Violating Conditions of Supervised Release

Rick, a white collar offender from Las Vegas, was serving a one year term in Taft Prison Camp for violating conditions of supervised release. I listened as Rick told me his story while we sat on a bench near the camp’s tennis courts. The adjustment choices Rick made following his initial release from prison perplexed […]

John Gets Released From Prison

John completed his sentence and walked out of the Taft Prison Camp early this morning. According to national reports, he was one of 2,000 who returned to society from American jails and prisons each day. Adjusting to the world outside would not be easy. During the 15-plus years that John served, he endured the family […]

Redemption of Frank Fernandez

Frank Fernandez was 34-years-old when he began serving his prison sentence. That was back in 1993. He had been convicted of transporting drugs. It was his first serious drug offense, and his judge hammered him with a 210-month sentence. Feeling dazed when the judge slammed his hammer down on the bench, as if he’d received […]

Relationships Between Prisoners and Guards

The relationships between prisoners and guards differ in accordance with security levels. In minimum-security camps, there is a much less hostile atmosphere. I have been confined in minimum security camps since 2003. Currently I am confined at Taft Prison Camp, and I find the officers here to be friendly and unobtrusive. They do not go […]

Professional Sports Agent Serves 60 Months for Smuggling Cuban Athletes

In September of 2008, I had an opportunity to speak with Gustavo “Gus” Dominguez at Taft Prison Camp. Gus was a founder of Total Sports International. He built a thriving career as a sports agent for Major League Baseball. Many of Gus’s clients played for the Cuban national team before they fled Castro’s oppressive regime for […]

First Quarter Report, Taft Prison Camp 2008

I began 2008, my 21st year of imprisonment, with a high degree of optimism. Now that we’ve moved beyond the first three months of this year, I feel better than ever. I keep track of my daily progress by recording my activities in a weekly planner. When this year began, I knew that we would […]

College Professor and Students Visit Me at Taft Camp

After more than 20 years of continuous confinement, every opportunity to interact with or contribute to society comes as an incredibly welcome treat. Yesterday, I had such a privilege, and I will savor the memory for many years to come. These experiences remind me that I will not live as a prisoner forever and that my return […]

A Message of Gratitude to my Wife

More than three months have passed since administrators transferred me from the camp at Lompoc to the camp at Taft. As I’ve written in various other articles, this move has been a good one for me. The living conditions are better than anywhere I’ve been since my confinement began, back in 1987. The one difficulty […]

Thriving Through Adversity: 3rd Quarter 2007

During this past quarter I’ve moved into my third decade of continuous confinement. I am glad to have more than 20 years of continuous confinement behind me, and I’m hopeful that I can conclude my sentence from my current place of confinement, in Taft, California. I have been in the Taft prison camp for more […]

Mondays at Taft Camp

Mondays bring a busy schedule for me here at Taft Camp. I participate in two groups; one consumes my mornings, and another takes up my afternoons. Each Monday morning, at 8:30, I join between 25 and 35 other men for our chapter meetings of the Taft Camp Toastmasters Club. I have participated in Toastmasters for […]

Avoiding the Prisoner Profile

Every man in federal prison is assigned to a particular job. At Taft Camp, where I was transferred in June of 2007, I was assigned to work in the food service department. As far as prison jobs are concerned, I consider my job at Taft one of the best work assignments that I’ve had during […]