With hopes of helping other prisoners enjoy more successful adjustments following release from prison, I’d like to share what I learned from Rick, an obviously bright man who had significant earning potential.

Rick was the epitome of a self-made entrepreneur. Despite his not having a gold-plated academic pedigree or family wealth, he built a seven-figure net worth by raising capital for various business ventures, marketing, and offering consulting services. When he was in his early 40s, however, a violation of securities laws resulted in Rick’s being investigated for mail fraud. Wanting to clear his name and put the matter behind him, Rick said that he cooperated fully. After pleading guilty to a single count of mail fraud, he reported to a federal prison camp to serve his 33 month sentence.

A combination of good time credit, halfway house, and time off for completion of the Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Awareness Program (RDAP), meant that Rick could complete requirements for the prison portion of his sentence in 16 months; he would follow release from prison with six months in a halfway house. Such opportunities inspired hope. Rick could see the end, or the possibility for a new beginning, and he adjusted accordingly.

While serving his initial sentence in the prison camp, Rick worked full time as an orderly for the Receiving and Discharge department. He exercised religiously, organized activities, tutored other prisoners, and complied with all prison expectations. He focused on making the best use of his time so he could return to society, complete the requirements on his three-year term of supervised release, and resurrect his career as a prosperous entrepreneur.

After 16 months passed, Rick walked out of federal prison camp a quasi free man. He reported to his assigned halfway house and listened as the administrator laid down expectations. While in the halfway house Rick remained beholden to the BOP rules. The terms of his early release required Rick to sit through classes on drug aftercare, with which he complied even though he thought them an unnecessary nuisance in his particular case.

With the strict conditions of the halfway house, Rick made the personal decision to give authorities the impression that he would accept a nondescript adjustment with his return to society. He didn’t want any attention devoted to him and thought the best way to complete his term in the halfway house, along with his three years of supervised release, would require him to live as low-key as possible.

Other men with whom Rick served time in prison and in the halfway house influenced his adjustment decision. From them, Rick heard that federal probation officers resented felons who came out of prison to lives of affluence and opportunity. The people who would supervise Rick’s release, he came to believe, would not want him to engage in business transactions, provide investment advice, consult, or participate in other ventures that he felt qualified to pursue. Rather than pushing matters, Rick said that he decided to comply with employment expectations he believed probation officers thought were appropriate for people who were released from prison.

Rick accepted a job that would pay him $10 per hour with a marketing company that an acquaintance operated, and he structured his life in a manner that would reflect that he was living within his means. Rather than requiring his wife and family to sacrifice their affluent lifestyle, Rick set up separate housing for himself in an apartment that would be consistent with his $10 per hour earnings. Although the probation officer could micromanage Rick’s life, he did not want his troubles with the criminal justice system spilling over to his family. Until he completed his three years of supervised release, Rick wanted to be invisible, or forgettable, as far as concerned his probation officer.

Once Rick completed the halfway house portion of his sentence, he moved his personal belongings into the apartment he rented. He kept the utilities in his name, and he slept in the apartment each night. Early each morning Rick would visit his wife in the home where she lived with their youngest son. After the visit, Rick would report to work at the marketing company, though his responsibilities suggested he was worth far more than the nominal wage.

Although Rick did not have an equity interest in any business venture, and he did not personally receive any type of compensation besides his $10-per-hour wage, Rick was directly responsible for tens of millions of dollars in annual revenues. His elder son, who was 22, set up a marketing company that received millions of dollars in annual revenues. Rick could file technically legitimate monthly reports with his probation officer that suggested he was a $400-per-week employee, but even a cursory investigation would suggest that Rick was, in reality, a chief executive officer.

The federal probation officer tolerated Rick’s adjustment for the first half of his term on supervised release. He had kept current with his monthly reports, and no one could find fault with his financial statements. Rick managed his expenses to the penny, promptly making a $500 monthly restitution payment. When the probation officer asked Rick why he did not pursue a career opportunity more commensurate with his skills and earning capacity, Rick said that he did not want to accept such responsibilities until he had completed the terms of his supervised release.

Recognizing the irregularity, Rick’s probation officer ordered Rick to comply with tighter restrictions. His attempt to lead a nondescript life had failed. Rather than mailing in monthly reports, as Rick had done during the first 18 months of his supervised release, the probation officer made changes. With her suspicion aroused, she began requiring him to submit detailed reports that would account for his hourly whereabouts for the week ahead; Rick had to send that schedule by fax each Monday morning, and he was required to report in person to the probation officer regularly.

