Bam has listened to a number of my presentations at Taft Camp–I often speak to groups of at-risk youth, and I teach a class on setting goals and success strategies. He recently approached me expressing an interest in reforming, in changing his ways to become a responsible member of society. I spent several hours with Bam, mentoring him on steps he can take now that would prepare him to overcome the challenges that await his release.

It’s not easy to convey the message of responsibility to former gang members. People who made allegiances to crime have a hard time connecting the relationship between their criminal decisions and the type of people they’ve become. To help Bam, I suggested that he read a booklet I wrote that describes the stories of other prisoners who reformed their lives—some of whom are also former gang members I mentored. Once he finished reading the booklet, I asked him to write a biography.

Bam surprised me by writing more than 20 pages describing his background prior to prison, the decisions that brought him to prison, and the motivations that influenced his early adjustment to prison. I appreciated his honesty, and we spent three hours talking about the connection between his decisions and the struggles he’s faced in his life. 

Part of the mentoring process is to help Bam envision the many ways his life would improve if he acted more responsibly. He needs a reason to make the personal investment, and visualizing how much better his life could become is the first step toward that investment in introspection. After we talked about his past, I suggested concrete steps he could begin taking to extricate himself from the cycle of failure that holds so many prisoners.  

Like many prisoners, Bam needs hope. Without hope, he won’t see the reason to change. Mentoring prisoners like Bam is part of my personal commitment, and I take the responsibility seriously. I hope that Bam will commit to changing his life.

The post Bam appeared first on Prison News Blog.

As a long-term prisoner, my experience convinces me that the reasons so many prisoners adjust in ways that fail to prepare them for law-abiding lives upon release may be found in the tactics and strategies of prison management. They extinguish hope. To change the dismal results, we need prison reform that would bring fundamental improvements to prison culture.

Stephanie Kidder, a criminal justice student, asked what sort of incentives I thought would be appropriate to improve our nation’s prison system. The purpose of incentives, I think, ought to focus on inducing prisoners to adjust in ways that will prepare them for the challenges that await their release. Current management practices result in rebellion, defiance, and adjustment patterns that perpetuate cycles of failure. Incentives should not exist to make life easier for prisoners, but to make society safer by lowering both recidivism rates and prison operating costs.

To achieve such an end, the incentives ought to be wide and far reaching. They should provide a mechanism through which all offenders could work toward gradual increases in freedom. That does not mean all offenders can lead a cushy life, but rather that they can improve their existence through merit and positive adjustments.

Some of those incentives would include access to more telephone time, access to more visiting opportunities, access to the use of email and other technologies that may prepare them for release. Congress found through its Second Chance Act that strong networks of community support represent the best probability for success upon release. Administrators ought to offer incentives that prisoners may earn to nurture those ties.

Incentives can lead to a better prison culture. I measure “better” by safer prisons that reduce recidivism and operating costs. Administrators ought to use incentives to create prison cultures where guards can become correctional officers, and thus enjoy more fulfillment from their profession.

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To reduce violence in prisons, administrators ought to consider modifying the infrastructure – the rules by which they are governed. Instead of simply threatening prisoners with additional sanctions and punishments, they ought to rely on incentives that motivate those in prison to embrace the principles of good citizenship, even in the community of the confined.

When I was confined in a medium-security prison known as FCI McKean, in Pennsylvania, the warden implemented progressive leadership techniques. Although prisoners were serving lengthy sentences, some without release dates, the warden was a firm believer in the use of incentives. Wardens do not have the authority to change release dates, yet they do set the policies by which prisoners live. At FCI McKean, Warden Dennis Luther offered numerous incentives that prisoners could work toward earning. For example, he allowed those prisoners who kept their disciplinary records clean to choose their housing unit so they could live with like-minded individuals. Those who preferred a quiet atmosphere could share the same space while those who passed time playing table games could live together. That was a big deal, enabling prisoners to have some control over their lives.

There were many other incentives Warden Luther used to inspire good behavior. Those incentives did not come at taxpayer expense. For example, he allowed prisoners to earn the right to purchase food from local restaurants on occasion; he allowed prisoners to earn the right to purchase athletic apparel from local stores rather than from the limited selection of prison commissaries; he allowed prisoners to earn the right to watch videos or listen to cassette recordings of music; he allowed prisoners to earn the right to additional visiting and telephone privileges.

As a consequence of Warden Luther’s progressive policies, prisoners with long histories of violence got along. Instead of challenging the system or causing disturbances, they worked to earn the additional freedoms and privileges that were available. His leadership led to success as measured by the prison system’s own metrics: lower incidents of violence, no suicides, no escape attempts.

