American Gulag was the 10^th book I read in 2009:

Reason I read An American in the Gulag:

I have been a fan of Russian literature for several decades, ever since I read my first book by Dostoyevsky.  I’ve also read works by Tolstoy, and as a prisoner, of course I’ve read Solzhenitsyn.  I was looking through the memoir section in Taft prison library, and when I found this memoir about Alexander Dolgun’s experiences with a 25-year sentence, I decided to read his story.  I though the style he chose may help me as I continue writing Earning Freedom, my own story of a prison odyssey.

What I learned from reading An American in the Gulag:

One lesson I learned is that Dolgun and the writer with whom he collaborated made this book come alive with vivid descriptions, and if I am to succeed in helping my readers understand prison, I have a considerable amount of work ahead.  I knew this, of course, but this powerful book helped clarify the message.

When I read the cover’s description of Dolgun’s 25-year sentence, I suspected that he served less time. In Solzhenitsyn’s classic, The Gulag Archipelago, he also served less time than the sentence imposed.  In Dolgun’s case, liberty came in eight years, with the death of Stalin.

This book illustrates the importance literature has on human culture.  Although Dolgun was released from prison in the 1950s, his story as told through this book, preserved his experience forever.  I am glad to have read it, as the memoir helps me understand an earlier period in history, before my birth, on a continent I’ve never visited.

How reading An American in the Gulag will contribute to my success upon release:

Prison has become an inextricable part of my life, as I’ve been locked inside various prisons since 1987.  It is important for me to learn as much as I can about the prison system and prison experiences to that I can teach other more effectively.  One question I asked myself after finishing Dolgun’s story was whether I would have preferred to have served eight years under conditions that he endured, or the 22-plus years of prison I have known.  I think would have taken the eight years, as this stretch has taken too much out of my life.

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Ricardo was in the first stages of a four-month sentence. The pains of confinement tormented him every evening as he lay on his steel rack missing his wife and children. Since prison has become a way of life for me, I appreciated Ricardo telling me his story and how the experience was affecting him. Ricardo was 35 years old and had never had an interaction with law enforcement before this event. He had been married to Wendy for eight years, and together they had two young children. Ricardo had graduated from a Southern California high school and supported his family as a licensed contractor.

During the construction boon of the past decade, Ricardo’s business thrived. He worked alone, specializing in remodeling work on residential housing projects. Wendy assisted him with paperwork and other administrative duties, and the family business generated a comfortable income.

Like millions of other Americans, Ricardo leveraged that income by purchasing luxuries on credit. The debt from those purchases felt manageable while business was good, but when customers restrained their construction spending, Ricardo’s income plummeted. His mountain of debt brought  stress that clouded his thinking, and when an acquaintance told Ricardo about an opportunity to earn easy money by driving Mexican citizens across the border into the United States, Ricardo listened.

Ricardo’s acquaintance, Carlos, explained that the Mexican citizens had family members in the United States who would pay for safe transportation. Carlos said that he had brought several of those people into the United States illegally by creating a secret compartment in his vehicle. The Mexicans would hide in the secret comparment while Carlos drove across the border. Once in the United States, the sponsoring family members would pay a transportation fee of $1000. If Ricardo had an interest in providing the same type of transportation service, Carlos offered to put him in touch with a broker who represented Mexicans who would pay the fee to bring their family members into the United States.

Ricardo said that the offer intrigued him. He was out of work and unsuccessful in finding jobs that would allow him to meet his monthly obligations. He took a test run by driving south into Mexico and crossing back into the United States through Tijuana. The lines were long and the border patrol agent waived him through without hassle. Ricardo tried it again, and no one resisted him.

As he drove the two hours home, Ricardo thought about steps he could take to modify his truck to create a secret compartment. By manufacturing a secret compartment, Ricardo reasoned that he could transport one person each trip into the United States. If he could make enough trips, he would free the pressure of all his debts. Ricardo decided to modify his truck.

With the modification complete, Ricardo spoke with the broker and let him know that he was available to transport people into the United States. The broker put him in touch with a 29-year-old woman, Rosa. Rosa had been living illegally in the United States. She was married and had two American born children. She had returned to Mexico to attend a funeral for her grandmother. After being denied a visa to enter the United States, Rosa agreed to pay the transportation fee for Ricardo.

Although Ricardo had not attracted any suspicion on his practice runs, when he tried to enter the United States with Rosa in the secret comparment, U.S. border patrol agents stopped him. Upon inspection of the vehicle, they discovered the secret compartment with Rosa curled up inside. Thus began Ricardo’s problems with the criminal justice system.

After questioning at the border, the agents transported Ricardo to the high rise federal holding center known as Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego. Ricardo stands at average height and he is of stout build, but when he heard what sounded like madness coming from within the prison cells, he said that he felt a bit anxious about being locked inside. The unknown of what was to come frightened him.