With Rick’s hourly schedule, the probation officer could observe Rick much more closely. The probation officer and a colleague would show up unannounced at the marketing company where Rick was supposedly earning $10 per hour. Rather than seeing a man who swept floors and made copies, the probation officers found Rick leading seminars, directing sales teams, coaching executives, and instructing his son how to increase revenues. Despite his charm and smooth preparation skills, Rick had lost all trust and credibility with the probation officer who was supervising his release.

The federal probation officers did not charge Rick with violating the conditions of his supervised release at once. Instead, they monitored him more closely. Thinking that he was in compliance with the technical conditions, Rick continued to submit his monthly reports, his weekly schedule, and he was careful to show deference and respect during his required visits to the probation office. Although he visited with his wife and younger son daily in their home, Rick returned to the low-budget apartment he maintained to sleep each night. He was committed to making it through the final months of his supervised release.

The probation office wasn’t having it. Rick had completed 34 of the 36 months he was required to serve on supervised release and he thought he was about to be discharged as a free citizen. Not so. Instead, the probation officer ordered Rick to come in for an unscheduled visit. The U.S. Marshals were waiting for him and took him into custody. The probation officer charged Rick with violating several conditions of his supervised release, including his filing of misleading reports, untruthful financial statements, and inappropriate business relationships.

As an offender on supervised release, Rick was not entitled to the higher standard of proof that applied to defendants in a criminal case. Instead of a unanimous verdict that would require jurors or a judge to find that Rick had violated the law beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge only had to conclude that a preponderance of the evidence suggested that Rick was in violation of his supervised release requirements.

While Rick believed he was advancing toward discharge and complete freedom, the probation officer was building a compelling case against him. The judge convicted Rick and sentenced him to serve a flat year in prison. Following his release from prison, Rick would begin a new two-year term of supervised release.

As a long-term prisoner I have had the questionable privilege of interviewing and writing about hundreds of federal prisoners. I have known many who left confinement to complete their terms on supervised release without disruption, and I have known many more who, sadly, because of their misguided efforts to hoodwink the probation office, returned to complete new terms of supervised release.

My experience convinces me that the best way to complete a term of supervised release successfully is to live with complete transparency. I am not a believer that probation officers have an inherent bias against offenders who transition from prison to successful careers. I am in contact with many people who concluded their prison terms and, upon release, launched ventures that brought them millions of dollars in earnings. Their strategy required absolute honesty, offering the probation officer complete access to all schedules and financial records without reservation or hesitation.

Succeeding on supervised release, I felt convinced, required the same five-point strategy that I have written about elsewhere. Those who know my work understand that I based that strategy on what I learned from Dr. Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. Individuals had to lead proactive adjustments. They had to begin with the end in mind. They had to then put first things first. Those who succeeded upon release from prison, just as those who succeeded in any other life venture sought first to understand, and then to be understood. They always thought from a win-win perspective.

Recently I’ve become familiar with the work of Suzy Welch, who is married to Jack Welch, the famous former chairman of General Electric. She has spoken about a concept by which I have lived throughout my 22 years of imprisonment. Suzy Welch articulates the concept as ten-ten-ten thinking. When individuals think about how the decisions they make will influence their lives in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years, they tend to make better decisions.

Rick was scheduled to serve several more months with me at Taft Camp and expected release in the fall of 2009. Upon his return home, he intended to adjust much more transparently, with full disclosure and completely open communications with his probation officer. He was 50-years-old and starting over, determined to extinguish his problems for good. I could see the anguish this second separation from family caused. The sad truth, he knew, was that he should have finished with the criminal justice system long ago.

The post Violating Conditions of Supervised Release appeared first on Prison News Blog.

During the 15-plus years that John served, he endured the family struggles that plague many prisoners. His wife left him. The teenage children that John left behind had grown into adults with families of their own. He suffered feelings of abandonment from society. Those troubles led John into bouts of periodic depression and apathy. He didn’t exercise much, and the starchy prison diet brought on morbid obesity. He was 52-years-old and walking out of prison into a world of hardship.

John told me about his early adjustment. He was a Mexican-American who came from a blue-collar background, and he dropped out of high school in his sophomore year. “School wasn’t never for me,” he said.

Without much of an education, John picked up work as an unskilled laborer at first. He mowed lawns, he dug ditches, he hauled garbage from construction sites. In his mid-20s, John found a job in a mechanic’s shop, and he worked for several years changing tires.

The pay was not great, and John wanted more. Dissatisfied with his earning potential, he succumbed to temptation when a drug dealer offered John an opportunity to earn a few thousand dollars by transporting methamphetamine. That poor judgment led to John’s conviction and lengthy prison term.

