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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When my judge imposed a 45-year prison term I was 23. At the time, I could not wrap my mind around the severity of the sentence. I had never been confined before, and contemplating the reality that I would serve several decades was surreal. Other prisoners with whom I shared space were serving sentences that were only a fraction of the length of mine. Some of those men had long histories of incarceration, violence, and were unrepentant. I was confined with one school teacher who was sentenced to five years for molesting several young boys. In comparison to those terms, I then felt as if my sentence was absurd, as if there was no way justice would permit my imprisonment for multiple decades. By then I did not have much hope of relief through the judicial system, so I chose to focus on the first ten years. During that first decade, I felt as if the best use of my time would be in educating myself and striving to create opportunities that would prepare me for release.

I studied through courses that would lead to university degrees. As I read more about social philosophy, I discovered the writings of Socrates, Rousseau, and others who helped me understand more about the social platforms on which societies are built. Rather than lamenting on the lengthy sentence I received, I decided to accept that I would serve a long time in prison. Once I accepted that I likely would serve more than 20 years of my life in prison, I could more easily contemplate ways that I could use my situation to make contributions to society. That shift in focus eliminated thoughts about whether justice was achieved in my case, and enabled me to find meaning through thoughts and actions. The shift empowered me.

Justice, I came to realize, represented the will of our citizens through the laws and procedures that elected representatives passed. Lawmakers decided that lengthy sentences were appropriate for nonviolent drug offenders, and the citizens apparently supported those views. My decisions exposed me to the sanctions. Likewise, the decisions I made while serving time would determine my usefulness as a citizen. I chose to prepare myself to live as a model that my bolster my power to persuade taxpaying citizens that the criminal justice system is in need of reform. If I succeed in these efforts, then I will have made a meaningful contribution to society. I will have helped our criminal justice system evolve into a more enlightened model that is more in line with my interpretation of justice.

I will continue working to reform our system, as these efforts offer an opportunity for me to make a meaningful contribution.

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