Write Your Bio

🧭 Overview

Your biography is the foundation of your Prison Professors profile. It’s your chance to tell the real story—beyond the indictment, beyond the headlines, and beyond the past.

This lesson walks you through how to start your bio, what to include, and how to revise it as you grow.

✍️ Why a Biography Matters

If you've been charged with or convicted of a crime, the government has likely published a press release about your case. That narrative—unless challenged—can define how others view you.

Your biography helps you:

• Take control of your story
  
  
• Show your commitment to growth and transformation
  
  
• Build credibility with decision-makers (judges, BOP staff, potential employers, advocates)
  
  

“You have to show that you are something more than what prosecutors said about you.” — Michael Santos

🖱️ Step-by-Step: Writing Your Bio

1. Log into https://prisonprofessors.org
   
   
2. Click the Profiles button, sign in, and go to your dashboard
   
   
3. Navigate to the Biography section
   
   
4. Click the “+” (plus) icon to begin a new biography
   
   
5. Title your entry clearly:
   
   
   
   • Example: Biography – August 2025
     
     
6. Start writing:
   
   
   
   • Introduce yourself: name, background
     
     
   • Explain what happened in your case (optional)
     
     
   • Describe how you’re using your time to prepare for success
     
     
   • Share goals, lessons learned, and values
     
     

💡 Use AI to Help You Get Started

Don’t know where to begin? Use the built-in AI tool to generate a draft biography. You can:

• Give it prompts (e.g., “Please include that I’ve read 12 books and plan to mentor others.”)
  
  
• Review and revise the draft to match your tone and truth
  
  
• Publish when you feel it accurately reflects you
  
  

“We created this little tool to make it easier for you… but you have to assess whether this is the way you want to be represented.”

🧱 Best Practices

• Date your biographies — helps show evolution over time
  
  
• Write regularly — update as your mindset or progress grows
  
  
• Be honest and introspective
  
  
• Focus on merit — describe the actions you're taking to earn trust
  
  

“You want to show that you aren’t just waiting for calendar pages to turn… that you’re working to prove worthy of a transition to a higher level of liberty.”

🔍 Look at Michael’s Example

Explore Michael Santos’s public profile for inspiration:

• Navigate to the Directory
  
  
• Search BOP Number 16377-004
  
  
• Review his biography and related entries
  
  

❓Takeaway Question

If someone were to read your bio today, what would they understand about your values and goals?

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