Warden Luther retired in 1995. The new warden eliminated Warden Luther’s progressive management techniques and reverted to oppressive practices. Within six months of the administrative changes, a riot broke out that caused more than a million dollars in damages. I wrote about my experiences of confinement under Luther in articles available at www.criminal-indictment.com. They convince me that incentives are effective.

The post How To Reduce Violence in Prison appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Drugs enter institutions through visiting rooms, through the mail, and through corrupt staff members. The smuggling of drugs into prisons is particularly problematic in secure prisons. Ironically, in minimum-security camps, where prisoners enjoy significantly higher levels of freedom and interaction with the broader community, drugs are less of a problem. Administrators ought to learn a lesson from that truism.

Drugs are not such a problem in minimum-security camps for a variety of reasons. The most obvious, of course, is that minimum-security camps confine mostly offenders who were convicted of white collar crime and other nonviolent prisoners who are nearing their release dates. The people in minimum-security camp have more hope than those in higher security prisons. Although administrators in higher security prisons cannot change the type of offenders who are locked inside the boundaries, they can use their enormous power to encourage more hope.

Inmates who live without hope are vulnerable to negative adjustment patterns. Many ceaselessly plot and scheme to build a power base inside the penitentiary. They feel totally alienated from the world beyond prison boundaries, or recognize that they will not return to society for years or decades to come. Recognizing that many prisoners rely upon drugs to numb themselves to the pains of confinement, many prisoners traffic in drugs as a short-sighted way of easing their time in prison. Those activities contribute to many problems inside the chaotic world of the penitentiary.

Although administrators must make appropriate use of security measures, another tool they should consider to stop the flow of drugs into prisons would be implementing a meaningful incentive program. Rather than simply relying upon the threat of punishment to discourage bad behavior, prisons should make use of incentive programs that encourage good behavior. Inmates should have opportunities to work toward meaningful privileges that would improve their quality of life inside.

Some examples of incentives that would drive inmate choices might include opportunities for inmates to enhance their ties to society. For example, they could offer access to e-mail programs, better visiting access, more telephone access. Administrators limit those programs. If they allowed prisoners opportunities to earn privileges like more food, preferred housing within the penitentiary, or access to movies, music, or books. Since administrators control the infrastructure, they could control inventives that would motivate desirable inmate adjustment patterns.

The threat of punishments and further sanctions extinguish hope and contribute to the oppressive atmosphere. Incentives, on the other hand, would open and encourage motivations to grow. That shift in management would help stop the flow of drugs into prison.

The post How To Stop the Flow of Drugs Into Prison appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Others with whom I was associated in drug trafficking received sentences that were only a fraction of the length of mine. Some of those people cooperated with the government in exchange for more lenient sentences, and others lacked the level of culpability I had as one of the leaders of the scheme. I do not blame or begrudge any of my co-defendants. As far as I have always been concerned, I created my own problems.

I do not agree that long prison sentences are appropriate for offenders who have no history of violence. My crimes involved only consenting adults, yet I serve a sentence that is longer than many predatory offenders. Yet the length of time that other people serve has no relationship to what is going on in my life. I created my own problems.

Now I am nearly 45 years old and I have more than 21 years of prison behind me; I still expect to serve more than three more years. The time I have served inside has not crippled my spirit. In fact, many people who know me would say that I have sailed through the sentence unscathed. That has been my intention, to serve my sentence with dignity and integrity. I strive to make every day count, to contribute to the lives of others, to add value to the world.

Naturally, I want to leave prison. During the many years that I have served I have been blessed with multiple opportunities. I earned an undergraduate degree from Mercer University and a graduate degree from Hofstra University. I published several books that have helped me build a wide network of support. Most importantly, I have built a thriving marriage with an exceptionally beautiful and talented woman. These blessings have given me much to feel proud of, and they encourage me for the life I want to lead upon release.

As a long-term prisoner, I have had to fight the urge to feel sorry for myself. By embracing the sentence, I could focus on how I wanted to respond to the problems that I created. Otherwise I would feel like a whiner, a cry baby in prison. I serve time with a lot of people who whine about how they do not belong in prison. To me, that seems like the wrong approach. I do not want to be remembered for the problems I created, but rather I strive to be recognized for the way that I have responded to the problems I created. Somehow, that approach empowers me, makes me feel less like a victim of the system and more like I control my destiny. It has been an adjustment pattern that works for me.

The post Reflecting on the Long Prison Sentence I Serve appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I first heard of Barack Obama in 2004, when my wife, Carole, sent me a transcript of the speech the young Senator delivered at the Democratic National Convention. As I read of him calling for a more inclusive America, I felt inspired and expressed my wish at that time that a voice like his could lead our country.