Ricardo did not have financial resources to hire an attorney, and as an indigent defendant, a public defender came to interview him. Her name was Bridgit, and she walked Ricardo through the judicial options available to him. He cuold contest the charges, she said, but in all likelihood a jury would convict him. The penalty for smuggling people into the United States illegally could expose Ricardo to 10 years in prison. In light of his lacking any criminal history, Bridgit suggested that Ricardo agree to a fast-track proceeding. Through such an option, Ricardo would plead guilty and face a sentence that would not exceed 18 months. Ricardo agreed without hesitation.

The experience of being separated from his family and living in confinement humilated Ricardo. His hopes to dig himself out from debt had brought disaster. Not only did he fail to raise any money from the venture, he was locked in jail and facing a lengthy separation from his family. When he spoke with Wendy over the phone to explain the predicament he had created, both cried over the phone. The news shocked her, though she totally supported him.

After 11 days, the judge released Ricardo on a signature bond. He spent the next seven months at home, making every arrangement possible to provide for his family during the time he would be apart. At the sentencing hearing, Ricardo tried to express his remorse for having disappointed his family. Tears welled up in his eyes and he couldn’t bring the words out of his throat. The ordeal felt as if it were paralyzing him. He had tried to wrap his mind around the worst-case scenario of 18 months, but he held onto hope for something better.

The judge seemed sympathetic, Ricardo said. After listening to Ricardo’s plea for leniency, the judge made some favorable comments on the defendant’s long work history, stable family, and community support. “You did break the law, however,” the judge said sternly, “and for that I must send you away.”

When Ricardo heard the judge say those words, he lost all ability to comprehend further. A haze came over his mind, making everything a blur. The judge kept talking from the bench, but Ricardo could not register anything other than thoughts about being separated from Wendy and from their children.

His lawyer eventually led him out of the courtroom. Ricardo said he still didn’t know what had happened, but when he saw his family members gathering around him in tears, he expected that the sentence must have been severe. His lawyer finally explained. The judge had sentenced Ricardo to serve four months in prison, and a four-month term of home confinement would follow immediately.

A few weeks later, Wendy drove Ricardo to the prison in Taft. Since he would only be away for four months, Ricardo said that he would prefer not to visit. He didn’t want to traumatize his family by allowing them to see him in prison clothes.

When I spoke with Ricardo, he had just completed his first month as a prisoner in Taft Camp. A counselor had assigned him a janitorial job that kept his days busy with a rag and a mop, but he felt bored, lonely, and disappointed in himself for having made a decision that had resulted in the separation from his family. During that first month of imprisonment, Ricardo dropped 20 pounds and he intended to lose more. The time alone brought reflections on how he had been living his life and changes he wanted to make when he returned home.

One month of imprisonment has been difficult on Ricardo. He sympathized with prisoners who were serving more severe sentences, or prisoners who already had served several years, though such thoughts did not diminsh the pain he felt at being apart from his wife and children. Not knowing that he could wear his wedding band in prison, he had left it home. Ricardo said he was constantly pressing his ring finger, and with the ring missing, he longed for his wife all the more.

The nights spent on his rack convinced Ricardo that he wanted to live his life differently upon release. He would work harder to show Wendy how much he cherished their marriage; he would carve time from his schedule to attend field trips and other events with his children. He wrote six letters home each week, and he cried when he read the letters he received in the mail.

The time Ricardo would serve in prison, I assured him, would pass much more quickly than he realized. The first portion hurt the most. As he developed goals and a routine, the weeks would pass much faster. He said he would use his remaining time to read books that would introduce him to parenting and family leadership. Ricardo wants nothing more than to return home as a better husband and father.

The post Human Smuggling from Mexico appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Throughout my prison adjustment I’ve thought about the steps I could take to earn a living after my release. I began serving my prison term when I was 23 and my lengthy sentence suggested that I would remain incarcerated until my late 40s. By working to educate myself I hoped to create opportunities that would lead to a meaningful life. The one thing I knew was that I would not want to return to prison once I was released. I made all decisions pertaining to my prison adjustment with hopes of preparing for the challenges that awaited me.

I had never been confined before, so I didn’t know what type of obstacles I would face. The responsibility would be mine to overcome them. My prosecution and imprisonment had resulted in the loss of all my belongings. I knew that meant I would leave prison without financial resources, clothing, or shelter. Now I am advancing to within three or four years of my release, and the economic crisis suggests many challenges await me.

I heard a commentator on CNBC announce that more than 24 million people were out of work in our country. Although economists predict the recovery is beginning, and we should resume growth in 2010, I still see reports of tent cities in Sacramento, Phoenix, Seattle, and other metropolitan areas. The unemployment rate for California is even higher than the national average, at more than 10 percent.

As a newly released long-term prisoner who does not have a work history, I may not find a job upon release. In fact, I’m preparing for that likelihood. Instead of searching for work, I’m trying to position myself for a career as a writer/speaker/consultant and teacher. My loving wife, Carole, helps me work toward this vision. We visit each week and together we plan for such a career.

