Today’s blog entry is from Carole ~ I don’t initiate direct contact with prison administrators very often. One reason is because after more than 2 decades in prison Michael is an expert at understanding and navigating the prison machine. Another is that prison rules and policies govern my ability to have contact with my husband. Earlier [...]
I’ve never left prison custody since my initial arrest in 1987. During that time my grandfather and my father passed away, and I’ve lost some mentors of mine to death as well. The length of my sentence precluded the possibility of my being allowed to attend the funerals, and the length of my imprisonment has [...]
Kimbel, a long-term prisoner, walked out of Taft Camp this morning after 20 years of incarceration. I was writing at the table where I work every morning when I saw him carrying his box of personal belongings. He is now in his late 50s, as physically fit as a man in his early 30s, and [...]
Today I met Jay, a man who voluntarily returned to serve five months in Taft Prison Camp rather than serve several years on supervised release. Jay served 17 calendar years in various prisons on the east coast before he completed his term of imprisonment. He left prison to begin enjoying freedom in Las Vegas, and [...]
The month of August always brings some significance for me–it’s the month (in 1987) that my imprisonment commenced. In just 10 days I’ll begin serving my 24th consecutive year of confinement. Carole and I have four months to make a decision about where we intend to begin our life upon release. The planning for this decision [...]
It’s easy for a man to say he’s going to change his life in positive ways upon imprisonment. Really changing, though, is something else. Positive change does not happen by accident. It is a personal choice that requires the right attitude, commitment, and discipline. Anicasio Muñoz (who goes by Nick), didn’t begin his term with the intention of changing [...]
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 [...]
Today I received a letter from Chris, my closest childhood friend. Chris and I grew up in Lake Forest Park and went through elementary school, junior high, and high school together. Our friendship continued after high school, but it has been on again, off again through my imprisonment. I understand why, and it made me happy [...]
I keep a disciplined schedule in prison but it’s not so rigid that I can’t make adjustments, and that’s exactly what I did after receiving a letter from my friend Tristan in Friday’s mail. Tristan has been helping me with the long memoir that I finished writing earlier this year. In his letter, he recommended some [...]
