Travels and Advocacy
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be traveling across the country to make presentations in federal prisons. My current trip is taking me from California to the Northeast, where I’ll visit:
- A high-security prison in Pennsylvania
- A medium-security prison in New York
- A low-security prison in Connecticut
These are long trips, but they are worth every mile. Each visit is part of our broader mission at Prison Professors Charitable: to improve outcomes for all people in prison and to expand mechanisms that reward individuals who prepare for success.
Our Goal: Expanding Merit-Based Pathways to Liberty
At Prison Professors, we work to create more opportunities for people in prison to earn freedom through merit. We know that everyone makes better decisions when they have incentives and clear pathways forward. Our message is simple:
- Those who prepare for success should be rewarded with higher levels of liberty, at the soonest possible time.
To make that vision real, we’ve built a multi-tiered strategy:
- Courses – We create structured, self-directed courses and distribute them free of charge in prisons across the United States.
- Profiles – We encourage people to memorialize their journeys through biographies, journals, book reports, release plans, and testimonials.
- Dashboards & Leaderboards – We collect data that shows progress, accountability, and community leadership. This evidence strengthens our advocacy for systemic reforms.
Together, these tools create a movement—one where thousands of people inside are documenting their growth and proving they are ready for second chances.
Why Prison Visits Matter
Going into prisons is an essential part of this advocacy. Before I ever speak to the population, I begin each visit by meeting with the Executive Staff of the institution. I explain why it’s so important to incentivize excellence.
When people in prison see that their progress matters—that their work is measured, that it counts toward something tangible—they are more likely to avoid disciplinary problems, invest in self-development, and prepare for success after release.
Our goal is to persuade administrators, policymakers, and the public that rehabilitation is real, measurable, and scalable when we reward people for pursuing it.
What to Expect in My Presentations
My presentations typically last two to two-and-a-half hours, including time for questions and answers. During that time, I share my personal journey—26 years in federal prison—and the lessons I learned about accountability, growth, and preparation.
I walk participants through practical strategies they can use right away:
- Setting clear goals.
- Building habits that support personal growth.
- Using tools like journaling and book reporting to create a body of work.
- Documenting progress in ways that others—case managers, probation officers, judges, or even policymakers—can recognize.
The interactive portion is often the most powerful. People ask direct, heartfelt questions about their challenges, and together we work through solutions that align with their long-term goals.
What Comes Next
This trip is just one of many. Over the next several weeks, I’ll continue traveling to prisons across the country, meeting with staff, and delivering these presentations. Each stop brings us closer to building momentum for a culture that rewards effort, accountability, and excellence.
After each visit, I’ll provide updates here on our website. My hope is that by sharing these stories, more people—inside and outside prison—will see the value of what we’re building together.
We believe in a future where justice-impacted people can prove, through consistent action and documented progress, that they are ready for freedom and success.