Congratulations on the success you’ve built for yourself. Without a doubt, you’ve assuaged the fears of many people, and if you’re the formidable competitor that you represent yourself to be, I’m sure you’ve earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for your efforts.

I’ve read coverage of your work in the national news over the years and you’re clearly leading the space. But if the reporter from the New York Times quoted you accurately, you have some concerns regarding competition. Toward the end of this year, competition for all prison consultants will increase. Since the mid-1990s, with the conclusion of my formal education, I’ve been preparing to build a career around all that I’ve learned as a long term prisoner and I feel well prepared to navigate through all challenges ahead. My objective has always been to help others understand prisons, the people they hold, and strategies for triumphing over adversity. Part of the national practice that I intend to build will include advising individuals who are enmeshed in the criminal justice system, and another significant part will be in developing a platform that brings attention to the wretchedness of long-term imprisonment.

I do appreciate your good wishes for my release. With regard to those short-term prisoners you refer to who fancy themselves as consultants with experience, I find it curious that you see them as being any different from those who mischaracterize detention centers as high security penitentiaries. Although I suppose some marketing currency exists in the deception, anyone with experience in a real penitentiary would the find the ruse humorous. It’s all marketing, I suppose.

In any event, perhaps we will meet in months or years to come. I wish you peace, happiness, and continuing success.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Santos