November 6, 2026
Deann Tackman Builds a Foundation for Reentry
Written with AI assistance by Prison Professors from Deann Tackman's published work.
Deann Tackman has built a steady record of preparation by turning available opportunities into measurable progress. On September 28, 2026, she completed her high school equivalency credential for the second time after the Bureau of Prisons could not verify her earlier credential. She treated the requirement as an opportunity to prove what she could accomplish now, not as a reason to rely on past achievement.
Her preparation also includes sustained reading and reflection. Tackman read Earning Freedom by Michael Santos for the second time and wrote that the book had influenced her earlier preparation and continued to offer value. In another book report, she described how The Mind Connection helped her examine the relationship between her thoughts, her conduct, and the way she relates to herself, other people, and God. These entries show her using books as working tools rather than simply recording that she finished them.
Tackman has continued that work through structured programs. She began the School of Kingdom Ministry on September 5, 2026, a 30-week course scheduled to continue through April 17, 2027. She also started Non-Residential RDAP and a nine-month Resolve program focused on trauma, learning, and growth. Her recovery record adds a practical measure of persistence: when she wrote her entry, she had remained clean and sober for almost three years.
Preparation extends beyond education and recovery. Tackman works in UNICOR conducting telemarketing surveys for free magazines while identifying appointment-setting work for Spectrum’s VOIP service as a possible next step. Her release plan also identifies a technology and addiction program in Nashville. Across these entries, she keeps connecting present effort to the skills, structure, and accountability she expects to need after release.
Lesson
Reentry preparation becomes more credible when it produces evidence: a completed credential, sustained study, participation in programs, recovery time, and a work direction. Tackman’s record shows how separate activities can reinforce one another when each one serves a practical purpose.
Choose one area of your own release preparation and create a dated record of the next action you will complete?
Challenge question: What dated action will you take this week to make your own release plan more credible?