Nurturing My Marriage Through Prison

Nurturing relationships while struggling through the complications of a prison term requires a daily commitment. Carole and I understood the challenges we would have to overcome long before we agreed to marry in a prison visiting room. I wrote about our courtship and marriage in several previous articles.
I meet many prisoners, however, whose wives did [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

An Open Letter to President Obama from a Prison Wife

April 16, 2009
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
 Re: Michael G. Santos, #16377-004
Dear President Obama:
I write this letter in support of the Petition for Commutation of Sentence submitted by my husband, Michael G. Santos, federal registration number 16377-004.
President Obama, you will find no better candidate deserving of a Presidential commutation.  Michael lives as [...]

Prisons Do Not Inspire Growth

Prisons used in moderation serve as a useful tool for society. Used in excess, however, prisons lose their potency. I was convicted of a nonviolent crime in 1987 and I have been in prison ever since. My adjustment has made me better qualified to offer positive contributions to society, though I do not attribute my [...]

President Obama’s Prison Reform Advisor

If I were a policy advisor to President Barack Obama on the niche subject of prison reform, I would urge him to bring the exact leadership skills that have exemplified his young presidency. That means I would want President Obama to embrace the findings of academia, Congress, and think tanks. Those findings strongly suggest that [...]

Utilize the Family Structure to Prepare Offenders for Re-entry

More than two years have passed since I’ve heard my mother’s voice. I have not spoken with my younger sister, Christina, in the same length of time. During those two years I’ve seen my older sister, Julie, three times. I hardly know my nieces and nephew, as prison rules prohibit me from playing a significant [...]

New Prisoners Must Prepare for Release

I’ve written many articles with hopes of helping new prisoners understand effective adjustment strategies. One simple article I recommend is Master Discipline, Expect Nothing. As a prisoner begins to adjust, he must simultaneously be thinking about how he wants to emerge from confinement. Preparations for release must begin the day an individual walks inside prison [...]

Maintaining Loving Relationships While in Prison

I recently received a question from a reader who wrote that her childhood sweetheart was serving a life sentence and he suddenly broke off their relationship. She worried that her sweetheart may be breaking off the relationship as a consequence of something going on inside the prison.
As a long-term prisoner, I value my relationship with [...]

Why I Don’t Succumb to Prison Influences

I have never embraced the values that prison environments perpetuate. I recognize prisons as exquisite designs to condition offenders for further failure. My interest has never been in cultivating a reputation within prison boundaries. Rather, I have always thought about the life I wanted to lead upon release.
While I was beginning my term inside of [...]

First Quarter Report, Taft Prison Camp 2008

I began 2008, my 21st year of imprisonment, with a high degree of optimism. Now that we’ve moved beyond the first three months of this year, I feel better than ever.
I keep track of my daily progress by recording my activities in a weekly planner. When this year began, I knew that we would have [...]

Hoping for More Access to Telephones and Visiting Time

As a long-term prisoner, maintaining close family and community ties is extremely important to me. The more love and support I receive, the more able I am to grow and prepare myself to emerge successfully from this quarter century that I expect to serve in federal prison.
Over the past 20 years, I have served time [...]