During the 22 years I’ve been confined, I’ve never heard a U.S. Attorney General say that America’s dependence on incarceration is economically unsustainable. Yet that was what Attorney General Eric Holder told the nation’s lawyers at the annual meeting of the American Bar Association.

Mr. Holder isn’t the first high profile government leader to call for smarter incarceration policies. In 2003, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said the same thing. I’m optimistic that change is coming. At the same time, I recognize that I have an ongoing responsibility for the challenges I will face upon release.

This morning I began my preparations at 1:51 am, when I sat down to outline chapter seven of my new manuscript, Earning Freedom. I feel good about the progress I made, and I began writing the first pages of the chapter. By the time I put my writing gear away, I wrote through page 281 of the manuscript.

I ran 10 miles in the early morning, boosting my mileage to 2,092 miles over the past 236 days.

Following my run, the generous staff sponsor of our youth outreach program, TOAD, provided an assortment of fresh pastries for everyone in our group. That was a real treat, a gesture that everyone appreciated.

Then a bit later in the morning, I enjoyed a lengthy telephone call with a lawyer who has joined my legal team to help me. I’m feeling very blessed to have their support.

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