At 2:22 this morning I resumed work on the chapter for Professor Petersilia. I wrote the first words for this chapter last Wednesday morning at 2:15, and today, at 7:15, I finished a first draft. Professor Petersilia asked me to write 7,000 words. Since I’ve written the chapter in longhand I don’t have an exact word count, though with 28 pages of about 250 words per page, I expect that I am within the range.
The reason writing this project has been so important to me is because I consider it a great privilege to publish alongside some of America’s leading penologists and academics. These types of projects expand my sphere of influence. Our country confines more than 2.3 million people, and I know that few Americans really understand the culture of confinement. The more I’m able to contribute to the literature, the more chances I have of debunking the myth that prisons only produce failure. I hope to influence prison reforms that will help more people emerge successfully, and I feel honored that Professor Petersilia opened this opportunity for me to contribute.
The title of the book Professor Petersilia is authoring is The Oxford Handbook of Sentencing and Corrections. Oxford is a distinguished academic press. I expect that many policy makers will rely upon Professor Petersilia’s book as a resource to guide their decisions, and I am glad they will have an opportunity to read about my prison adjustment. I hope to inspire those readers to promote prison reform.
Since I wrote the first draft of the chapter in longhand, I had to rewrite it neatly. I worked all day on the rewrite, though I only made it through page 12, which was not even halfway. Writing 7,000 words neatly on unlined paper takes time, though it was time well invested as it gave me an opportunity to make some initial edits. I intend to finish the rewrite tomorrow morning.
This morning I ran 10 miles and followed the run with 300 pushups. I weigh 174 pounds, which was the same weight I had when my prison term began in 1987. I feel blessed to have such good health, and I am convinced that regular exercise has contributed. Today marked my 127th day of continuous running without a beak, though I’ve been exercising steadily for 22 years. I now have 1,119 miles in my running tally.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
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