Prison Professors Charitable Corporation

2025 Progress Report

Building a National Infrastructure for Self-Directed Rehabilitation

Executive Summary

In 2025, Prison Professors Charitable Corporation reached a critical point of maturity. After more than a decade of work developing educational content, documenting outcomes, and building trust within correctional systems, we now stand at a rare, time-bound moment when technology, institutional readiness, and proven impact are aligned.

We want to seize this opportunity, in anticipation of making a meaningful push for reforms that will allow more people to earn higher levels of liberty, based on merit. Those reforms may include:

• Pathways to work release programs and community confinement for those who qualify.
• Decision-support frameworks that justice agencies may use to reclassify people, based on their efforts to prepare for law-abiding, contributing lives upon release. Some of those agencies may include:

• The Bureau of Prisons,
• US Probation,
• The federal judiciary,
• Office of the US Pardon Attorney.

Over the past year, Prison Professors made measurable progress toward its mission of expanding access to education, documentation, and self-advocacy tools for justice-impacted individuals. Through direct engagement with senior leadership of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, nationwide in-person prison visits, and rapid growth of our digital platform, we laid the groundwork for a scalable national system that allows incarcerated people to document their preparation for success and demonstrate readiness for higher levels of liberty.

This moment is significant. The Bureau of Prisons is preparing to deploy tablets across the federal system. For the first time, people in federal prison will receive tablet-based devices equipped with educational content.

This technology opens an opportunity to deliver structured, self-directed programming to every person in federal custody. Based on years of consistent engagement and demonstrated reliability, Prison Professors has earned the trust necessary to serve as a constructive partner in this transformation.

We see a massive opportunity to ensure that Prison Professors programming is easily accessible on these devices from the outset, allowing participants to begin documenting effort, growth, and accountability at scale.

The potential impact is substantial.

Today, more than 5,000 people in federal custody participate in our programming, at no cost to the institution or the individual. The cost to provide those services averages less than $0.60 per participant, per day. We anticipate participation to grow beyond 10,000 individuals before the end of 2026. Participation will expand further with tablet deployment.

As we scale, we anticipate costs per participant to decline significantly. With broader adoption, we anticipate reaching more than 30,000 participants, reducing per-person costs to less than $0.20 per day while dramatically increasing documented engagement and measurable outcomes.

This report summarizes the:

• strategic milestones achieved in 2025,
• outcomes already visible in our data, and the
• infrastructure now in place to support system-wide reform by 2026 and beyond.

More importantly, it explains why we must seize this moment. The convergence of proven content, trusted institutional relationships, and system-wide technology deployment presents a unique opportunity to influence lives at scale and to advance a sustainable, evidence-based model for rehabilitation, reentry, and earned liberty across the federal system.

For data, see our Impact page: https://profiles.prisonprofessors.org/impact

1. Strategic Engagement with Federal Leadership

In the summer of 2025, I met in Washington, D.C. with the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to discuss the state of educational programming and rehabilitative resources across the federal system. During that meeting, the Deputy Director explained that the Bureau lacked dedicated congressional funding for new educational initiatives and described the agency as operating under significant resource constraints.

Within that context, we discussed an alternative approach. I explained that Prison Professors was building a nonprofit, digital education and documentation platform designed to operate independently of federal appropriations. By reducing reliance on government funding, the platform could be deployed more rapidly, scaled more flexibly, and adapted to institutional needs without adding financial or administrative burden to the agency.

We designed our platform to allow every person in custody to:

• Access structured learning resources,
• Document self-directed educational progress,
• Build a verifiable record of preparation for lawful employment and reintegration,
• Create stronger mentor and family relationships that will enhance prospects for success upon release.

This documented record of effort creates objective evidence that can support decision-making by multiple stakeholders, including correctional administrators, probation officers, courts, and, upon release, potential employers seeking individuals who have demonstrated sustained personal accountability and readiness for reentry.

I also shared Prison Professors’ experience deploying educational content through secure tablets in state prison systems. Through the Edovo platform, our programs currently reach more than one million incarcerated individuals. That experience demonstrated both the feasibility and the impact of tablet-based delivery at scale, as well as the operational considerations necessary to implement such systems successfully.

I am encouraged that the Bureau of Prisons is adopting a tablet-based distribution model to expand access to education, communication, and rehabilitative programming across the federal system.

We’re investing with expectations that each of those tablets will include programming from our team at Prison Professors.

