stereotypical images of the prison yard. Those shows focus on the failure, the gangs, the tattoos, and the violence. I am convinced that lobbyists who represent […]

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Thoughts on Pardoning Prisoners and Executive Clemency

By · Sunday, March 1st, 2009 · 2 Comments »

My wife, Carole, received questions from Maya Schenwar, a reporter at Truthout.org who was writing about the pardoning process. Ms. Schenwar asked Carole about experiences we have had with our efforts to seek a Presidential commutation of sentence. The reporter and her readers were interested in changes to the executive clemency process under President Obama’s […]

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Prison Culture Doesn’t Want Prisoners Writing About Prison

By · Sunday, March 1st, 2009 · Comments Off on Prison Culture Doesn’t Want Prisoners Writing About Prison

Nick wrote a comment in response to my article entitled They’re Prison Guards, Not Correctional Officers. He inquired as to my thoughts on why the prison system would discourage prisoners from writing about the culture of corrections. My perspective, of course, was shaped from having been locked inside prisons for the past 21-plus years. During […]

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Topics: Response to Readers · Tags:

Prisoners Should Have More Access to Family and Community

By · Sunday, March 1st, 2009 · 2 Comments »

Ankineh wrote a comment asking how my lack of interaction with my family and community has affected me, and also asked what suggestions I could offer to improve family interactions for prisoners. I feel privileged to have this opportunity to respond. Prison policies limit me to fewer than an average of 10 minutes of telephone […]

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Topics: Response to Readers · Tags:

The Remorse and Regret of My Imprisonment

By · Sunday, March 1st, 2009 · Comments Off on The Remorse and Regret of My Imprisonment

Makeda asked whether I ever regretted that I sold cocaine as a younger man, but she asked from an insightful perspective. Her question seemed philosophical, in observation that had I not sold cocaine, been convicted, and sentenced to a lengthy term in prison, I would not have had the experience of learning so much through […]

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Topics: Response to Readers · Tags:

A Prison Presentation For My Wife

By · Friday, February 27th, 2009 · 3 Comments »

For the first time since marrying Carole in a prison visiting room, on June 24, 2003, I was able to speak to an audience in which she was present. The occasion took place on Monday, 23 February 2009. Speaking and teaching has been an essential component of my adjustment over the past 21-plus years of […]

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Topics: Relationships From Prison · Tags:

Prisoner Access to E-mail Makes Society Safer

By · Thursday, February 26th, 2009 · Comments Off on Prisoner Access to E-mail Makes Society Safer

J. Michaelsen wrote me a comment in response to an article I wrote suggesting that prison reform should bring email access to prisoners. The readers asked why I thought email access alone would help offenders prepare for release, and asked whether gang members would abuse such a privilege if it were offered. I appreciate these […]

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Prisoner Contributions to Universities

By · Thursday, February 26th, 2009 · Comments Off on Prisoner Contributions to Universities

As a long-term prisoner, I’ve always felt as if I had a duty to reconcile with society. One contribution I could make was to document my journey through the federal prison system. I have written extensively about my experiences of living in prison for more than 21 years. I have also written about others. The […]

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Are All Prisoners Criminals?

By · Thursday, February 26th, 2009 · 2 Comments »

Brandon is a criminal justice student who is using my writings as a resource to broaden his understanding of America’s prison system. He posted a few comments that sought my perspective on the potential for real reform within our prison system. I welcome an opportunity to respond. Obviously, I write from the perspective of a […]

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Topics: Response to Readers · Tags:

Prison Policies Ought to Encourage Positive Leadership

By · Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 · Comments Off on Prison Policies Ought to Encourage Positive Leadership

Brittny left a comment in response to the article I wrote about Walt Jones. Since writing the first article about Walt, I wrote an update about his inspiration. I expect him to continue his final months with a positive adjustment and for him to make real contributions to society upon his release. Leaders in prison […]

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Topics: Response to Readers · Tags:

Prison Visiting and Judicial Decisions

By · Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 · Comments Off on Prison Visiting and Judicial Decisions

Kellen wrote me with questions pertaining to visiting, and with questions regarding my perceptions of recent judicial decision to lower population levels in California’s prison system Visiting privileges depend upon the security level of the prison. In higher-security institutions, the atmosphere feels more oppressive because of the higher concentration of guards, the surveillance cameras, the […]

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Topics: Response to Readers, Visiting · Tags:
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