Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael Santos

Send us a textCould gene drive mosquitoes be the key to ending deadly diseases like malaria and dengue or do the risks outweigh the benefits? In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Dr. Michael Santos about the controversial yet potentially groundbreaking technology known as gene drive. Unlike traditional genetically modified organisms, gene drive mosquitoes are engineered to pass on specific traits to nearly all of their offspring, drastically altering or suppressing mosquito populations that spread disease. With real-world field trials set to begin very soon, we dive into how this technology works, how it differs from standard genetic modification, what diseases it targets, and what could go wrong. We also explore how the trials will be conducted, regulated, and monitored to ensure safety and transparency. Is this the dawn of a public health breakthrough or are we opening a Pandora's box we can't close? Dr. Michael Santos is the Senior Vice President of Science Partnerships and Chief Population Health Science Officer at the Foundation for the NIH. He leads global programs focused on biomedical innovation and health equity, and directs the GeneConvene Global Collaboration, which supports informed decision-making around genetic biocontrol technologies like gene drive. Prior to this, he held leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was a Principal at Boston Consulting Group, working across global health strategy. Dr. Santos began his career in astronomy and holds a Ph.D. from Caltech. To learn more about GeneConvene, Gene Drive Mosquitoes (and gain access to the infographic discussed in the episode) please click here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here! (Now featuring interviews with top experts on health you care about!)Support the show

For this week's episode we pull from the vault of Southern Tea podcasts... Lindsie is joined by the founder of Prison Professors, Michael Santos. While serving a 45 year sentence for a white collar crime Michael made a commitment to work towards prison reform and has continued to provide resources to anyone impacted unfairly by the prison system. Michael shares his various experiences throughout the years within the prison system, how prison camps need to be abolished, how he met his business partner Justin Paperny, the touching story of meeting his wife, and the system wide changes that he hopes to make. Check out Michael Santos at PrisonProfessors.com and PrisonProfessorsTalent.com Follow us @TheSouthernTeaPodcast for more! Thank you to our sponsors! Chime: Start your credit journey with Chime at chime.com/southernteaIndeed: Visit Indeed.com/SOUTHERNTEA to start hiring now with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post. Terms and conditions applyIQBar: Text TEA to 64000 for 20% off all IQBar products, plus FREE shipping. By Texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from IQBAR. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply, available at IQBAR.com. Reply "STOP" to stop, "HELP" for help

Discover how Michael Santos, a man who once faced a 26-year prison term, emerged as a triumphant author, educator, and voice for reform. Michael's gripping tale of transformation from a convicted drug trafficker to a beacon of hope and change is a journey you won't want to miss. His candid revelations about the pivotal moments that spurred his profound metamorphosis offer a stark reminder that the human spirit can prevail over the darkest of circumstances. Tune in for an episode that will challenge your perceptions and inspire you with the raw power of resilience and self-redemption.In this conversation, Michael and Mike explore the intricate dance between accountability and the criminal justice system through the lens of personal experience and unwavering commitment to growth. Michael shares the wisdom gleaned from mentorship and his unwavering pursuit of knowledge, even amidst the harshness of prison life. Listeners will be drawn into a world where education paves the path to new beginnings, and mentorship becomes the cornerstone of a future unshackled from past transgressions. His life serves as a blueprint for crafting opportunities and harnessing the strength within to transcend adversity.Michael's advocacy for a merit-based correctional system and the implications for society come to the forefront. This segment explores the necessity of reform to reflect the values of hard work and opportunity that define the American spirit. Entrepreneurs and business owners will appreciate Michael's insights on the fine line between success and legal scrutiny, emphasizing the need for vigilance and ethical practice in their endeavors. Tune in for a compelling narrative that will leave you pondering the essence of success, the significance of second chances, and the transformative potential of personal empowerment.Key highlights:From Struggle to SuccessBreaking the Law and Facing ConsequencesJourney Through Legal Troubles and RedemptionFinding Redemption Through Education and MentorshipCreating Opportunities Through Self-EmpowermentReforming the Prison System for SuccessConnect with Michael Santos:Website: prisonprofessors.com | earningfreedomcorp.com | michaelsantos.comLinkedIn: Michael SantosTo Connect with Mike: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter YouTube Coaching Get Mike's book: Owner Shift Please LIKE

