Today I interviewed a young prisoner at Taft Camp who has some misguided perceptions. He’s in his early 20s, and he’s been influenced by reality television shows that depict all of the ugliness of prison. Shows like Lockdown and Maximum Security dramatize all of the violence and gang activity inside. What they fail to show [...]
Today I learned of a Bureau of Prisons policy change that concerns halfway house placement. A halfway house is a transitional type of housing where prisoners go to serve the final 10 percent of their time. There is a 12-month cap on halfway house placement, but in all the time I’ve served I’ve only known [...]
I’m wondering whether the new health care laws will bring change to the way authorities dispense medical attention to federal prisoners. They should. Because the current policy of denying preventative medical treatment costs taxpayers much more in the long run, and causes prisoners who suffer from some types of ailments to endure needless pain over [...]
The keys to a successful prison adjustment are within each of us. I recently read a Bible verse from the book of Romans that offered wisdom any prisoner could draw strength from: Tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4). I am not one to preach from the Bible, but in reading [...]
The first decade of my imprisonment was, for me, very much like being in a monastery. I spent considerable amounts of time studying and thinking about what steps I could take to create meaning in my life. Growing closer to God was important to me, but I was still very much a secular man, and my [...]
Today was the least productive day I’ve had in more than a year, perhaps two years. I didn’t wake until after three this morning, and when I sat to work I couldn’t muster the energy I needed. Instead of writing, I read two issues of the New York Times and one of my news magazines. [...]
Many prisoners I meet struggle with their separation from family. When they hear that my marriage to Carole took place in a prison visiting room longer than seven years ago, some ask how we keep our love alive without physical intimacy. The answer to me is simple, and it would be the same answer even [...]
This afternoon I had a surprise visit from Marcos, a young man who is in the midst of a 10-year prison sentence at Taft Camp. Marcos used to participate in our youth outreach program, but stopped when his schedule became too full with other activities. I was sad to see him leave our group because [...]
New prisoners don’t always self-surrender here with hopeful spirits, and I’m always inspired when a man transforms his life from inside these boundaries. Mike Levy, an acquaintance I wrote about previously, surrendered to Taft Camp weighing nearly 340 pounds. During the three months that he’s served so far, Mike has dropped nearly 70 pounds. The dramatic [...]
posted by Carole My good friend Linda sent me this link to an excerpt from one of Deepak Chopra’s books. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I often spend entire days and weeks projecting my thoughts into the future, focused on the day that Michael will be released and living at home with me. [...]