2. System-Wide Infrastructure Change

Following these discussions in the summer of 2025, the Bureau of Prisons issued a nationwide Request for Proposals to deploy secure tablets to every person in federal custody. In a follow-up meeting in early December, the Deputy Director confirmed his expectation that the Bureau would issue a tablet contract no later than March 2026, with full deployment across the federal system anticipated by the end of 2026.

According to the agency’s current framework, tablets are expected to provide individuals in custody with access to core communication and rehabilitative functions, including:

• Unlimited phone minutes,
• Potential access to video calling,
• Secure access to educational applications, and
• Opportunities to send and receive electronic messages

In anticipation of this system-wide deployment, Prison Professors will continue to invest in the preparation and adaptation of its educational content. All of our books and courses will be ready for tablet-based delivery upon launch. The Prison Professors application is being designed to allow individuals to complete coursework directly on their devices and to transmit completed assignments into a centralized dashboard.

This infrastructure will allow participants to document effort and progress in real time, producing objective data on participation, completion, and sustained engagement at a scale not previously possible in federal corrections.

For the first time, institutional stakeholders will be able to observe rehabilitative effort as a measurable work product rather than inferred intent, creating a foundation for more evidence-based decision-making across the system. Our team will use the data we collect to advocate for more opportunities that will encourage people to “live as the CEO of their life,” engineering self-directed pathways to prepare for success upon release.

3. Nationwide Authorization and Facility Engagement

Following these initial meetings, the Bureau of Prisons authorized me to visit federal facilities nationwide and to meet with Executive Staff at each institution as part of an early implementation effort. This level of access allowed Prison Professors to begin laying the operational and cultural groundwork necessary for system-wide adoption ahead of the forthcoming tablet deployment.

During the second half of 2025, I visited more than 30 federal prison locations, delivering full-day, in-person presentations to individuals across all security levels. I designed those engagements to earn trust, introduce programming opportunities, and to establish a shared understanding of how education, documentation, and accountability function together within the Prison Professors model.

Each visit focused on:

• Explaining how to build and maintain a Prison Professors profile,
• Demonstrating how progress is documented through written assignments,
• Teaching participants how education can be used as a form of self-advocacy,
• Emphasizing personal accountability and measurable preparation for reentry,
• Providing coursework so individuals could begin participating and building documented records of effort in advance of tablet rollout.

These in-person engagements served as an essential bridge between concept and implementation. They directly contributed to the adoption and sustained participation now reflected on the Prison Professors dashboard, and positioned the platform for rapid expansion once tablet-based access becomes available system-wide.

4. Measurable Dashboard Results

As of December 20, 2025, the Prison Professors dashboard reflects measurable outcomes from program activity across the federal system:

• 4,949 individuals in federal custody actively enrolled,
• 36,194 documented assignments completed,
• Each completed assignment earning a verified point tied to a specific educational activity,
• Points tracked daily to create a continuous record of participation and effort

These data points provide objective evidence of engagement, effort, and sustained participation. Unlike traditional program metrics that rely primarily on enrollment or attendance, the Prison Professors system captures documented work product, including all the written assignments that reflect deliberate effort over time.

This measurement framework allows for longitudinal tracking of individual progress and creates a verifiable record of accountability that can support institutional decision-making.

As tablet-based access is deployed system-wide, data will be captured in real time, enabling continuous measurement of participation, completion, and engagement at a scale not previously achievable in federal corrections.

5. Facilities Visited in 2025

During the second half of 2025, I conducted in-person presentations and Executive Staff meetings at the following federal facilities as part of a nationwide implementation and engagement effort:

1. USP Victorville, CA
2. FCI 1 Victorville, CA
3. FCI 2 Victorville, CA
4. SCP Victorville, CA
5. USP Canaan, PA
6. FCI Otisville, NY
7. FPC Otisville, NY
8. FCI Danbury, CT
9. USP Hazelton, WV
10. FCI Hazelton, WV
11. SFF Hazelton, WV
12. SCP Hazelton, WV
13. FPC Morgantown, WV
14. FCI Leavenworth, KS
15. FCI Waseca, MN
16. FCI Rochester, MN
17. FCI Sandstone, MN
18. FPC Duluth, MN
19. FCI Atlanta, GA
20. FCI Miami, FL
21. FPC Miami, FL
22. USP 1 Coleman, FL
23. USP 2 Coleman, FL
24. FCI Coleman, FL
25. FPC Coleman, FL
26. FCI Herlong, CA
27. FCI Ashland, KY
28. FPC Ashland, KY
29. FCI Manchester, KY
30. USP Big Sandy, KY
31. USP McCreary, KY
32. FCI Lexington, KY
33. USP Victorville, CA (With deputy director)
34. FCI 1 Victorville, CA (With deputy director)
35. FCI 2 Victorville, CA (With deputy director)
36. FCI Mendota, CA
37. FPC Mendota, CA
38. USP Atwater, CA
39. FCI Atwater, CA
40. FCI 1 Lompoc, CA
41. FCI 2 Lompoc, CA
42. FPC Lompoc, CA