John was 37-years-old at the start of his term, and the sentence he received extinguished hope. His imprisonment burdened his wife with financial hardship and necessitated that she bring up two young teenage boys on her own. They were evicted from their home. John had created a mess without an apparent end, and, when his family deserted him, he chose to forget about the outside world.

“You just have to do the time,” John explained his perspective to me before he left. “Ain’t nothin’ you can do about the outside world. What happens, happens. It’s best to just forget about what you left behind. That way you ain’t waitin’ for letters that ain’t comin’, or worryin’ about who’s not acceptin’ phone calls. I just made my life in here.”

Without a prior criminal record, John served the first eight years of his sentence in low-security prisons. Nothing mattered; he didn’t set goals. John said that he passed his time running with the fellas, “the homies.” That meant a directionless adjustment, presiding over the poker games, hustling contraband, and doing whatever was convenient to move from one day into the next. Frequent disputes led John to spend his share of time in segregation. “The hole’s just another part of the prison.” His perspective was that of many long-term prisoners.

When John reached his mid-40s, administrators transferred him to the Taft Federal Prison Camp. In the camp, John said that he changed his adjustment. He began participating in community-service projects. For the final five years of his term, John worked daily on road crews picking up debris from the highway; he worked tending to local fields and parks; he provided needed labor for church and charity groups. The work brought him more sense of purpose, he said.

The community service may have eased John’s final years in prison, but it didn’t prepare him for the colossal challenges that he was about to confront in the real world. John said he appreciated the generous lunches he ate while working on the community projects, and he took pride in the Certificates of Appreciation he received. Staff members considered John a model inmate.

As of this morning, however, John was an inmate no longer. He returned to Long Beach, where unemployment rates exceeded 10 percent for citizens without criminal records. Overweight Hispanic men in their 50s, with substandard education levels, lacking a work history, and ties to society, would face significantly higher levels of unemployment. As a released prisoner, John was about to encounter the worst job market in his lifetime.

At Taft Camp, signs abound touting the administration’s mission of preparing offenders for re-entry. In a few hours, unfortunately, I think John will discover just how unprepared he is to meet the challenges of a successful transition to society. He doesn’t have financial resources, prospects for employment, housing, a vehicle, insurance, or even clothes to wear. His immersion into the prison culture provided John with his reserved seat in the television room, respect from the homies, clothing, shelter, and food, but that era was over. Living as a model inmate, in the end, has set John up for extreme hardship that begins now.

What could administrators do differently to prepare offenders for re-entry more effectively? From my perspective, the answers are obvious. Academic research presents compelling evidence that community ties and employment represent the most effective determinants for success upon release from prison. Accordingly, if administrators truly wanted to prepare offenders for re-entry, they would facilitate programs that help prisoners build stronger community ties and employment prospects.

John served the final seven years of his sentence in a minimum-security prison on the honor system. Fences did not confine him. If administrators deemed John trustworthy enough to travel into the community daily, then he ought to have been trustworthy enough to furlough his community on a basis sufficient enough for him to have built stronger community ties. If he was trustworthy enough to volunteer regularly on community projects, then he should have been trustworthy enough to have completed a community-based vocational or apprenticeship program. Had he earned journeyman certification in a trade, John could have transitioned from prison into meaningful employment – or at least he would have had better prospects for employment.

Senator Jim Webb has called our nation’s prison system a national disgrace. I know that it’s a disgrace because I’ve been confined in various prisons of every security level since 1987. Administrators in prisons post platitudes about the importance of preparing offenders for re-entry, though my experience is that they feel cynical about those who pursue meaningful and sustained preparations for release. During my confinement I’ve kept a record free of disciplinary infractions. I’ve earned an undergraduate and a graduate degree. I’ve published several books, designed and taught several classes, contributed to programs inside and beyond prison boundaries. This deliberate adjustment has helped me build a thriving network of national support. Yet prison administrators at Taft Camp say I have not done enough to merit 13 days in extra good time for which my sentence can allow me to absorb.

Prisons extinguish hope, and they do so brilliantly.

The post John Gets Released From Prison appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Frank and Gloria

Frank had been married to Gloria, his childhood sweetheart, at the time of his conviction. Together, they were the parents of three sons, each of whom was in his early teens. Frank had agreed to transport the drugs for local traffickers in a misguided effort to provide for his family. He had been working as a mechanic, scraping by but not thriving. The opportunity to supplement his income by carrying drugs from one city to another ended up costing him much more than his freedom.

