Today I learned that a jury convicted Hunter Biden, the president’s son, of three felony counts. Besides him, everyone in America knows that former President Trump faces numerous federal counts, and a jury in New York convicted him recently of several crimes.
That means both the President’s family, and the former President’s family, have something in common with every recipient of the Prison Professors newsletter. I do not make any statement on the validity of their convictions. But I like that they share something in common with my readers, and with me.
When powerful people go into the prison system, we have an opportunity to advance conversations for prison reform.
What kind of reform would you like to see?
For me, I would like to see a system that opens opportunities for more people to work toward earning freedom through merit. In my view, our country is very backward by thinking that we somehow serve justice by requiring people to live separated from their family members. When we leave them to languish in a closed society, they adjust to the prison, but don’t necessarily prepare for success outside. Prisons cut people off from opportunities to learn, to nurture meaningful relationships, and to prepare for a better life.
In my view, that’s a bad policy. The policy also violates the fundamental human right to communicate, to build relationships, and to prepare for success.
But my view doesn’t matter.
Fortunately, I think that we’ll now have advocates for change in the Biden family, and in the Trump family. Their voices get heard.
Yet we can’t wait for them to change the system. We must work together to show the country, and the world, why it makes sense to open opportunities for people to earn freedom through merit. That is what all my work is about. I never judge the crime that put a person inside. I only judge whether a person is working hard enough to bring value to the world.
Are you working hard enough?
Many people don’t like the work that I do. They believe that as a person who served 26 years in federal prison, I shouldn’t have a voice in working to change. If you read the books that I’ve sent in, on the other hand, you’ll see that I never much listened to people who told me what I couldn’t do. Instead, I focused on personal development, and on working toward results.
I need your help!
To succeed in persuading leaders to introduce changes such as work-release programs, and expansion of the First Step Act so that all people receive the benefits, I need to build a stronger user base–showing that thousands of people are adjusting in ways to prepare for success upon release. If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to reach out to our team (following instructions at the bottom of every newsletter) and open a profile at Prison Professors Talent.
We currently have more than 500 people from across the United States who are memorializing their journey. To succeed in persuading legislators and administrators to change the system, I need to 10x this number, to 5,000 people, and then 10x it again, to 50,000 people. When we can show that 50,000 people are using their time inside to prepare for success outside, we will have a stronger movement that can accomplish a great deal. It’s not only important to change the system. It’s also important to open income opportunities for people who come home from prison, and I’m working on that goal as well.
But I cannot succeed without your help. That’s the reason I ask people in our community to avoid disciplinary infractions, and focus on personal development. Regardless of what the prison system offers, the books that our nonprofit sends inside will help participants develop better writing skills, better communication skills, better math skills, better critical thinking, and a self-directed work ethic.
Memorialize your preparations for success and we’ll make you a star.
Today’s Question:
- How much capital will you need to launch your life when you transition from prison to society?
Steps to Build Your Profile:
1. Send an invite to [email protected]
2. Once accepted, send an email to the interns with the following information:
– Your name
– Your number
– Your location
– Your sentence length
3. Respond to any questions presented in the newsletter by sending your answers to the email above.
By taking these steps, you can start memorializing your journey and demonstrating your commitment to a better future.
Keep striving for greatness. Your efforts today will pave the way for your success tomorrow.
