Danielle Rios asked whether I encountered any mentors whom I learned from as a federal prisoner. I feel thankful to have learned from many. Some of my mentors were men I had met in prison, some were leaders in society who became friends of mine while I served time, and many mentors were men whom I read about, but never met.

Although I did not follow the adjustment patterns that were normal within the prison culture, by observing the men around me I was able to commit to a strategy for growth that worked for me. It required that I spend a lot of time alone. I developed a habit of sleeping very early and waking very early. The focus, for me, has always been on preparations I could make that would help me emerge from prison successfully.

Because I concentrated on the world outside, and the contributions I wanted to make to it, my most influential mentors were either men whom I read about, or academics who worked tirelessly to educate me. One of the first mentors to me was Socrates. I was in the county jail when I read the story of his attitude toward the sanction of death that judges imposed upon him. The Autobiography of Malcom X was a book I read early in my confinement, and it helped me realize that I could grow through adversity. I read the work of Viktor Frankl and other accounts of prisoners who endured the harsh conditions of Nazi concentration camps. Those people’s adjustment patterns inspired me, and they too were like mentors to me. Nelson Mandela, of course, was a long-term prisoner who made great contributions to the advancement of civilization despite the decades he served in prison. The same went for Aleksander Solzhenitsyn. Those leaders have been my mentors, even though I never met them.

As a prisoner, I frequently lead classes through which I share what I have learned. In many cases, I work with individuals to help them understand options they may pursue. I feel convinced that a successful prison adjustment requires a deliberate plan and a personal commitment. I recently finished reading a wonderful book by Tony Dungy that advises individuals on steps they may take to lead lives of significance. succeeding in prison requires an individual to lead an uncommon adjustment; I do my best to mentor others around me and to lead by example.

Upon my release I expect to build a career that will allow me to share what I’ve learned through my long journey of imprisonment. There have been many lessons that I believe may contribute to the lives of others. The strategies to which I committed may be of value to people who struggle through adversity in their own lives.

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After ten years of such an adjustment, Blinky was well acclimated to the penitentiary. He didn’t have any contacts outside, though he was well liked by both guards and prisoners inside. When we met, Blinky had heard that I was serving a sentence that would keep me in prison for longer than a quarter century. He advised that the best way to serve time was to forget about the outside world. “Settle into the joint and just become one with the walls,” he suggested. “The time will pass quickly enough.”

Blinky concluded his term and was released to a halfway house. Fewer than 12 months later, he returned to the penitentiary. As an explanation, he told me that the struggle was too much. His probation officer was hassling him to find a job, though Blinky said that he met only frustration from prospective employers. Fed up, Blinky reverted to criminal behavior. He robbed a bank at gunpoint. FBI agents apprehended him at the scene of the crime. In a plea deal, Blinky’s judge handed him a fresh 20-year sentence to serve.

Although I was new to prison life when Blinky and I met back in the 1980s, now I have more than 21 consecutive years in confinement. Experiences have taught me a lot. As high recidivism rates suggest, I’ve met, interacted with, and learned from hundreds of prisoners like Blinky. Listening to their stories convinced me that I had to reject the questionable guidance of becoming one with the penitentiary. Instead, I kept my focus on preparing for the obstacles I expected to encounter upon release.

The irony is that, whereas prison guards ignored Blinky and his drinking buddies as they inebriated themselves in the cell, the system of corrections has blocked and frustrated my efforts to reconcile with society every step of the way. Instead of encouraging prisoners who strive to build ties with community leaders and mentors, administrators issue admonitions and block prisoner efforts to connect with society. It is as if the prison system, too, wants those inside to follow Blinky’s advice of becoming “one with the walls.”

