Prison Professors' Concept Paper

My name is Mike. I’m not going to give my full name—at least not yet—because I’m still in the halfway house. The Bureau of Prisons released me earlier this May, after serving an 84-month sentence for a white-collar case. While inside, I had the chance to meet Michael Santos when he visited the prison camp. That moment stuck with me.

Michael inspired us with his story about self-advocacy and preparing for success upon release. He had served 26 years in federal prison. Rather than letting it break him, he used that time to build a new life. His message was clear: 

• Anyone can rebuild, but success requires a disciplined approach:
  
  • Visualize success,
  • Create a plan,
  • Prioritize actions,
  • Build tools, tactics, and resources,
  • Adjust as necessary,
  • Measure progress,
  • Execute the plan.

I pledged to reach out and get involved to further the mission once I got out. And that’s exactly what I did.

Turning Time Into Purpose

Now I’m working with Prison Professors to do what I can to advance the organization’s mission. Currently, I’m creating articles based on the educational videos Michael produces. These videos help people start thinking differently and building a plan for success.

I’m learning from and writing about the evolving Concept Paper. We’ll use this Concept Paper to outline the vision behind the Prison Professors Charitable Corporation. We have a heavy lift, because we have to build a coalition, and everyone should understand what we’re striving to achieve. Our audience will include:

• People going through various stages of the system: We want to show them why their preparations for success upon release relates to the possibility of meaningful reform.
• Law firms: We want them to share our nonprofit’s work with people who may not know about what we do.
• Prison Administrators: We want to provide them with resources that will help people inside learn how to work toward success upon release.
• Legislators and policy makers: We want them to know why it makes more sense to open mechanisms for people to work toward earning freedom through merit.
• Citizens: We want support from voters who will see how we can get better results for people in the criminal justice system.
• Employers: We want to open more job opportunities for people who go through the system.

The Concept Paper: A Plan for Change

Michael is constantly revising this paper to reflect changes in the law, in prison policy, and in his own advocacy efforts. The evolving concept aligns with the lessons he teaches. Although we’d like the world to be one way, we must live in the world as it exists. Changes come. Obstructions come. We still must work to further our mission. For example, when the California Department of Corrections cut education budgets, he offered to donate an entire curriculum—for free. That’s what leadership looks like. Further, by showing our mission to others, we build support and strengthen our coalition.

This concept paper describes how we offer free education. We believe that people should have the resources to prepare for jobs and income streams upon release. All our lessons focus on skills people can develop, regardless of what administrators offer. Anyone can work toward character development, personal accountability, and the power of a solid release plan. Built on Integrity

One of the things I like about Michael’s message is its authenticity. He makes three promises:

1. He’ll never lie to us.
2. He’ll never ask us to do something he didn’t do himself.
3. No one will ever have to pay for any of the resources that Prison Professors makes available. 

Those promises strengthened my believe in the organization’s mission. I like that it’s not driven by money, but on making an impact. And I wanted to be a part of it.

Be Part of Something Real

There’s a lot of information to digest on the Prison Professors website, and I like that a weekly newsletter is available. The sponsor, White Collar Advice, offers a free, interactive webinar, and anyone can register at WhiteCollarAdvice.com/Nonprofit.

I’m glad to be working toward a project that is bigger than any one person. I hope you’ll join our community.

‍