Be a Good Man

Have you ever thought about why it matters that we reform our nation's prison system?

I think about it every day—even though I’ve been home since 2013. After serving 9,500 days in federal prison, I have an unshakable conviction: our current system does more to perpetuate failure than it does to foster rehabilitation. We incarcerate more people per capita than any country in the world. We hand down excessively long sentences. And the data is clear: the longer we expose people to “corrections,” the less likely they are to succeed upon release.

That’s not justice. That’s a trap. And it affects everyone—not just the people inside, but the families, communities, and taxpayers who shoulder the burden of a system rooted more in punishment than in transformation.

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🔑 Values-Based Lesson: Be the Change‍

In my view, we should not try to measure justice by the number of calendar pages that turn. We’d be far better off as a society if we measured the efforts a person made to atone, to grow, to rebuild. I’m on a mission to change our nation’s criminal justice system, moving away from a system driven by politics, unions, and budget priorities. It doesn’t make sense to value confinement over character and the pursuit of success.

I remember reading the work of a sociologist—I believe it was Amitai Etzioni—who said something powerful: The bad man is the one who, regardless of what good he has done in the past, has begun to do bad. And the good man is the one who, regardless of what bad he has done in the past, has begun to do good.

Although I read that quote decades ago, while I was still in prison, that idea stuck with me. It is still with me, because it reminds us that we are not our worst decisions—we are the actions we choose going forward. Justice should recognize that truth. And we should strive to bring reforms that will incentivize more people to start working toward being good citizens.

It doesn’t make any sense to lock a person in prison if it make the person worse. The real goal should be to create a pathway for them to work toward reconciliation, and to earn freedom through merit. It will extract the punishment, but also prepare them to return to society with dignity, education, and opportunity.

At Prison Professors, we’re striving to bring such reforms. It’s the reason we work to help people going into the system learn more about their responsibilities. 

✅ Self-Advocacy Action Steps

• Visualize the best possible outcome for your future, regardless of where you are right now.
  
  
• Create a plan that aligns your daily decisions with that long-term vision.
  
  
• Build your toolkit—books, journals, mentors, courses, or digital profiles.
  
  
• Measure progress every week, and adjust when necessary.
  
  
• Contribute to reform by telling your story, advocating for merit-based relief, and supporting others on their path.
  
  

📣 Prison Professors Talent: Build Your Profile‍

If you’re in prison, or supporting someone who is, start building a profile on Prison Professors Talent. Create a biography. Write book reports. Draft your release plan. Document your growth.

Everything we offer is free, modeled on what I did while serving 26 years. I never ask anyone to do anything I didn’t do myself.

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