6. Expenses and Investment Strategy

Prison Professors Charitable Corporation is currently in a deliberate growth and infrastructure-building phase. While the organization is not yet revenue-generating, this is by design. In 2026 we will continue to invest in content readiness, implementation capacity, and technology infrastructure necessary to support system-wide scale as tablet deployment begins across the federal prison system.

Operating within correctional environments requires specialized infrastructure, redundant workflows, and in-person engagement that differ significantly from private-sector education platforms. These investments allow Prison Professors to deliver secure programming to individuals without internet access, to document work product reliably, and to integrate with institutional requirements at scale.

Projected 2026 Expenses

Mission-Driven Program Costs

• Donated books (variable):
  Estimated at approximately $50 per participant

• 5,000 participants: $250,000–$500,000
• Anticipated growth to 10,000+ participants during 2026
  

• Travel for in-person facility engagement:

• Approximately $100,000
  

• Studio and video production (tablet-ready content):

• Approximately $100,000
  

• Content creation team: $160,000

Estimated Mission-Driven Cost Range: $610,000–$910,000 (depending on scale)

IT, Platform, and Application Development

Estimated Technology Cost: $285,000

Administrative and Operations

• Administrative and insurance: $136,000

Estimated Administrative Cost: $136,000

Anticipated 2026 Financial Needs

Based on projected participation levels, Prison Professors anticipates a total 2026 operating budget in the range of $1.03 million to $1.28 million.

Costs are expected to rise temporarily as participation increases ahead of tablet deployment. Following full tablet implementation, per-participant expenses are expected to decline significantly as physical book distribution decreases and technology costs are spread across a larger user base.

As of December 18, 2025:

• Cash on hand: approximately $425,000
• Digital asset reserves: approximately $522,000 (6 Bitcoin at ~$88,000 per BTC)

We created a “Donate” button on our website, encouraging others to participate in our mission.

Cost Efficiency at Scale

• At 5,000 participants:
  Approximate cost per participant is $206 per year, or $0.55 per day
  
• At 10,000 participants:
  Approximate cost per participant declines to $128 per year, or $0.35 per day

As participation expands further with tablet deployment, per-participant costs are expected to continue declining, reinforcing the economic viability of the model at national scale.

7. Philanthropic Investment to Self-Sustaining Infrastructure

Prison Professors intentionally seeks philanthropic investment during a defined growth period to reach the scale necessary for long-term sustainability. This philanthropic growth phase is expected to last approximately 24–36 months, after which we expect scale and data maturity to both reduce costs and eliminate reliance on donations.

The organization’s current funding needs are driven by the costs of content development, infrastructure readiness, in-person implementation, and data capture during the early stages of nationwide deployment.

Once we achieve a scale of more than 10,000 participants in 2026, the platform itself creates multiple pathways to self-generated financial support.

As participation increases we will collect more longitudinal data. The Prison Professors platform will become increasingly qualified for competitive public and private grant funding. Government agencies and institutional funders prioritize programs that demonstrate measurable outcomes, consistent engagement, and cost efficiency at scale. The data produced by the Prison Professors platform provides real value, including:

• documented work product,
• sustained participation, and
• longitudinal progress.

This data positions the organization to compete for evidence-based funding opportunities that are not available during early-stage development.

In addition, scale creates alignment with employers and workforce partners seeking access to individuals who have demonstrated intrinsic motivation, accountability, and readiness for lawful employment. Participation in Prison Professors programming is voluntary and does not guarantee employment. However, as documented records of effort accumulate, employers may choose to sponsor educational pathways, credentialing initiatives, or transition programs to build ethical, post-release talent pipelines grounded in demonstrated preparation rather than background alone.

Further opportunities emerge through partnerships with mission-aligned service providers seeking to support successful reentry. Those of those collaborative partners would include:

• Financial institutions,
• insurers,
• telecommunications providers, and
• other community-based partners that want to invest in programs that reduce recidivism risk and support economic stability.

As Prison Professors scales, these partners may sponsor community initiatives, educational tracks, or post-release transition resources, further offsetting operational costs without shifting financial burden to participants.

