At 2:15 this morning I began writing a chapter for Professor Joan Petersilia’s new book, Oxford Handbook on Sentencing and Corrections. I worked on the project enthusiastically, as I want to finish a draft of the chapter by next week. With discipline, that will not be a problem.
My responsibility is to write about living in prison. I will bring the reader through my various stages of confinement and describe the values that guided me. The other authors who are contributing chapters come from an academic or public-policy background. I feel honored to be the only prisoner contributing and I want to please Professor Petersilia with my contribution.
Following my morning writing session, I attended the TOAD program. We have a group of students from the local community scheduled to visit the prison this coming sunday. This morning we set the agenda on who would speak,what skits we would perform, and what messages we would convey regarding the importance of avoiding crime.
Following my TOAD meeting, I had to write a lengthy description of how the Toastmasters public speaking group conducts its sessions. I played an active role in bringing a Toastmasters speaking club to the penitentiary when I was held in Atlanta. My case manager asked me to describe how we ran our meetings, so I obliged her by writing out a six-page description.
Handing her the report I prepared led to a lengthy conversation. My case manager told me that she had received a request for some information pertaining to my case from the office of the U.S. Pardon Attorney. Nothing may come of the request, though I felt a bit of hope in knowing someone from the pardon attorney’s office might be reviewing my file. Still, I must stay grounded and continue this focus on my preparations for release.
I ran 10 miles early this morning, before the TOAD meeting. The new tally stands at 1,096 miles over the past 124 consecutive days.
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
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