We need prison reforms that encourage prisoners to partner with community leaders and mentors. As a long-term prisoner, I refuse to leave confinement without a strong network of support who will assist my transition upon release. I am reaching out constantly with hopes of building ties with journalists, academics, professionals, and other community leaders. Yet administrators discourage my efforts. They warn me that I am not allowed “to promote my books.” I have been transferred from prisons in three separate states as a consequence of my writing for publication. As rules stand, administrators are encouraging more adjustments in the style of Blinky. They do not support those who strive to build ties with community leaders and mentors.

These are the reasons we need prison reforms. By encouraging prisoners to build partnerships with community leaders and mentors, prison reforms would lower recidivism rates and thereby make society safer.

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In the various articles available through criminal-indictment.com, I describe the clearly defined approach I took to advance from high-security prisons to minimum-security camp in the shortest possible time. Essentially, the path I took, and the one I advise others to consider, is consistent with what I have learned guides others who achieve success. I tell prisoners that they must not expect the prison system to change their lives for the better. Instead, they must expect interference from both administrators and their fellow prisoners. If they can understand the negative influences of the penitentiary, they then can make strategic decisions to thrive in spite of the atmosphere.

Prisoners must envision the progress that they can make while serving time, and clearly picture the man they want to become as they emerge from confinement. If they can grasp on to that vision, then they may begin taking steps that will lead them closer to success. Every step is essential. Prisoners must ensure that they stay on course, and one tool I have used to help my focus was to announce my goals to the world. By letting others know what I wanted to achieve, I invited them to hold me accountable.

I wrote quarterly reports every 90 days to update my mentors of my progress. That effort at accountability was essential to my success. Every goal that I set out to achieve has been possible because of the clear path to success that I charted. By following this path, I urged other prisoners to work toward achieving the least restrictive custody classification. That way they could transfer to lower-security prisons, where volatility levels were lower and progress was easier to achieve.

Although we cannot have much influence once we are prisoners on the number of calendar pages that must turn before our release, through the decisions we make inside, we can determine the values, skills, and resources we have available when we emerge. Good decisions, too, can help us stay physically fit and emotionally strong.

The type of guidance I provide is valid for the habitual offender with a subpar educational level. It is equally as valid for the individual who serves time for white collar crime and in possession of graduate or professional degrees. My experience has made me a master of serving time and thriving through prison. Through the articles I publish, and the guidance I provide, I strive to help all of my fellow prisoners made decisions that will ensure that they too can thrive through prison.

The post When Prisoners Ask Me for Guidance appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I empathize with the more than 2.4 million people who serve time in American prisons. Ever since my term began, I have worked to prepare myself so that I could become an effective spokesperson to bring about meaningful prison reform. As prisons currently operate, I am convinced that they miss opportunities to help offenders prepare for better lives. Instead of “correcting,” our nation’s prisons only warehouse human beings. That approach, according to my experience, has no place in an enlightened society.

Prison has been all that I have known since 1987. I was 23-years-old when I began serving my term and I am almost 45-years-old now. If laws remain the same, I expect that I will serve more than four more years before release will come. After more than a quarter century of being locked in prisons of every security level, many would think that I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with prisons after my release. Yet I expect that prison will always be a part of my life.

It is not only the lower classes who struggle through prisons. Those who serve time for white collar crimes, also, suffer from the loss of hope. Prisons separate individuals from family and community for years or decades at a time. Those in prison can benefit from positive role models who have endured the experience. After having served time in prisons in every security level, I feel confident that I can present positive messages to all people who are locked in prison. My experiences qualify me to deliver messages with credibility, and I hope that I can build a career that will help others achieve their highest potential.

Without question, prison has been the experience that has influenced my thoughts. Despite knowing that I would serve many decades inside, I knew that my adjustment inside prison would determine the life I could lead upon release. By focusing on educating myself and contributing to society, I could live with hope. That focus has enabled me to build a career as an author, to marry and build a family with an extraordinarily beautiful and talented woman, and to communicate with thousands of people through my Web site. The preparations I have made will keep me working with prisoners for the rest of my life. I hope to inspire others to grow in positive ways.

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