Soon after a judge sentenced Frank to prison, Gloria divorced him. She felt that her primary responsibility was to rear the couple’s three sons. Since Frank had made the bad decisions that would separate him from the family for so many years, Gloria felt that the best way to move her family forward would be to make a clean start. Frank understood. Her decision to divorce devastated him, but he knew that he had brought the problems upon himself, with his decision to participate in drug trafficking.

Frank served the first eight years of his sentence inside the cages of secure prisons. While locked inside, he admits to having adjusted to the negative influences. Gangs were active, and to him, survival meant adhering to the ways of the penitentiary. Everyone has seen the violence and corruption of the prison on television, and Frank’s adjustment while inside fed into the stereotype. Without hope, he forgot about the world outside and made decisions that he felt were necessary to survive inside.

A consequence of Frank’s early prison adjustment meant that he served lengthy stretches in the punishment cells of solitary confinement. During the past 22 years I’ve been locked in prisons of every security level. I’ve known thousands of prisoners who, like Frank, adjusted negatively because they had lost hope. The length of sentence was so long, and the depth of loss so profound, that they could not muster the will to think about a life outside. Frank’s wife had moved on. His sons were growing from boys to men and he was incapable of playing a large enough role in their lives. After six years of confinement, his mother died. Frank felt lost to the world, as if he was living in his own tomb.

After his eighth year inside the fences, however, Frank had crossed the fulcrum. He had more time in prison behind him that he had of prison time ahead. As a consequence of more calendar pages turning, administrators adjusted Frank’s classification score and transferred him to the minimum-security camp in Taft.

The transfer to camp made all the difference in the world to Frank. Double fences that were capped with coils of razor wire no longer confined him. Since he was not caged up like a wild animal, he began to feel a bit more human. In the camp, all signs of tension were missing. Prisoners in the camp still longed for the closeness of family and community, but the absence of gang pressures along with lower tensions between the prisoners and staff lessened the perceived need to project a hard and impenetrable demeanor. Hope began its return to Frank’s life.

After a few months of good behavior in the camp, Frank qualified to participate in a community service program. He had been confined to the wrong side of prison boundaries for eight years. That long period of confinement had eroded his sense of the broader society. Once he was allowed to leave the prison camp to participate in volunteer projects that would contribute to the Taft community, Frank said that his entire adjustment changed. He began to feel as if he were living a life of meaning, as if he were something more than a prisoner.

Since 2003, Frank has slept inside the boundaries of Taft’s prison camp, but he has spent a portion of every week as a regular volunteer for community-service projects. During that time he has given more than 2000 hours, frequently working without staff supervision in the city of Taft for its residents. He performs landscaping, maintenance, irrigation, painting, light electrical work or plumbing, and general clean-up services for local nonprofit organizations. He provides needed labor for tourist attractions, recreational centers, health care providers, and churches.

The many years of contribution that Frank has given to the Taft community have changed Frank’s life. When I spoke with Frank, he was 49-years-old and only months away from his scheduled release. He had lost more than 15 years of his life to the prison system, and he struggled with the deep sense of loss that came with his separation from family. Through his community service, however, Frank felt the cleansing power that came through work. It was his act of redemption; Frank’s labor had been his way of reconciling with society for the bad decisions he had made at 34.

The responsible adjustment Frank had made with his transfer to the camp brought him a measure of respect and trust from many staff members. Like the citizens with whom he interacted in the Taft community, many staff members treated Frank with dignity, as if he were simply a fellow human being rather than a federal prisoner. Frank appreciated that courtesy, and it inspired him to prove worthy of the trust staff members extended.

The staff administrators at Taft rewarded Frank’s outstanding adjustment to camp by granting him two furloughs. During the summer of 2008, he was given permission to attend his son’s wedding. Then, in December, administrators authorized Frank to spend the Christmas holidays at home with his family. an unintended consequence of Frank’s furloughs was the rekindling of his romance with Gloria. She was giving him another chance, welcoming Frank back into her heart and into her home.

Frank had fewer than 100 days of confinement remaining when we spoke. He felt grateful for the opportunities that opened for him upon his transfer to Taft Camp. Had he remained locked inside the high-pressure atmosphere of secure prisons, Frank doubted that he would have made the positive adjustment. The negative influences would have kept him on the wrong path. With hope, however, he found a new spirit within him. After more than 15 years of imprisonment, Frank felt ready to live as a contributing citizen, doing everything he could to nurture his family. 

The post Redemption of Frank Fernandez appeared first on Prison News Blog.