Discover how Michael Santos, a man who once faced a 26-year prison term, emerged as a triumphant author, educator, and voice for reform. Michael's gripping tale of transformation from a convicted drug trafficker to a beacon of hope and change is a journey you won't want to miss. His candid revelations about the pivotal moments that spurred his profound metamorphosis offer a stark reminder that the human spirit can prevail over the darkest of circumstances. Tune in for an episode that will challenge your perceptions and inspire you with the raw power of resilience and self-redemption.In this conversation, Michael and Mike explore the intricate dance between accountability and the criminal justice system through the lens of personal experience and unwavering commitment to growth. Michael shares the wisdom gleaned from mentorship and his unwavering pursuit of knowledge, even amidst the harshness of prison life. Listeners will be drawn into a world where education paves the path to new beginnings, and mentorship becomes the cornerstone of a future unshackled from past transgressions. His life serves as a blueprint for crafting opportunities and harnessing the strength within to transcend adversity.Michael's advocacy for a merit-based correctional system and the implications for society come to the forefront. This segment explores the necessity of reform to reflect the values of hard work and opportunity that define the American spirit. Entrepreneurs and business owners will appreciate Michael's insights on the fine line between success and legal scrutiny, emphasizing the need for vigilance and ethical practice in their endeavors. Tune in for a compelling narrative that will leave you pondering the essence of success, the significance of second chances, and the transformative potential of personal empowerment.Key highlights:From Struggle to SuccessBreaking the Law and Facing ConsequencesJourney Through Legal Troubles and RedemptionFinding Redemption Through Education and MentorshipCreating Opportunities Through Self-EmpowermentReforming the Prison System for SuccessConnect with Michael Santos:Website: prisonprofessors.com | earningfreedomcorp.com | michaelsantos.comLinkedIn: Michael SantosTo Connect with Mike: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter YouTube Coaching Get Mike's book: Owner Shift Please LIKE

On today's episode Lindsie is joined by the founder of Prison Professors, Michael Santos. While serving a 45 year sentence for a white collar crime Michael made a commitment to work towards prison reform and has continued to provide resources to anyone impacted unfairly by the prison system. Michael shares his various experiences throughout the years within the prison system, how prison camps need to be abolished, how he met his business partner Justin Paperny, the touching story of meeting his wife, and the system wide changes that he hopes to make. Check out Michael Santos at PrisonProfessors.com and PrisonProfessorsTalent.com Follow us @TheSouthernTeaPodcast for more! Thank you to our sponsors! Hatch: Get $20 off your purchase of a Hatch Restore 2 and free shipping at hatch.co/southerntea Indeed: Visit Indeed.com/SOUTHERNTEA to start hiring now with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post. Terms and conditions apply IQBar: Text TEA to 64000 for 20% off all IQBar products, plus FREE shipping. By Texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from IQBAR. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply, available at IQBAR.com. Reply "STOP" to stop, "HELP" for help Waterboy: Recover properly with @waterboy and get 15% off with promo code SOUTHERNTEA at waterboy.com/southerntea! #waterboypartner

Hablamos sobre el gran paso de Bravos

Michael Santos joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast to talk about Erik Karlsson!Santos (27:00) brings 17 years of NHL front office experience to the discussion, and brings that perspective to these questions: What are the positives and negatives of Karlsson starting the season with the San Jose Sharks? Before we get to Santos, Keegan McNally and Sheng Peng chat about the Andy Strickland report that the Sharks offered Vladimir Tarasenko $6 million (2:55).Why does Keegan want to retain as little as possible on Karlsson (7:15)? Sheng and Keegan talked about the risk-reward of bringing Karlsson back (10:00). What do the San Jose Sharks owe Karlsson (10:55)? What about the injury risk (15:55)? Sheng talks to multiple league sources about the less obvious risks (17:45).There is an upside to keeping Karlsson -- Sheng offered a couple historical examples of this (21:38).Now, Michael Santos (27:00)!What is Santos hearing about a Karlsson trade (28:28)? He believes the Sharks should hold out for a premium for Karlsson.Santos shares his career path -- from 1997 to 2014, he worked in the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators front offices (29:20). He then gives background about the formation of independent professional scouting service, Team 33 (35:45), and what makes his hockey operations management program stand out.Santos then explains the Team 33 Value Score (44:20), and shares Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture, Danil Gushchin, Thomas Bordeleau, and William Eklund's scores.Santos shares why he wouldn't be concerned about the San Jose Sharks bringing Karlsson back next season (59:20). Is he concerned about the player buy-in when he doesn't want to be around (1:05:00)? Santos shared his experience being on the other side of a player wanting out: He was an Assistant GM with the Islanders when they acquired a disgruntled Alexei Yashin from the Ottawa Senators.Santos talks about the possible upside of GM Mike Grier sticking to his guns with Karlsson (1:08:00).Santos also shares his opinion about this wild scenario: The San Jose Sharks and Karlsson agree to a contract termination, so Karlsson can sign where he wants (1:12:10).Santos predicts that the San Jose Sharks will trade Karlsson before training camp (1:17:45).Finally, Santos dives into some of his brushes with Sharks history: He reveals the Islanders wanted to trade up for No. 2 in the 1997 Draft (1:19:12). He recalls being in the Dallas Stars pressbox in Nov. 2005 when the Sharks traded for Joe Thornton (1:22:05). He also recollects the day when the Islanders traded for Yashin and Michael Peca (1:24:20).Santos shares plans about how fans can subscribe to Team 33 (1:33:45).Listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast — it's a new link — on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.Subscribe to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast YouTube channel, we're trying to get over 1K subscribers! ★ Support this podcast ★

