News FeedMichael’s Daily Prison Journal
Michael’s daily prison journal now appears on MichaelSantos.net.
Prisoners Must Learn to Thrive Despite Administrative Obstacles
My lovely wife, Carole, sent me a copy of a legal decision recently published by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case of Bonner v. Outlaw illustrates the position I have known many prison wardens to take. Although the inmate prevailed in this case, the warden’s attempted defense evidenced a dereliction of his duty […]
Corporate Treasurer Responds to Ethics Questions
In 1997, Jeff graduated from UCLA with a degree in accounting. He built his career in finance, and while in his early 30s, Jeff held the position of treasurer with a publicly traded corporation in Northern California. With hopes of earning the company a higher short-term return on its money, and in the process advancing […]
Physician Responds to Ethics Questions
Derrick is a graduate of the University of Southern California and the USC Medical School. As a physician, no one would expect Derrick to serve time in prison, but I met him in the library at Taft Camp. I told Derrik about the questions Professor Schrenkler put together to help undergraduate business students understand ethics. […]
David Muniz Graduates
Administrators at Taft Camp generously sponsored a graduation ceremony for a dozen studious prisoners and their families on June 4, 209. My friend, David Muniz, invited me to attend as his guest, and I felt grateful for the privilege, as I know how hard David worked to earn his high school equivalency certificate. I watched […]
Community Leaders in Taft Camp
Carole and I are grateful for opportunities to contribute to the lives of others. A few weeks ago, David and Tuvia, two men who recently joined our community at Taft Camp, kindly introduced us to their wives, Judy and Gila. Our limited time with family in the visiting room is precious, so we can’t afford […]
My Book Review of An American in the Gulag
Book Author: Alexander Dolgun Book Title: Alexander Dolgun’s Story: An American in the Gulag Date Read: June 27, 2009 Book Publisher: Valentine Books (1974) Nonfiction/ 503 pages American Gulag was the 10th book I read in 2009: Reason I read An American in the Gulag: I have been a fan of Russian literature for several […]
Violating Conditions of Supervised Release
Rick, a white collar offender from Las Vegas, was serving a one year term in Taft Prison Camp for violating conditions of supervised release. I listened as Rick told me his story while we sat on a bench near the camp’s tennis courts. The adjustment choices Rick made following his initial release from prison perplexed […]
Our Sixth Anniversary in Prison
On June 24, 2009, Carole and I celebrated the sixth anniversary since we married under bright lights of the Fort Dix prison visiting room. The devotion and love she has given so consistently over all these years has been the greatest blessing of my life, and I thank God every day for the treasure of […]
Article: Paul is Being Released From Prison Today
Read Michael’s latest article on Change.org here: Ready for Release? Posted by Michael Santos Jun 30 @ 10:10AM PT Other recent Change.org articles by Michael: My First Days: Adjusting to Life in Prison Posted by Michael Santos Jun 15 @ 10:10AM PT The Importance of Recreation Posted by Michael Santos Jun 07 @ 04:46AM PT Strategies […]
Reality TV Can Advance Prison Reform
The schedule that I keep as a prisoner does not leave room for television, but that doesn’t mean I don’t read about television programming. Recently I’ve read several articles that describe America’s fascination with reality TV. One show receiving a lot of coverage is Jon and Kate Plus Eight, with reports showing that as many […]
Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace
Date Read: June 11, 2009 Book Title: Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace Author: Joseph M. Williams Publisher: Pearson/Longman (2006) Nonfiction: 148 pages Style was the eighth book I read in 2009. Reason I read Style: I am very fortunate to have found mentors who help me. Recently, I made a friend here at […]
How Seven Habits Change Lives
Today I enjoyed a magnificent visit with my wife, Carole. She came with a message that Dean, a representative of the group who promotes Stephen Covey’s work, contacted us through PrisonNewsBlog. Dean asked some questions about how the magnificent book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People influenced my adjustment through 22 years of imprisonment. […]
John Gets Released From Prison
John completed his sentence and walked out of the Taft Prison Camp early this morning. According to national reports, he was one of 2,000 who returned to society from American jails and prisons each day. Adjusting to the world outside would not be easy. During the 15-plus years that John served, he endured the family […]
Deliberate Adjustment Plans
The Pew Charitable Trust estimates that by 2011, American jails and prisons will be releasing 750,000 prisoners into society each year. Of all those people returning to their communities, the Pew Report tells us, two out of every three will return to prison. That high recidivism rate has been steady since the time I began […]