As one moves higher in security level, on the other hand, the relationship between staff and inmates becomes much more antagonistic. Guards, who prefer to be referred to as officers, seem much more concerned with citing prisoners with disciplinary infractions. Prisoners feel as though they are being invaded, or that their sense of manhood is constantly being violated. That leads to a hostile atmosphere. The higher the level of security, the more it becomes understood that prisoners and staff members have nothing in common. Those prisoners who do cultivate relationships with staff may find themselves targeted by recalcitrant prisoners.

I have always kept a respectful distance from staff members. As a long-term prisoner, I understand that staff members have a job to perform and that they are not interested in me as an individual. They do not support efforts I make to prepare for release; to them I am more of a prisoner than a man. I am always respectful of staff authority. Yet I know that they focus on preserving the security of the institution. Regardless of how friendly they may seem, I know they have the power to disrupt me and my family by transferring me to a prison thousands of miles away. I am respectful, but not cozy with staff.

During the 21 years that I have served, I have known very few altercations of a physical nature between inmates and staff. One of the prisoners with whom I was confined in the penitentiary, killed a guard with a hammer. I’ve known a few others who punched a guard. Yet those altercations were rare, as all prisoners knew that severe consequences followed any inmate assault on staff.

Most prisoners understand and respect the job that staff members have to perform. They accept a high degree of mistrust and cynicism from the staff. Yet it is not unusual for prisoners to serve many years without altercations or confrontation with staff. There are frustrations, of course, but frustration is part of living with others, in or out of prison.

The post Relationships Between Prisoners and Guards appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Gus told me how federal prosecutors who were hungry for a high profile immigration case issued a criminal indictment against him for smuggling human beings from Cuba. In the story, “Legendary Agent from Cuban-American Community Convicted,” I described Gus’s story for readers.

Those who have an interest in professional baseball, and Cuban players in particular, may find some value in the article.

The post Professional Sports Agent Serves 60 Months for Smuggling Cuban Athletes appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I keep track of my daily progress by recording my activities in a weekly planner. When this year began, I knew that we would have several events to help the time pass faster. This being an election year, my daily entries show that I’ve been following the primary elections closely. I subscribe to several news magazines to keep me current with political events, and most evenings I watch the national television news or listen to reports on NPR. This year there has been so much to follow.

As a long-term prisoner, I am especially hopeful that Barack Obama wins the White House. After the first three months of the year, his candidacy is the strongest, despite recent controversy over remarks from his former pastor. With Obama, I am convinced that America would end Bush’s war in Iraq, bring health care to all Americans, enjoy a better economy, and perhaps most important on a personal level, move toward real and meaningful prison reform.

Besides the legislation that an Obama Presidency may inspire, I’m pleased to see that the 2008 Congress has passed The Second Chance Act of 2007. According to a press release from the Bill’s sponsor, Representative Danny Davis, President Bush will sign this Bill into law at a signing ceremony on April 9, 2008. To me, this historic legislation bodes well for the possibility of programs that will enable those of us in confinement to build stronger ties to family and community. I have written an article and a speech that describes why the Second Chance Act encourages me. Readers who are interested may review those writings.

This quarter has given me several speaking opportunities as well. In mid-February I was able to travel to Bakersfield with our outreach program to speak with at-risk adolescents about the perils of criminal lifestyles. Besides that outing, I enjoyed the privilege of making presentations to audiences here at Taft Camp. In one speech, I spoke about the development of leadership skills and in another I described the Second Chance Act from a historical perspective. Speaking before large groups opens opportunities to build upon skills that will help my transition to society. I value those opportunities and devote scores of hours to preparation. For my speech on leadership I pulled information from several books that I recently read, and for my speech on the Second Chance Act I took detailed notes from many sources. After writing each speech, I practiced my delivery, devoting many hours in an effort to come across in a lucid, polished manner. Regardless of what career I pursue upon release, I am convinced that the development of effective communication skills will prove a valuable resource.

To that end, and as I outlined in my goals at the beginning of this year, I devote a significant amount of time to reading and writing each day. In the first quarter I read 12 books, each of which had a direct influence on my preparations for release. I’ve written a brief report on each book I read, and for some of those books I recorded detailed notes that will advance my writing projects.

I also spent hundreds of hours writing a new manuscript. Previously I wrote about that book with a working title 25 Years to the Door. I have written three versions of an opening sequence for that memoir. Each version had at least 15,000 words, but none satisfied me. I chucked them all. This memoir will be an important component of my release plan. Since I will not submit the manuscript for publication until I am much closer to release, I intend to continue working on the manuscript with hopes of creating a compelling memoir. I have changed the title, though, to The 45-Year Gift.