Could you build a new empire off your worst life decision? Meet Justin Paperny who is the founder of White Collar advice, who has become an expert at helping 1000's of people facing challenges with the criminal justice system. Justin's story has been featured on many national news stations, including ⁠The Washington Post⁠, ⁠CNN⁠, ⁠Fox⁠, ⁠Dr. Phil⁠ and others. Lastly, NBC Universal aired “⁠My Deal With the Devil⁠“, a 60-minute television show about Justin's story. Justin has become a nationally recognized public speaker for corporate America. He did work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including lecturing at ⁠The FBI Academy⁠ in Quantico, VA. Justin grew up in an upscale suburb of Encino, California. He was a D-1 athlete that played baseball for USC. He was trained at Merrill Lynch, moved to Bear Stearns, and finally joined UBS in its Century City, L.A. office. Serving 400 days in federal prison wasn't what Justin had in mind when he became a stockbroker fresh out of the University of California. But a "focus of short-term rewards led to the rotting of the inner core," Paperny writes in his book, Ethics In Motion. He was in the seven figure signing bonus race of produce however you produce or you are out the door. He worked mostly with professional athletes and hedge funds. He knew what his client was doing and turned a blind eye to keep commissions coming, When the corporate attorney asked about it, Justin lied. When the FBI asked about it, Justin wasn't truthful again. Things went from bad to worse to prison. In prison, Justin befriended a mentor, Michael Santos (sentenced to 30+ years, who helped Justin with his comeback story of how to prepare for his second chance. You will come out of listening to this episode saying, "Wow!"

Welcome to The Building Men Podcast, where we explore stories of personal growth, resilience, and redemption. Today, we have a truly remarkable guest with us, Michael Santos. Michael's journey is a testament to the power of determination, self-reflection, and the belief that it's never too late to turn your life around.Regardless of our past, we all face challenges and make decisions that may lead us down difficult paths. Michael knows this all too well. He experienced addiction issues, incarceration, and the consequences of bad decisions. But instead of letting his past define him, he chose to focus on the present and work towards a better, brighter future.Despite serving a daunting 45-year sentence as a drug kingpin, Michael didn't allow himself to be consumed by despair. Instead, he seized the opportunity to transform his life. Even behind bars, he found a way to contribute to the lives of others. Michael's determination and resilience led him to establish Prison Professors, an organization aimed at providing resources and guidance to incarcerated individuals.While in prison, Michael discovered the power of the Socratic way of thinking. This approach, rooted in asking questions and engaging in critical thinking, played a pivotal role in his transformation. By challenging his own beliefs and embracing new perspectives, Michael was able to cultivate personal growth and pave the way for a successful future.Today, Michael Santos stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when we refuse to let our circumstances define us. His story is an inspiration for anyone who has faced adversity and wants to create positive change in their own lives.Join us as Michael shares his incredible journey, highlighting the importance of taking responsibility for our choices, embracing opportunities, and crafting our own success stories. Get ready to be inspired and motivated by the resilience and determination of a man who turned his life around, even when the odds were stacked against him.Prison Professors THE FOUNDATION - Virtual Community for Young MenSubscribe to the Building Men NewsletterBuilding Men InstagramBuilding Men WebsiteBuilding Men FacebookEmpower Your Son - schedule a 15 minute strategy callIf our podcast resonates with you, please consider rating, reviewing and sharing it with anyone who you believe would benefit from the message.Visit our sponsors - Finish The Race – Home of the official Building Men gear

In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats wit Dr. Michael Santos about the A-PLUS trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which looked at the effects of a cheap, widely available antibiotic, Azithromycin, in preventing sepsis and death in women during childbirth in low- to middle-income countries. Dr. Santos will explain the prevalence and life-threatening nature of sepsis in women during childbirth, particularly in low-resource settings. He will discuss what they knew about Azithromycin and maternal sepsis prior to the study, how they recruited for this study and conducted it, the results they found, and the wider public health implications. Dr. Santos is Vice President of Science at the Foundations for the National Intitutes of Health (FNIH)  and was in charge of the work FNIH did on the A-PLUS trial. He was previously Deputy Director of the Global Health program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subcribe to her newsletter here! Support the show

