1. Personal Invitation

If your attorney steered you to this workbook, I see that as an encouraging sign. It suggests that your attorney has confidence in your capacity to learn, grow, and contribute while facing the challenges of a criminal case.

I hope you will consider this self-directed workbook an invitation to begin preparing for the life ahead of you.

• You may have only recently learned about a criminal charge.
• You may have entered a guilty plea or been convicted at trial and begun thinking about sentencing.
• You may already know your sentence and wonder how to prepare yourself and your family for what comes next.

Wherever you are in the process, the decisions you make today can influence the opportunities that may open for you later. Our website offers an abundance of free information that will give you a better grasp of what lies ahead. That insight may make more effective use of your time and energy today, as you prepare to navigate the challenges ahead.

When people prepare early, they give themselves a better chance of shaping their futures. My own experience taught me the value of beginning that work early.

My name is Michael Santos. Authorities arrested me when I was 23, and a federal judge sentenced me to 45 years. Thanks to credits for good behavior, the Bureau of Prisons released me after I served 26 years. While inside, I earned university degrees, wrote books, developed relationships with people outside prison, and prepared for a life of contribution.

Those efforts became the foundation for Prison Professors, the nonprofit organization I founded to help others work toward better outcomes. We provide our educational services at no charge to the people we serve. This workbook, our online courses, our educational webinars, and our tools for documenting progress are free. Your family and your attorney can use them, too.

There isn’t any need to buy a package, or pay consultants. By participating in our community and using our free resources, you’ll empower yourself to make better decisions. No one can change the past, but at any time, a person can start working toward a better future.

We think you should become a prison professor–mastering the curriculum that will lead to better outcomes for you.

A criminal case will affect liberty, family stability, professional relationships, and the ability to earn a living. An allegation may lead to a conviction, and consequences will persist long after a sentence ends. Understanding more of what’s to come will open your eyes to possibilities on how you can begin preparing today.

Your defense attorney will develop the legal strategy for your particular circumstances. You can support that work by learning about the process. Organize information in the way that your attorney needs, and take constructive action to help your attorney present you in the best possible light.

Learn how to present yourself better, with an understanding of how your decisions today will influence your experiences in the years ahead.

Your preparation also extends to your family. A criminal charge influences everyone in the household, and your social circle, too. It will influence your livelihood and earnings going forward. Prepare so that you can recalibrate and rebuild.

This workbook will encourage you to develop a comprehensive mitigation strategy: an ongoing effort to understand the consequences of a criminal charge, and to prepare for the stages ahead. You’ll develop skills to build a record you can leverage to your benefit when it comes time to self-advocate for better outcomes when you’re in the system, and when you may be without an attorney.

Your preparation will help you build strategies in response to many questions. For example, consider:

• All the people who depend on you, and steps you can take to show them that you’re working toward better outcomes.
• If you spend time in custody, how will you make the most of every week?
• What will you need when you return to your community?
• What can you begin doing now to strengthen your position when you ask others to join your coalition of support?

Thinking about these questions early can inspire you to begin working today. With a good plan, you’ll put yourself in a position to seize opportunities when those opportunities present themselves.

Our courses, stories, and exercises can help you come up with strategies you may not have considered. As you learn, connect the lessons to the goals in your life. Consider the opportunity costs that accompany every decision you make. Then decide where to direct your effort. Look further ahead and take ownership of your preparation.

At PrisonProfessors.org, we provide free resources to help you learn and prepare. You decide how to develop those resources, and how to use them in ways to get better outcomes and results.