My exercise has been progressing in accordance with the schedule I set. In early March, I attempted to add evening tennis games to my routine. On my second night of playing, however, I snapped the muscle in my right calf. That injury has been plaguing me since. The pain put an immediate suspension to tennis. Worse than the loss of tennis games, it stopped my ability to run on the track. The pain is too severe. Fortunately, I’ve been able to exercise by running on the elliptical machine and exercise with the stair climber; as long as there is no heavy impact, I’m able to keep up with my goal of logging more than 40 miles each week, and more than seven hours of weekly exercise. My weight remains constant between 173 and 176 pounds.

In light of the Second Chance Act, I expect release to a halfway house no later than August of 2012. Release could possibly come as early as 2011, depending on a decision from the parole board. If Obama wins the Presidency, I anticipate prison reform could result in my release as soon as 2010. Because of these developments, my wife and I have had to make adjustments to our plans for my release.

Carole graduates from nursing school in May. Our original plans had been for her to continue advancing her professional credentials, however, as a consequence of my anticipated earlier release, Carole and I have decided that we should change those plans. Rather than continuing with another year of schooling, Carole will sit for the board exams to provide her with nationally recognized nursing credentials, followed by relocation to Kern County. That way, she can begin working and contributing to a savings plan that will help my transition to society. Her relocation will ease her commute for weekly visits as well.

I am immensely proud of both Carole and our daughter Nichole. Together we have set a plan in place, and this June Nichole will graduate one year ahead of schedule from high school while Carole brings more stability to our family with her nursing degree. We’re all enthusiastic about the opportunities we will open through the remainder of 2008 and beyond. The hefty monetary fine I received at sentencing in 1988 expired during the month of March, so Carole and I are free to make progress toward our financial security. Life is really moving forward in meaningful ways as I finish these final years in confinement.

Although I expect legislative changes that could advance my release date, the bottom line is that I have nearly 21 years of imprisonment behind me. I am moving closer to home, and I feel better than ever. The support I receive from so many is a blessing, and for that I am grateful.

The post First Quarter Report, Taft Prison Camp 2008 appeared first on Prison News Blog.

The warden of Taft Camp made this vision possible by authorizing me to speak with Dr. Sam Torres and a group of his students from California State University in Long Beach. Although Dr. Torres and I have been building a friendship through four years of correspondence, yesterday was our first opportunity to meet. He has tried to visit me in previous facilities, but institutional rules prohibited our visit because Dr. Torres and I do not have a friendship that precedes my imprisonment. The warden at Taft, however, used his discretion to allow Dr. Torres and his students to tour Taft’s prison, and authorized 45 minutes for me to speak with the group.

The university students are pursuing degrees in criminal justice and many are considering careers in law enforcement. Since Dr. Torres assigns my book Inside as part of their learning curriculum, the students were somewhat familiar with my life and my work. I enjoyed the privilege of contributing to their education and of helping them understand confinement from a long-term prisoner’s perspective. Those students will eventually assume leadership roles in our criminal justice system, so I was especially grateful to listen and interact with them. Meeting Dr. Torres, too, was certainly an early holiday gift.

For the 45 minutes that I was speaking with the group, I felt totally free, as if I were a citizen speaking on a university campus. The students asked intelligent questions about the challenges I’ve had in working through this quarter century of imprisonment. My hopes are that I can build a career upon my release by speaking with such groups about the struggles of imprisonment, overcoming adversity, and steps we all can take to improve our nation’s correctional system. The meeting I had yesterday brought insight into how I can prepare further for such a career.

The post College Professor and Students Visit Me at Taft Camp appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Without direct access to the Internet or computers, I rely upon Carole to type the hundreds of handwritten pages that I write. Although she has a full schedule of studying to earn perfect grades in nursing school, Carole never neglects my work. It is because of my wife, and the financial support others donate, that I am able to focus on writing and prepare for the challenges I expect to follow my quarter century in confinement.

If every person in prison were so fortunate to have the love and commitment that I receive so freely from Carole, our nation would not suffer from such high recidivism rates. With a loving wife who devotes so much of her life to me, I am inspired to work hard every day. She makes me want to stay physically fit, to broaden my mind and improve my skills, to grow spiritually and emotionally. I commit to her every day, as I feel a deep need to prove myself worthy of the love Carole gives me. I know that this love does not come by accident. God has given me the incredible gift of my wife, yet it is my responsibility to work toward becoming the best man that I can become. She deserves all that I can give, because I know that every day, she is giving me all that she is and all that she can be. I am grateful, and I want the world to know of the gift I have in her love.