Michael Santos (@MichaelGSantos) survived 26 years as a federal prisoner, hosts the Prison Professors podcast, and is the author of Earning Freedom!: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term. What We Discuss with Michael Santos: How Michael Santos got sentenced to 45 years in federal prison when he was just 23 years old — not for committing a violent crime, but for establishing himself as a cocaine entrepreneur at the height of the War on Drugs (and committing perjury just made things worse). What this conviction meant to Michael's relationship with his family — and his wife. The three-prong plan Michael applied to the sudden wealth of time he had on his hands to find a way to reduce his sentence and hit the ground running when he finally got out. How the system is designed to trip up attempts inmates make toward self-improvement and rehabilitation. How Michael made his first million behind bars. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/802 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Michael Santos was 23 years old when he was sentenced to 45 years in jail for drug trafficking and other related charges. Michael was able to finish his sentence in 26 years, and now helps others transition to life outside of prison. For only .99 CENTS order my new book “The Wealthy Way: Don't Go Broke Trying To Get Rich” and get FREE access to my new course “Business Builder Academy” where I go over all the fundamentals of building a 7-figure business. https://www.wealthyway.com/book______________________________________________________Here's how my businesses can help you:Want to be coached by me on real estate investing? Apply at https://wealthyinvestor.comAre you an entrepreneur who wants to build their personal brand on social media? Go to https://wealthycreator.ioYou can invest in my real estate deals! Go to https://pinedacapital.comNeed tax and accounting help? Contact my CPA Firm! https://TrueBooksCPA.com/For a free consultation with my team go to https://RyanPineda.com______________________________________________________My other social media channels:Subscribe to my real estate only channel "Wealthy Investor" https://www.youtube.com/c/futureflipper1Follow me on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/ryanpinedahttps://www.tiktok.com/@ryanpinedahttps://www.twitter.com/ryanpineda______________________________________________________Connect with Michael! Website - https://michaelsantos.com/Michael Santos read “The Treasury of Philosophy” in prison and totally changed his way of thinking with the story of Socrates. Michael had a three-pronged plan to change his life. These prongs were: 1. Get an education.2. Contribute to society.3. Build a strong support system. Michael focused on these three prong every single day he was incarcerated and used the ideals as a compass for his life. In his first 10 years spent in jail, Michael Santos became a college grad with an undergraduate and a master's degree as well as a published author! By the time he served his 15th year, his books were in colleges across the country. Ryan Pineda asked Michael what some ways where he prepared for life when he was getting out of prison. Michael worked on developing relationships with successful people by writing letters to them. One of his pitches was the concept that businessmen don't buy assets for what they're worth now, but what they will be worth in 5 years from now. Only two days after he got out of prison, he made a creative finance deal to buy his first house, and that's how he got started in real estate. The man he partnered with is still his partner today as they've done over $10 million in transactions together and is his best friend. His digital businesses focus on helping prisoners planning and prepping for life when they get out. His modules follow the path to success and help individuals set goals, plan for their goals, and help them take action.

We have Grace Kuo and Michael Santos on this episode sharing their first flip they did OUT OF STATE!  This powerhouse duo are HomeSchooled by Tarek students that share the importance of investing in their education.  They go into detail on how they got the best rate from their lender and how they won over the sellers by helping them understand the math behind their offer.  It's hard to believe this was their first flip!   Michael Santos and Grace Kuo are a husband and wife team from Glendora, CA who founded MWGM Properties. They began their real estate investment journey in 2021 after joining Homeschooled by Tarek. Before joining the program, Michael is a nurse working in a mental health facility and Grace is a licensed marriage and family therapist and their only real estate experience up until then was buying and selling their 2 primary residences. Since starting MWGM Properties, they've flipped 2 properties in Oregon and have shifted their focus on short term and medium term rentals. Currently they have purchased three properties in South Bend, IN with the intention of turning them into AirBnBs. Michael's personal interests outside of real estate consist of collecting sneakers and fitness. Grace's personal interests are wine and coffee and shameless reality TV shows like 90 Day Fiance. Mochi and Wobbles are their dogs/business partners who handle marketing and human resources.   Website: www.mwgmproperties.com Facebook: MWGM Properties IG: @mwgmproperties   To learn more about Jen Josey, visit www.TheRealJenJosey.com To join REIGN, visit www.REIGNmastermind.com If you would like to 