Then I read his books. Both revealed a thoughtful, intelligent man. Those on the right side of the political spectrum tried to disparage Obama as being irresponsibly liberal. Yet with courage, character, and conviction, Senator Obama did not run from the liberal label. He embraced the principles of liberalism, and I admired him for his unshakable confidence in the promise of humanity.

Rather than practicing the politics of divisiveness, of us-versus-them, Senator Obama personified leadership. He validated the notion that people could transcend circumstance and reach their highest potential. As a long-term federal prisoner, I watched Senator Obama’s ascent to the national and then global political scene with unbridled optimism.

After Senator Obama won the Iowa Primary last January, I became a true believer in his potential to win the Presidency. Over subsequent months, I watched every newscast and read every article that described his progress. The more I learned about him and his positions, the more I admired his strength, his judgment, his leadership. Every week, my wife and I grew more hopeful of his election.

The President of the United States wields the power for our country. Carole and I know the decisions President Obama makes will have a profound influence on our prison family. We married in a prison visiting room many years ago. Despite proclamations on the importance of family, community, and compassion, the policies of the Bush administration have perpetuated failure inside our nation’s prison system. High recidivism rates validate this observation. Carole and I stand confident that the liberal mandate voters have given President Obama will lead to changes that bring certain improvements to our family.

Americans rightly concern themselves with important national issues such as energy dependence, health care, economic policy, and foreign policy. Yet after more than 21 years of my continuous imprisonment, Carole and I have a deep, vested interest in both prison reform and sentence reform. President Obama and the newly elected Congressional leadership give us an optimism of such magnitude that few others can appreciate.

Within the next 5 months, President Obama will appoint leaders who reflect the new administration’s vision. Among those leaders will be a new Pardon Attorney, and a new Director of the Bureau of Prisons. I expect those new leaders to purge the present policies that extinguish hope, policies that have thwarted my growth since 1987.

President Obama’s team will shed empty platitudes about a kinder, gentler, more compassionate America. Instead, my readings on Obama convince me that both administrative and legislative improvements will come. They will replace the barriers that block progress, instead providing a bridge to lead those of us striving to reconcile with society back into the mainstream of American life.

A Pardon Attorney under Obama will not reserve petitions for clemency for friends of the President, like “Scooter” Libby and Mark Rich. Rather, I expect the new Pardon Attorney will review applications for clemency with earnest. Individuals who have worked for years to atone for their bad decision and redeem themselves through contributions will receive appropriate consideration for relief.

With a new Director in the Bureau of Prisons, we need new policies that encourage more prisoners to earn their way to freedom through merit. We need new programs that help offenders bridge their ties to society. Those programs will replace the Bush-type policies that obliterate all hope for redemption. Opportunities to earn furloughs, work release, and home confinement will replace administrative barriers to personal growth.

Rather than a focus on preserving the sanctity of the prison industrial complex, President Obama will appoint leadership that strives to prepare offenders for successful re-entry to society. We will see an end to limitations on telephone and visitation access. New leadership will rely upon the promise of incentives instead of the threat of further punishment to shape human behavior. Those are American values.

Besides the administrative changes that President Obama will bring, Congressional leadership ought to introduce sentence reforms that encourage offenders to work toward earning freedom. By mid-2009, I expect to see legislation that reintroduces parole and expands opportunities for offenders to earn freedom.

For more than 21 years, I have worked to build a record that would demonstrate my commitment to live as a contributing citizen. With President Obama’s election, and the newly elected Congress, I am more hopeful than ever. This election freed me to believe that I am more than a prisoner. I feel like an American, and I am eager to join my wife, Carole, in the real world.

The post President Obama election and newly elected Congress give real hope for prison reform appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Some of the men who are locked in ADX cells will serve the rest of their lives without much to stimulate their senses. Although many of the ADX prisoners have been convicted of crimes that other citizens would consider reprehensible, I do not doubt that the men inside of those cells miss being a part of humanity.

In high security prisons, conditions are more open than in the supermax. Yet prisoners inside those oppressive atmospheres live without hope. They serve long sentences, sometimes without any possibility for release. Since they cannot envision ways in which they can distinguish themselves in positive ways, some look for opportunities to distinguish themselves inside the twisted world of prison. They become more violent, or psychopathic. They cannot hope to play meaningful roles in the lives of their family or society. Consequently, they join cliques or gangs; they engage in hustles or try to narcotize themselves through the time. Some whose prior decisions forced them serve their sentences in high-security prisons miss the feeling of safety, or living without the thick pressure of evil that seems to pervade the penitentiary.

In both medium-security and low-security prisons, prisoners have a bit more hope. Many have release dates that they can at least grasp. The release date may stretch out for ten or twenty years, yet at least they can see a glimmer of hope. Prisoners in those institutions sometimes fight to hang on to memories of the lives they led prior to prison. They miss the world. They are not always ready to embrace the prison culture completely because they believe that something will change. They miss their families, their freedom, the ability to feel as if they are independent men.