This model does not rely on a single revenue source. Instead, we’re engineering a pathway to unlock multiple aligned funding pathways that should open once we achieve scale and build data maturity.

Philanthropic investment during the current growth phase enables Prison Professors to reach that threshold. In 2028, Prisons Professors anticipates a transition from donor dependence to a diversified, mission-aligned sustainability model.

8. Conclusion

In 2025, Prison Professors moved from concept to national infrastructure. We established direct working relationships with federal leadership, contributed to the adoption of system-wide technology, expanded access through in-person engagement, and generated measurable data demonstrating how incarcerated individuals respond when given tools to document their own preparation for success.

As tablet deployment begins in 2026, this work positions Prison Professors to support a more rational, evidence-based approach to rehabilitation, reentry, and earned liberty across the federal system.

MEMORANDUM

To: Board of Directors
From: Michael Santos, Founder
Date: 12/18/25
Re: Proposal for Nonprofit to Pay Insurance Expense for Carole and Michael Santos – IRS Reasonableness and Intermediate Sanctions Review

Purpose

The purpose of this memorandum is to request Board approval for the Prison Professors Charitable Corporation to pay an annual insurance expense on behalf of Carole Santos and Michael Santos in the approximate amount of $36,000 per year.

Prison Professors will make these payments, as required, directly to the insurance provider. This memorandum will document the Board’s determination that the arrangement constitutes a reasonable, fair-market value expense in compliance with IRS rules, as defined below.

Background

Carole Santos and Michael Santos provide critical services and leadership to the organization. As part of an overall review of compensation and benefits, management has evaluated this proposed insurance payment in the context of total compensation, organizational needs, and market practices.

The intent of this arrangement is to support continuity, retention, and effective performance while ensuring that total compensation remains reasonable and defensible under applicable federal tax regulations.

Proposal

We propose that the board authorize Prison Professors Charitable Corporation to:

• Pay fair-market value health insurance premiums, directly to the insurance provider for Carole Santos and Michael Santos, at an amount not to exceed $36,000 per year.
• Prison Professors Charitable Corporation will treat this expense as part of total compensation and benefits for IRS reporting purposes, as applicable
• Subject to annual review by the Board as part of compensation oversight

IRS Intermediate Sanctions and Reasonableness Analysis

In accordance with Internal Revenue Code Section 4958 and related Treasury Regulations, the Board has considered whether this arrangement constitutes reasonable compensation and does not result in an excess benefit transaction.

In making this determination, the Board will rely on the following factors:

• The scope, complexity, and responsibilities of the services provided by Carole Santos and Michael Santos
• The organization’s size, mission, and financial capacity
• Comparable compensation and benefits for similarly situated positions at peer nonprofit organizations, where available
• The total compensation package, inclusive of salary, benefits, and this proposed insurance expense
• The organization’s conflict-of-interest policy and governance procedures

The Board will ensure that any individual with a potential conflict of interest recuses themselves from deliberation and voting on this matter.

Based on these considerations, the Board may reasonably conclude that the proposed insurance payment is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the organization, and does not constitute an excess benefit under IRS regulations.

Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness

To the extent applicable, the Board intends this action to satisfy the rebuttable presumption of reasonableness under IRS regulations by ensuring that:

1. The compensation arrangement is approved in advance by disinterested members of the Board or an authorized committee
2. The Board relies on appropriate comparability data in evaluating reasonableness
3. The basis for the Board’s decision is contemporaneously documented in board minutes and records

Financial Impact

• Total annual cost will not exceed: $36,000
• The expense is predictable and budgetable
• Management believes the cost is manageable within current or planned operating budgets

Recommendation

Management recommends that the Board approve the nonprofit’s payment of the insurance expense for Carole Santos and Michael Santos in an amount not to exceed $36,000 per year, paid directly to the insurance provider, and determine that the arrangement constitutes reasonable compensation under IRS intermediate sanctions regulations.

Proposed Board Action

RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors approves the payment by the nonprofit of insurance premiums for Carole Santos and Michael Santos at an annual cost not to exceed $36,000, paid directly to the insurance provider, and further determines that such payment constitutes reasonable compensation and does not result in an excess benefit transaction under Section 4958 of the Internal Revenue Code, subject to annual review and proper documentation.

This report and Memorandum prepared by Michael Santos, founder of Prison Professors.

Signatures Below Indicate Approval of report and Memorandum proposal requesting authorization of insurance expense (Michael Santos will not participate in vote):

Bill McGlashan, Board Member

Agustin Huneeus, Board Member

Peter Hardin, Board Member