Regardless of what your past looks like – whether you've had some addiction issues, been incarcerated, had a failed marriage, or whatever situation you were in due to a bad decision you've made–there's nothing you can do to change your past. But you can always focus on the present and work towards a better, brighter future. You either create excuses or create opportunities ; it's your choice! In today's conversation, Michael Santos, the founder of Prison Professors, talks about how a drug kingpin serving a 45-year sentence, managed to change the course of his life and to craft his own success story. Even while in prison, Michael created opportunities that would allow him to contribute to the lives of other people. It was also in prison that he learned about the Socratic way of thinking, an approach that helped make his transformation possible. Here are some power takeaways from today's conversation: [01:49] Michael's family background [03:37] How he got into the narcotics game [07:03] Helping your kids define success [09:29] How he started selling cocaine [13:23] How he became a drug kingpin [18:57] The day he got arrested [25:24] Owning the problems you created [27:41] How Socrates changed the way he thought [30:21] How he got through difficult times in prison [36:53] A sense of gratitude instead of regret [43:20] Adjusting to the world outside of prison [50:40] His journey through writing [58:19] How he got started with real estate [61:42] Why he created Prison Professors Notable quotes from the Episode: "None of us can change the past... but we can always work to influence the future." "When you have that mindset of knowing what you want, you can start making decisions accordingly.” “We either create opportunities or create excuses – it's our choice.” “Everybody has the power within to make a better life." “The right decision at the wrong time is the wrong decision.” Connecting with the Guest Website: https://prisonprofessors.com/ Books: https://prisonprofessors.com/books-of-prison-professors/ Connect with our growing community: Apply to GoBundance: https://www.gobundance.com/membership Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gobundance/ Not a millionaire yet but want to be a part of our ecosystem? Check out EMERGE by GoBundance. Enroll Today! https://www.gobundance.com/emerge Interested in starting your own podcast or handing off your production to a qualified team? Email erik@onairbrands.com to learn how we're making the world better, one mic at a time.

People heading to court often turn to the internet for guidance. In so doing, many come across the work of Justin Paperny, who dispenses advice on his YouTube channel. His videos offer preparation advice and help manage expectations, while providing defendants information to be able to hold their current lawyers accountable, and to try to negotiate a lighter sentence.Mr. Paperny, a former financial criminal, also leads White Collar Advice with his partner Michael Santos, another former convict. The firm is made up of 12 convicted felons who each have their own consulting specialty based on where they served time and their own sentencing experiences.The journalist Jack Hitt relates the story of the two men and the details of their firm, which “fills a need in 21st-century America.” It is, Mr. Hitt writes, “a natural market outgrowth of a continuing and profound shift in America's judicial system.”This story was written by Jack Hitt recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

According to H.P. Lovecraft, an American writer, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” People going into a government investigation or facing criminal charges know what I'm discussing.   I'm Michael Santos, founder of Prison Professors. We launched our nonprofit to offer resources for justice-impacted people who want to help themselves. Getting help starts with understanding. If people don't understand the process, they lack clarity on different mitigation strategies they may engineer.   https://prisonprofessors.com/app-defendants-presentencing/

Our team at Prison Professors welcomes you to our App.   My name is Michael Santos. As a co-founder of Prison Professors, I feel a connection and a personal responsibility to our subscribers.    Our team at Prison Professors publishes free content to help all justice-impacted people.   We consider the following people to be justice-impacted:   Exposed to government investigations, Charged with a crime, Going through judicial proceedings, Going through probation or prison, Released from prison, Working with people that face criminal charges, People that work in jails, prisons, or probation departments, Interest in how mass incarceration influences our nation.   Those who want more detailed information should visit www.PrisonProfessors.com or connect with a member of our team.   Our App strives to provide information in an easy-to-find format that will help justice-impacted people.   Subscribe to our App for updates we publish. It's free!   Click the following link for free digital books by Prison Professors:   Click here to get free digital / audiobooks by Prison Professors.

