As a long-term prisoner, I find much more wisdom in the words of John Dewey, a legendary American educator. Although I don’t recall Dr. Dewey’s exact words, I recall reading he said the good man was the individual who, no matter how much bad he had done in the past, was the man who was striving to add value to society by doing good. The bad man, Dewey opined, was the individual who, regardless of how much good he had done in the past, was the man who ceased trying to make society better.

Those like ssteacherme who cling to ridiculous notions that offenders should not strive to redeem themselves ought not call themselves Americans. Ours is an enlightened country with a troubled system of corrections that currently breeds failure. Through effective prison reforms, new leadership can change this system. With those changes, more offenders would emerge from prison as contributing, law-abiding citizens. Only those who prefer vengeance can dispute that such reforms would lower recidivism rates, make society safer, and prove good for America.

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The timing couldn’t have been better for me to reach the audience of Forbes. Professionals from the financial and legal sectors are coming under increasing scrutiny from the judicial system. News reports indicate that the FBI has opened investigations of fraud at firms like AIG, Lehman Brothers, Freddie and Fannie. Executives at those icons of American finance will have a hard time coming to terms with accusations and criminal indictments.

As a long-term prisoner, I live with many former corporate and financial titans. I have spent time with them, listened to them, and spoken with them. I’ve written about what they learned from the experience. Many express regret that they made decisions without a full understanding of the judicial system’s power.

MichaelSantos.net publishes a Topical Report Series that offers profiles of several well-educated men who now stand convicted of white collar crimes. There are stories of wire fraud, tax fraud, mortgage fraud, securities fraud, Ponzi schemes, and other federal crimes. By reading the profiles of others, those facing the possibility of criminal indictment can use that information to interact more effectively with their criminal defense attorneys. Certainly, the more people know about our system of justice, the more they empower themselves to make better decisions.

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