The post A Message of Gratitude to my Wife appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I have been in the Taft prison camp for more than three months now. By far, this prison camp offers the best living conditions that I’ve ever experienced since my confinement began in 1987. Some of the prisoners complain, of course, but complaining seems to be a part of confinement. Wherever I have been, prisoners complain. I can understand it, as the people with whom I share space have not experienced as much as I have. They miss their families and communities, and confinement under any kind of circumstances is difficult. Since I have known so much worse, I can say that I wake every morning with enthusiasm and gratitude for the blessings God has bestowed upon me.

During the three months that I have been at Taft Camp, I’ve been very busy. My primary work has been the completion of two new Web sites that I’ve been instrumental in designing. One of the Web sites is called PrisonSuccess.com, and the other Web site is called PrisonAdvice.com. These sites have different purposes from each other, and from my primary site at MichaeISantos.net. I’m optimistic about the opportunities that will open because of my work on these projects.

I designed PrisonSuccess.com in response to a project that I began with my friend Lee Nobmann, of Golden State Lumber. While we were confined together at Lompoc Camp, Lee and I frequently discussed the need for programs that would encourage more offenders to use their time wisely. Together we published two books, one for at-risk adolescents and another to encourage prisoners to step up and accept responsibility for their lives. PrisonSuccess.com has become a component of the Step Up program that Lee’s company sponsored.

Through PrisonSuccess.com, we offer an opportunity for any prisoner to open his own Web site. PrisonSuccess will become a social networking site prisoners may use to document their efforts to grow and prepare for success. This Web project is completely free of charge to all prisoners who sign up to participate. They may post articles, short stories, resumes, goals, book reports, journals and photographs on their personal sites. My hopes are to encourage hundreds, and then thousands of prisoners to participate in this project. I am convinced that those who begin to document their commitment to succeed will have a better chance of overcoming the obstacles that are certain to follow confinement.

The other site I designed, PrisonAdvice.com, will offer content to help people who anticipate a problem with the criminal justice system. Through that Web site, I will publish content regularly that helps others under some of the complexities that accompany prosecution and time in prison. I have written the initial content for PrisonAdvice.com, and I will continue writing profiles of other prisoners and articles during these remaining years that I expect to serve. PrisonAdvice.com differs from MichaelSantos.net because I will use the new site to focus on the prison system rather than on my own journey through confinement. For stories or articles that relate to my own adjustment, I will continue to use my personal Web site at MichaelSantos.net.

I am enthusiastic about these new Web site opportunities because they allow me to continue publishing useful information for people who are in need. Over these remaining years that I expect to serve, I will add significant amounts of content to all of my Web sites. Through this work, I hope to build both a brand and a platform that may help me launch a career as a speaker and consultant for those looking for information about overcoming adversity.

Besides the Web site projects, I’ve also completed my first series of courses with Taft Community College. At Taft Camp, and at the adjacent low-security Taft Correctional Institution, inmates are authorized to study independently with the local college. We have a computer lab with Microsoft programs. I recently completed a course that helped me understand Word and Excel. Previously I had studied courses in both electronic spreadsheets and word processing, but I have never used these popular Microsoft programs. The knowledge I have gained will be helpful upon my release. In fact, it is helpful right now as I am able to use what I have learned to better communicate my needs to Carole.

I’m also participating in the Toastmasters club. While I was confined at USP Atlanta, much earlier during my sentence, I was instrumental in bringing the Toastmasters club to that institution. I really enjoyed participating, as it brought me experience in the art of public speaking. We’re building a vibrant club with the population here at Taft, and I look forward to continuing my participation. This past week I delivered a 30 minute speech that I called Thriving Through Adversity. I spoke without notes, adhering to the following outline: Introduction, describing my own experiences (3 minutes); Values, and Goals, describing the importance of clearly defining both values and goals in order to succeed (8 minutes); Strategies, describing the seven habits that Stephen Covey described in his bestselling book (15 minutes); Benefits, describing the ways these patterns lead to success and happiness (3 minutes); and Conclusion, in which I challenge those in the audience to use this same pattern to succeed.

Another group with which I have signed up to participate at Taft is called T.O.A.D., which is an acronym for Those Outspoken Against Drugs. This group uses inmates at the camp to travel into nearby communities for the purpose of speaking to at-risk adolescents. The TOAD group has been active for several years, and I look forward to the next opportunity to speak with troubled youth. My hopes are that I can help some make better decisions than I made when I was a younger man. My exercise routine continues. I am able to workout regularly. We do not have free weights at this facility, but that is not a problem for me. I am running at least 40 miles each week, and strength training with push ups and dips. We also have several high-quality machines for aerobic training, and the weather is superb. Now that the hot months have passed, I must say that Taft has the best weather that I’ve ever experienced. It’s sunny every day, with low levels of humidity. I really am grateful to be serving my time here.