In minimum-security camp, all prisoners are within 10 years of their release dates. The atmosphere is much less oppressive. Significant portions of the camp population are within weeks or months of release. With the rapid turnover in the camp population, prisoners miss their freedom. Yet they can see that it will come.

During the 21 years that I have served so far, I have missed all that others take for granted. Prison has become a part of me, yet I have never stopped working to prepare myself. I am determined to emerge successfully, unscathed by the experience. What I miss most is my wife. I want to kiss her and hold her and sleep with her and love her. I want her to feel proud of me, to let her know that she has been the inspiration for every breath I have taken through prison. I miss her touch, and I work daily to prove myself worthy of the love and sacrifices she so freely gives to me.

The post What Prisoners Miss Most appeared first on Prison News Blog.

As policies exist in prison, every individual is treated the same. A prisoner’s individuality is ripped away upon his entry to confinement. A registration number replaces his name, and his individual needs become subjugated to the needs of the institution. Prison administrators will issue each prisoner clothing. They tell him where he will sleep and with whom. They assign a job, tell the prisoner when, what, and how much he can eat. They offer zero mechanisms through which a prisoner can meaningfully distinguish himself in a positive way from others. Only the turning of calendar pages and disciplinary conduct matter in the classification of prisoners.

Someday I expect to contribute to discussion on what types of changes are necessary for effective prison reform. After all, I have served virtually my entire adult life in prison. More than 21 years have passed since guards first locked me inside the walls of a high-security U.S. penitentiary. Since then I have earned an undergraduate degree in Human Resources Management from Mercer University and a graduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Hofstra University. Publishers have brought several books I’ve written to market. I have married and built a family with a woman of exceptional talent and beauty, and together we have built criminal-indictment.com, a Web site that helps thousands of others prepare for the journey through prison to a successful re-entry into society. I am well qualified to help both legislators and prison administrators understand reforms they may make to inspire other prisoners to work toward emerging successfully.

Rather than extinguishing hope, I am convinced that administrators and legislators could make better use of prison resources if they were to reform the system in ways that would provide each prisoner with more efficacy over his life. Rules and programs ought to exist that would encourage prisoners to earn their freedom through merit. Those who educate themselves, work hard, contribute to society, and strive to reconcile with taxpayers ought to have objective paths they can pursue that would distinguish them from the inmates who sleep through prison. Few people work to prepare for the challenges that await release because the system has beaten them. Instead of striving to succeed, they engage in behavior that eases their time in prison. Frequently, the decisions they make condition them for further failure.

I’ve written extensively about steps I’ve taken to live as a model for reform, and I stand by what I write and publish. Although I change the names of other characters about whom I write, my own progress through prison has been well documented.

The post Effective Prison Reform: Restore Hope appeared first on Prison News Blog.

In higher security prisons, I always felt a tension in the air. Prisoners were locked inside two-man cells. At 6:00 each morning, guards walked around to unlock the steel doors of the prisoner rooms. Those who had experience of living in such environments were already awake, with shoes laced up and alert attitudes. Every man understood that violence, organized or otherwise, could erupt without prior notice. No one wanted to feel caught off guard.

High-security prisoners did not focus on the lives they wanted to lead following release. Many did not expect that release would ever come; prisons were the last stop for them. Such men consider their prison reputations to be of the utmost importance. No one wanted to be perceived as weak, as weak men were vulnerable to prison predators. Accordingly, prisoners in the penitentiary cheered for the killers in movies. They walked by indifferently while others were being stabbed or beaten. When officers asked for any type of assistance, the prisoners showed zero interest in helping. They considered themselves oppressed by a system of injustice, and they were not inclined to work toward redemption.

I’ve written extensively about prison life in my books and for publication on criminal-indictment.com. Those writings detail the complexities of living in confinement. My observations over the past 21 years persuade me that prison administrators have very little interest in creating environments that prepare or encourage offenders to think about the challenges they will face upon release. All resources focus on preserving security within the institution.

That myopic approach to management, however, leads to environments that seethe with hostility and create vicious mentalities. High recidivism rates, I believe, make the failure of “corrections” quite clear, yet prisons succeed brilliantly at warehousing humanity and perpetuating the cycle of failure.

To improve prisons, to make them safer for both staff and inmates, prison administrators and government legislators ought to implement programs that would encourage inmates to work toward leading contributory lives. The negativity that pervades every high security prison, from my perspective, breeds failure and inhumanity.

Besides hope, prisoners need clearly defined paths to reconcile for their past convictions.

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