We’re grateful to Peter Holley at The Washington Post for bringing attention to our work at White Collar Advice and Prison Professors.
America’s obsession with the college-admission scandal originated the story. Whenever high-net-worth individuals or celebrities get wrapped up in the criminal justice system, Americans begin to wonder.
They’re curious how such people will adjust to the indignities of state or federal prison. Talk-show hosts, along with countless articles in newspapers and magazines keep the story alive.
Why?
Because scandal sells. Inevitably, reporters start digging.
In their efforts to learn more about what follows for people that have been charged with a crime, reporters find the work of my partners and me. We publish frequently through our websites, YouTube channels, and podcasts.
As a team that has gone through the criminal justice system and emerged successfully, we sense a duty and a responsibility to improve outcomes for state and federal defendants. We work on several fronts. In Washington DC and around the country, our partner Shon Hopwood works to change policies. Michael Santos works with me to create content, and to serve as a resource for clients. My role is to coordinate our one-on-one consulting division, and to steer clients to the various products and services we offer.
We’re saddened when we read of authorities over-charging people and growing our nation’s prison system unnecessarily. From our perspective, society should reserve prisons for people that prey upon others.
But we have to live in the world as it exists—not as we would like it to be. And in today’s world, authorities relentlessly focus on bringing more people into the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, defendants are totally in the dark when they start the journey. That’s why we offer an abundance of content to help.
First, we educate defendants, helping them understand various stages of the process. What happens after a criminal charge?
Then, we help defendants understand steps they can take to improve prospects for a favorable outcome. It would be awesome if we could turn back the clock. Yet no one can change the past. For that reason, we create digital content people can use to advocate on their own behalf. We also offer personalized services to assist individuals.
Our services include:
• Helping people prepare for sentencing,
• Helping people prepare for the prison journey, and
• Helping people prepare to overcome the challenges they will encounter upon release.
Unfortunately, the media likes to brand our work as being “prison consultants.” Yet that isn’t an accurate description of our work. Anyone can get out of prison and brand himself a prison consultant. Our work includes a more methodical process, a best-practice approach to get best outcomes.
We will continue producing and sharing information that prison consultants can steal. Our team is confident that intelligent people will compare our credentials against others and make the right decision when choosing a guide to navigate challenging times.
Justin Paperny
(Note: We simultaneously published this article on both WhiteCollarAdvice.com and on prisonprofessors.com)