FCI Danbury

Recap of My Visit to FCI Danbury

I am very pleased to share that FCI Danbury authorized me to make two presentations inside the institution. Ms. Sabrina Moore, the Executive Assistant, coordinated the visit with professionalism and warmth, ensuring that everything went smoothly. We arrived at 8:00 in the morning and spoke through two separate sessions. I was also grateful for the opportunity to meet the Warden and to connect with Amy Boncher, the Regional Director for the Northeast Region.

Each presentation I make inside a federal institution advances our advocacy. At Prison Professors, we encourage people in prison to become extraordinary and compelling. By that, we mean we want individuals to begin building comprehensive, self-directed plans for success—plans that show accountability, intentional decision-making, and a commitment to growth.

Why Planning Matters

When people start planning at the very beginning of their sentence, they put themselves on a new trajectory. They begin to see hope, to imagine a better path forward, and to focus on building the skills and mindset necessary for success upon release. Those intentional efforts are essential not only for personal transformation but also for improving outcomes across the system.

Leaders in the Bureau of Prisons and in society at large are more likely to be receptive to our call for reforms if we can demonstrate that more people in prison are taking these steps. Reforms that incentivize excellence will only come when we collectively show that incarcerated individuals are striving to prepare for meaningful, law-abiding lives.

Building Momentum: Lessons from Good to Great

In my presentations at FCI Danbury, I used analogies to illustrate these lessons. One that helps me convey the message comes from Jim Collins’s book Good to Great. Collins describes the “flywheel effect”—the idea that building something great is difficult at first, requiring immense effort to get the wheel moving. But with persistence, consistency, and vision, momentum begins to build. Over time, that momentum generates results far beyond the initial effort.

That principle applies not only to personal growth in prison but also to our advocacy for systemic change. The more individuals push themselves to grow, the stronger the collective momentum becomes, advancing us toward safer communities and a more effective justice system.

Gratitude

I remain deeply grateful to all leaders at the Bureau of Prisons who trust me to deliver this message of hope and accountability. By opening doors for me to speak inside facilities like FCI Danbury, they help us plant the seeds of transformation. Together, through persistence and shared vision, we can be the change we want to see.