I feel fortunate to be serving these final months of my sentence at Taft Federal prison camp. I’ve been confined here for two years, and the living conditions together with the way administrators operate this camp make it much less stressful than any other prison I’ve experienced. What I like most is the level of [...]
Last night I went to bed at five in the afternoon. I woke at 3:00, which meant I was well rested with nearly 10 hours of sleep. That made for a productive writing session. I have written an estimated 9,000 words on this second version of the chapter. I feel pleased with the work though [...]
The Taft Prison Camp is playing three very good movies this weekend. I will not be watching any, as I must keep my routine of sleeping early and waking early in order to meet my writing goals. I really want to finish the draft of this chapter I’m working on, and that requires sacrifice. I’ll [...]
I go to sleep this evening with a little more hope regarding my petition for executive clemency. Receiving a commutation is a long shot and I feel convinced that prison reform legislation should include a more effective system for clemency review. A system that provides no mechanism for review of prisoners after years or decades [...]
My work began at 2:30 this morning and I did not finish until after 9:00 this evening. I don’t think I’ve had a longer day of work and I hope to rest well through the night. Besides writing for the entire day, I participated in a community service program for our group Those Outspoken Against [...]
Early this morning I finished reading When Prisoners Come Home a book by Professor Joan Petersilia, who teaches at Stanford Law. With the heavy writing schedule I now have, my time for reading has diminshed. Early this year I set a goal of reading 25 books during 2009. Thus far I’ve only read seven books, [...]
Yesterday I did not have much success with efforts to write a different version of the sample chapter for my new manuscript. I began several openings, some in past tense and others in present tense. I lay to sleep last night at six and I thought about the work and the importance I deem it [...]
Yesterday I felt very good about the sample chapter I had written for the new manuscript. This morning I changed my mind. I’m not sure whether I have the skills to write this story differently, but I think that I need to try. I worked on it for several hours today. My initial draft of [...]
I’m in a new month now and that always brings thoughts about how many more must pass before I begin my life at home. People in society may think it foolish for me to obsess over time. I’m regularly contemplating how many months of imprisonment I have behind me and how many more I am [...]
Today I finished writing an article about a former CEO who attempted suicide as a response to embezzlement problems. The man struggled with bipolar disorder, and he said that mood swings compelled his actions that led to imprisonment. When I interviewed him for the story, I was trying to gather information for Professor Jana Schrenkler’s [...]