Over the coming three months, I do not expect to enroll in more classes at Taft College. Instead, I will focus on writing more content for the new Web sites that I am developing. I also will spend time exercising, and watching CNBC. As I write this quarterly report, the market indices are approaching very high levels, and this surprises me. I subscribe to both Business Week and News Week magazines, and I read the Wall Street Journal daily. The news on the sub-prime credit fiasco suggests that millions of people soon are going to face substantially higher mortgage payments, and the credit crunch makes it unlikely that they will be able to refinance. Although the Fed cut interest rates by an unexpected 50 basis points, and the market has gone straight up since then, the economy is going to have to soften. I enjoy watching the pundits on CNBC, even if they are expecting the market indices to continue surging to new highs. My wife, Carole, continues her commitment to nursing school. We both look forward to her graduation next May, when she and her daughter will relocate to the Bakersfield area. Nichole is now an official senior in high school; she completed college-level course work over the summer in order to graduate high school one full year ahead of her class. Both Carole and I are very proud of her. She expects to enroll in a pre-med curriculum when she begins her university studies, in 2008. Beginning in October, I will initiate more regular postings of my daily activities with a Blog that Carole is activating. I encourage readers to follow my progress as I move through these final years of my confinement.

Thank you for your continuing support, and may God bless you all.

The post Thriving Through Adversity: 3rd Quarter 2007 appeared first on Prison News Blog.

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 many years. The group exists to help its members develop strong public speaking skills. Participation is voluntary, and I am glad for the opportunity.

Last week I delivered a 30-minute speech that described the strategies I employed to advance through my first 20 years of prison. No other prisoner at Taft Camp has endured so much time in confinement, so my audience was interested. Rather than speak about the ways that incarceration extinguishes hope, through my speech I explained how various mentors influenced me to work toward a brighter future.

The mentors whom I spoke about were not people that I had actually met. Instead, I spoke about Socrates, Aristotle, and Sun Tzu. I discovered those teachers through an anthology called A Treasury of Philosophy that I read in 1987, while I was awaiting trial at the Pierce County Jail. By reading the works of those ancient philosophers, I discovered the strength I would need to carry me through the many years that I expected to serve in confinement. Besides the ancient philosophers, I also spoke about others who convinced me that I could find meaning in my life and contribute to the world, even if I had to begin my work from inside prison boundaries.

Speaking in front of groups is a wonderful learning experience. I enjoy the challenge of writing a speech, and then spending many hours rehearsing. It is a thrill to speak without notes, and I feel a sense of energy come through me as I capture the audience’s attention. It’s important for me to deliver a message of lasting value, which is why I spend so much time preparing for every speech I deliver.

During today’s meeting, I was an observant rather than a participant. The featured speaker was a man who is serving a relatively short sentence for tax evasion. Prior to his confinement, this man led a career as the CEO of a publicly traded company. He spoke to our group about his experiences with international business. I appreciated the opportunity to listen to such a distinguished speaker.

As crazy as it may sound, living in a minimum-security prison camp offers many opportunities to grow. Our population is a microcosm of society at large. We have groups of highly educated, white collar offenders, and perhaps an equal segment of the population who struggled to adapt to the customs of legitimate society. As a long-term offender, I look for opportunities to learn from everyone I can, and contribute to the lives of those with an interest in what I have to say.

Following the morning’s Taft Toastmasters Club meeting, I attended an afternoon meeting with the Taft Camp TOAD group. TOAD is an acronym for Those Outspoken Against Drugs. The group meets in a classroom under the direction of a staff sponsor, and we discuss ideas on steps TOAD members can take to help at-risk adolescents make better decisions with their lives. Once each month, a few members of the TOAD group attend a field trip to a local school or juvenile detention facility to speak with troubled adolescents. I was recently inducted into the program so a few months may pass before I become eligible to leave the prison to speak with at-risk adolescents, but I am looking forward to that opportunity.

This evening I have more work to complete, but the work I have falls more in line with my independent projects. I am editing previous articles that I have written so that my wife, Carole, can post them on prisonsuccess.com/. In the weeks to come, I’ll write more new content. I hope to continue providing information to help readers develop a better understanding America’s prisons, the people they hold, and strategies for growing through confinement.

I welcome readers’ questions or comments through e-mail at prisonnewsblog@gmail.com, or by writing me directly here at Taft Camp.

The post Mondays at Taft Camp appeared first on Prison News Blog.