An Open Letter from Prison Professors to All Course Participants   Hi, My name is Michael Santos. I'm the founder of Earning Freedom and the Prison Professors nonprofit. If you're working through our course, it's likely that you're going through the criminal justice system at some stage—pretrial, in custody, or on some form of community supervision. Both Bill McGlashan and I can empathize with your plight. For 9,500 days, I lived as federal prisoner number 16377-004. I am intimately familiar with challenges of living in confinement. Despite those challenges, I know the opportunities that open when a person chooses deliberate adjustment strategies. A jail or prison may or may not offer rehabilitative courses. When a person develops a self-directed work ethic, a person can work on personal development regardless of where administrators confine him or her. At Prison Professors, we develop courses that help people that want to help themselves. For that reason, it pleases me to offer our course: Lessons on Leadership: With Bill McGlashan Some may wonder why a person like Bill McGlashan would work with a startup like Prison Professors. Bill is known across the globe as one of the foremost impact investors. Why would such a man volunteer so much of his personal time to help people locked in America's jails and prisons?  To respond to that question, it may help if I offer some context. Participants will learn all about Bill and the way he thinks through the course. Before getting to the course, let me offer the backstory.   Backstory: I made bad decisions as a young man, refusing to heed the advice of teachers or mentors. Excitement of a fast crowd lured me away from productive habits. I began making bad decisions during the recklessness of youth. Those decisions turned worse in 1984, when I was 20. I began participating with a group that sold cocaine. In August of 1987, federal agents arrested me. For the next 30 years, I lived inside prisons of every security level or on some form of community confinement, including:  • High-security US penitentiaries, • Medium-security federal correctional institutions, • Low-security federal correctional institutions, • Minimum-security federal prison camps, • A halfway house, • Home confinement, • Supervised Release. • Special Parole, • Parole As I reveal in Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term, leaders taught me many lessons during that lengthy odyssey. With hopes of helping as many people as possible, I accept a responsibility to pass along lessons that transformed my life.  Even though a person may serve a lengthy term, any of us can choose to work toward reconciling with society. While in prison, I learned from many leaders. People like Bill McGlashan taught me to follow the principles of leadership: Define success, as the best possible outcome. Create a plan and prepare to overcome the challenges ahead. Put priorities in place, knowing that incremental progress would lead to new opportunities. Create tools, tactics, and resources that would help me grow, and Execute the plan every day. That disciplined adjustment strategy could help any person that wanted to prepare for a life of meaning, relevance, and dignity. It could help a person restore confidence. Regardless of what bad decisions we made in the past, at any time, regardless of where we are, we can work toward making better decisions.  I aspired to reconcile with society and to prepare in ways that would allow me to emerge successfully. A willingness to learn from leaders opened my eyes to a new philosophy. Rather than complaining about the challenges wrought by my bad decisions, I could work to make amends. Any person could do the same. In Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term, I share the entire story. On August 11, 1987, authorities arrested me. After a jury convicted me, a judge sentenced me to serve a 45-year sentence. While locked in jail, a correctional officer passed me a copy of Plato's book, The Republic, which introduced me to philosophy. I learned about Socrates and his remarkable way of looking at the world.  Reading The Republic changed my life. It helped me to realize and accept the colossal mistakes I had made as a young man. I'd been living by a bad philosophy. Rather than working to help my community, I broke the law.  Socrates (and other leaders) taught me to stop feeling sorry for myself. Leaders suggested that we change if we don't like our situation, or if we're facing a challenge. To start, we must change the way we think. From leaders like Socrates (and Bill McGlashan), I learned the power that comes when we think about other people and our community instead of only thinking about the challenges we face. We can recalibrate. We can work to earn freedom.  That change in thinking influenced a deliberate adjustment strategy. While incarcerated, I made a 100% commitment to: Pursue self-directed learning, Contribute to society in meaningful, measurable ways, and Work toward building a strong support network that would include positive role models. That three-pronged strategy made all the difference. When defining success at that stage in my life, I simply wanted to emerge with my dignity intact. I wanted to pursue a path that would open opportunities to live as a law-abiding, contributing citizen. By preparing well, no one would know that I had served a quarter century when I got out. I wanted to emerge unscathed. That strategy led to my earning a bachelor's degree from Mercer University, a master's degree from Hofstra University, getting married in prison, and opening many income opportunities that I could expand upon after release. By the time I walked out of prison, I had sufficient savings in the bank to launch my career. None of that would have been possible had I not opened my mind, and my heart, to learn from leaders.   Any person that served time alongside me could have done the same. At any time, we can choose to learn from leaders like Bill McGlashan. Sadly, the prison culture conditions people to learn from so-called “shot callers” instead. The leaders I studied taught me to think differently from the way I thought before I went to prison. I encourage others to do the same. Those who choose to pursue self-directed adjustments will find opportunities rather than challenges awaiting them upon release—as I experienced. While still in the halfway house, San Francisco State University hired me to teach as an adjunct professor. Simultaneously, I began building businesses. Together with my partners, we persuaded prison administrators, federal judges, probation officers, and even U.S. Attorneys to purchase our products and services. A successful adjustment inside eased my reentry, allowing me to begin building a career upon release. I didn't need a job. Preparations allowed me to create my own income streams. I am convinced that any person in jail or prison can use the time inside to recalibrate and open opportunities. To succeed, however, those people must accept the reality. As administrators used to tell me:  “We don't care anything about your life after your release. We only care about the security of the institution.” In such an environment, we should expect obstacles. Despite obstacles that contribute to intergenerational cycles of recidivism, we must focus on what we can do to prepare for the journey ahead. We must reject the dubious advice we receive: From the system: You've got nothin' comin'. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. From misguided people inside: The best way to serve time is to forget about the world outside, and to focus on your reputation in prison. Mahatma Gandhi taught us that we should strive to live as the change we want to see in the world. I want to live in a world where people can always work to become better and reach their highest potential. I'm grateful to the many leaders who taught me this message. For that reason, I've devoted my professional career to sharing what I've learned from leaders.   It pleases me to share these lessons from Bill McGlashan, a genuine world-class leader. What qualifies Bill as a world-class leader?  A lot! Bill has impeccable academic credentials, with an undergraduate degree from Yale, and a graduate degree in business from Stanford. While I served decades in prison, Bill distinguished himself as a steward of capital for private equity companies, business leader, and impact investor. He launched startups that he later sold to publicly traded corporations. As a CEO, he saved hundreds of jobs by accepting the responsibility of restructuring a publicly traded company that was on the verge of failure. As a director of TPG Capital, he created stellar returns on more than $12 billion worth of funds that investors entrusted to him and his team.  Bill built a reputation as one of the world's most astute impact investors. He brought coalitions of other world-class activists, philanthropists, and leaders together, including: Bono: Singer for U2, but also founder of RED, ONE, and a cultural leader. Jeff Skoll: Founder of eBay, Participant Media, and the Skoll Foundation. Laurene Powell Jobs, philanthropist, and founder of the Emerson Collective. Mo Ibrahim, founder of Celtel and global philanthropist focused on Africa. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group from India. I did not meet Bill until the summer of 2021, eight years after I had finished my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons.  Despite having devoted his professional career to creating solutions in response huge global challenges that included solutions for climate change, extreme poverty, access to healthcare and education, Bill made a catastrophic decision as a parent. He agreed to participate in a ruse. A conman convinced him to pay an unscrupulous testing service to assist prospects for his son's admission to a university. His son didn't need the help, and he didn't know that Bill had participated in the artifice. Bill's decision led to a series of catastrophic event, proving the theorem of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, who wrote: • Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. Authorities arrested Bill, a grand jury indicted him, and he pleaded guilty to a federal crime.  Bill and I spoke for the first time a few days before he would surrender to serve a three-month sentence in federal prison. During our lengthy conversation, I listened to Bill express his remorse and admired his eagerness to make amends. When he told me that he wanted to use his time inside to help as many people as possible, I offered some observations on what he could expect from the experience. People in jail or prison could learn from his lessons on leadership.  Bill's story was the type that inspired me to want to learn more while I served my sentence.  Knowing that others could benefit from his wisdom, I invited him to volunteer his time to create a new course with Prison Professors. Through the course, I suggested, we would help people learn the importance of pursuing self-directed learning projects. Since the prison system may not always have resources to offer educational courses, I explained, we could fill the gap. As evidenced by the video files that accompany this course, and the personal nature of the lessons, Bill volunteered to spend hundreds of hours working alongside me. Together, we developed the course.  This course offers opportunities for self-directed participants to work toward developing their vocabulary, their writing skills, and their critical-thinking skills. Those building blocks can help anyone grow. By developing those skills, I opened countless opportunities as the months turned into years, and the years turned into decades.  Bill's teachings would have inspired me while I served my sentence. They inspire me now. They make me want to learn more. We hope that you will learn from the video files, the audio files and the lessons that make up our course. Although I didn't appreciate the importance of education when I started the journey, this course would have opened my eyes to the liberty that comes with self-directed learning plans. On behalf of our entire team at Prison Professors, Bill and I encourage you to work toward reaching your highest potential.    Sincerely, Michael Santos      