Through my writing, Carole and I have earned an income that was sufficient to support her through nursing school. That was a plan and investment we made as a team to ensure our family would have stability. Carole works as a nurse now, and she will maintain the earning capacity to sustain our family as I work to establish my career.

Between now and my release date, I will work every day to enhance my chances for success. Soon I may submit another book proposal to my literary agent, as I want to have a new book ready for release when I walk out from prison boundaries. I must continue this prison adjustment of preparation, as I know the responsibility is mine to triumph over the challenges that await me. Carole is my inspiration, and through the work we do together, I feel confident that we will build our happiness to enjoy through the fall and winter seasons of our life. Our loving marriage is not an accident, but a deliberate choice we make each day.

The post Preparing for Happiness Through Adversity appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I’ve now served nearly 22 years in prison. This ought to bring me an air of credibility and authority when I write that a positive attitude can lead to a positive prison adjustment. This year, I’ve begun more significant efforts to document the steps I take to thrive through prison.

As I have done for the past several years, I began 2009 with an announcement of the values and goals that would drive my adjustment. Those guides help me stay on focus, though when conditions require me to modify the goals I set, I do not hesitate. My objective is to emerge from confinement with the skills and resources necessary to succeed. All of my decisions flow to that end. As a consequence of my having clear direction, I still wake each morning with a high degree of energy and an eagerness to make progress toward the goals I set.

Rather than limiting readers to quarterly reports, in 2009 I began recording my daily activities. Through my prison journal entries, I invite readers to follow the steps I take each day to triumph over the adversity of imprisonment. Although I do not have access to computers or typewriters, through the discipline of waking early, I succeed in writing considerable amounts of content to help others learn more about prisons, the people they hold, and strategies for growing through confinement.

With the inauguration of President Obama, and the more liberal Congress, I deem this effort of writing about the prison experience more crucial than at any time during my imprisonment. I hope to advance the call for prison reform. My sentence is nearly complete, so I may not receive any relief from the prison reform that I feel confident our new leadership will bring. As an American citizen, however, I feel a responsibility to share what I have learned with hopes of contributing to a more enlightened society.

Carole and I continue to make investments in our Internet strategy. Through our newly updated blog at prisonnewsblog.com, we’re striving to connect with thousands of citizens each day. As my daily journal shows, I began writing each day of 2009 well before 4:00 AM. In January I posted 92 blog articles. In February I posted 110 blog articles. In March I posted 144 blog articles. My total blog posts in the first quarter was 346.

Besides publishing for my own blog, I’ve begun writing for change.org. During the second quarter of 2009 I hope to create additional opportunities that will expand my reach. The more I publish about the prison experience, the more I can help others grasp the urgency of prison reform. Further, by working to expand my network of support, the more I can enhance my preparations to conquer the challenges that will follow a quarter century in confinement.

These efforts to reach beyond prison boundaries has led to more interest in my work. Producers from Good Morning Americacontacted Carole for assistance with a story they were putting together on the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. And the distinguished research professor Joan Petersilia invited me to contribute a full chapter for her new book Oxford Handbook on Sentencing and Corrections; I’ll be writing about living in prison. These opportunities opened because I continuously reach out.

Prison policies have become more restrictive during the first quarter. I cannot use typewriters anymore to type my manuscript pages. This restriction has exacerbated Carole’s challenge of publishing all the content I write. We’re fortunate to have the support of Josh who has been a saint to assist us with typing and web support. During the first quarter we also began working with a new web design team. They are working diligently to build us a professional platform and to educate Carole and me on effective blogging strategies.

During the first quarter I opened a new mentor relationship with Professor Jana Schrenkler. She coordinated a visit with me here at Taft Camp in February and gave me an opportunity to contribute to the literature on ethics. Each month I expect to write at least one article on ethical lessons I’ve learned from white collar offenders who serve time with me.

Besides making contributions to Professor Schrenkler’s work, I concluded another semester of working with the students in Dr. Sam Torres’ class at California State University, Long Beach. They used my writing as a resource and I responded to questions they asked through the blog.

Since I turned 45-years-old during the first quarter, I scheduled a physical with health services. The end result revealed that I’m in great health, and I attribute that to my exercise routine. In January I ran 284 miles; in February I ran 256 miles; and in March I ran 248 miles. I’ve run every day of 2009 so far, and accumulated 788 miles to date. This puts me ahead of schedule for my goal to surpass the 2,600 miles I ran in 2008.

As a consequence of the heavier writing schedule, I have fallen behind with my reading schedule. Thus far I’ve only completed reading six books, and I should have read more. I’ll need to catch up in order to reach my goal of 25.

My marriage to Carole continues to thrive through our eighth year together. I may have served nearly 22 years in prison, but I feel more blessed than most.

I appreciate the support of all.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Santos

The post First Quarter Report, 2009 appeared first on Prison News Blog.