Se você ouviu o episódio 6 até o final, sabe que o Primeiro Contato entrou num breve hiato de duas semanas e volta no dia 13 de setembro. Mas não se preocupe: preparamos dois episódios bônus para preencher essa lacuna. Lembra que todo final de episódio pedíamos para você enviar um áudio via WhatsApp, contando sua história de primeiro contato com seu computador? Esses episódios reúnem os melhores relatos que recebemos dos ouvintes. São histórias divertidas e sensíveis que ajudam a pintar um panorama de como foi a entrada dos computadores nos lares dos brasileiros, entre as décadas de 80, 90 e 2000. Com relatos de Victor Sabino, Raila Spindola, Fábio Costa, Gabriel Rezende, Luiz Gustavo Dias, Barbara Gutierrez, Gustavo Vieira, Felipe de Almeida, Mariana Stéfani, Claiton Knoth, Thai Spier, Michael Santos e Daniel Cananea. Entre em contato conosco através do email primeirocontato@b9.com.br. Primeiro Contato é uma co-produção B9 e Overloadr Idealização, produção, roteiro e apresentação: Henrique Sampaio Edição e sonorização deste episódio: Henrique Sampaio, com apoio de Mariana Leão e Angie Lopez Trilha sonora original: Casemiro Azevedo Trilha sonora adicional: Windows 96 e Epidemic Sound. Produção Executiva: Carlos Merigo, Ju Wallauer e Cris Bartis Coordenação: Alexandre Potascheff Identidade Visual: Henrique Sampaio Coordenação digital: Agê Barros, Pedro Strazza, Luzi Santana e Mattheus Guimarães Marketing: Luzi Santana Atendimento e Negócios: Rachel Casmala, Camila Mazza, Greyce Lidiane e TelmaApoie o Overloadr: https://www.overloadr.com.br/ajudeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We interview Michael Santos, a former Cocaine King Pin who served 26 years in Federal Prison. While in prison he turned his life around and wrote several successful books. After his release he managed to turn from a ex-convict to a millionaire. https://michaelsantos.com Everyone has a story to tell, but our stories involve street gangs, punk rock, prison, parole, bar fights, skateboarding, boxing, mediation, community activism, fatherhood, divorce, alcoholism, drug addiction, recovery, owning a skate shop, photography, filmmaking, angst, spiritual awakening, enlightenment and that's just scratching the surface. Join Kasper as we take you on the journey of our lives and share insights and our opinions along with interviewing ex-prisoners who have success in their own way and spotlighting people who make a difference in the scenes we love. Instagram: @stealyoursoul Website: www.stealyoursoul.com/screamingatawallpodcast Want to be on our show? Have you been to prison? Have you been successful in staying out? Do you have a story you would like to share? Send an email to info.screamingatawall@gmail.com You can support our channel by subscribing and sharing. You can also go to https://anchor.fm/screamingatawallpodcast sign up for a subscription or see all available platforms. Intro-Outro Music by Mr. Eds insta: @the_mr_eds

We interview Michael Santos, a former Cocaine King Pin who served 26 years in Federal Prison. While in prison he turned his life around and wrote several successful books. After his release he managed to turn from a ex-convict to a millionaire. https://michaelsantos.com Everyone has a story to tell, but our stories involve street gangs, punk rock, prison, parole, bar fights, skateboarding, boxing, mediation, community activism, fatherhood, divorce, alcoholism, drug addiction, recovery, owning a skate shop, photography, filmmaking, angst, spiritual awakening, enlightenment and that's just scratching the surface. Join Kasper as we take you on the journey of our lives and share insights and our opinions along with interviewing ex-prisoners who have success in their own way and spotlighting people who make a difference in the scenes we love. Instagram: @stealyoursoul Website: www.stealyoursoul.com/screamingatawallpodcast Want to be on our show? Have you been to prison? Have you been successful in staying out? Do you have a story you would like to share? Send an email to info.screamingatawall@gmail.com You can support our channel by subscribing and sharing. You can also go to https://anchor.fm/screamingatawallpodcast sign up for a subscription or see all available platforms. Intro-Outro Music by Mr. Eds insta: @the_mr_eds

Examining what would have happened had the San Francisco Giants not traded Matt Duffy (and Lucius Fox and Michael Santos) to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Matt Moore. Moore pitched decently for the Giants down the stretch, and was dominant in his one postseason start, but fell apart in 2017 and was traded for salary relief. The Giants then used that relief to acquire Evan Longoria's contract from the Rays. Matt Duffy never ended up amounting to much in Tampa, although he did have one strong season in 2018. The jury is still out on Fox and Santos, who have yet to make their major league debuts. No matter how it all plays out, things could have been very different had the Giants elected to hold onto Duffy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael was arrested, convicted and sentenced to a 45 years for his part in the distribution of cocaine in 1987.  This was his first offense, his first arrest, and at the age of 23, and was going to spend decades in prison. However, Michael learned how to create success for himself while being incarcerated, earned three degrees, authored 7 books, and set himself up to be a success before his release.  He now teaches other prisoners how to navigate the prison system and for the best possible outcome upon release. This is Michael's story....

We're now into episode four of Prison Professors' five-part series on How to Master Prison. Those who aren't going into the prison system may find more interest in our interviews. Our team works with people from all types of backgrounds. Some face charges or served time for white-collar crimes. Others served time for drug offenses, or even violent crimes. Our interviews with those people show that regardless of what bad decisions a person has made in the past, it's never too early and it's never too late to begin sowing seeds for a better life.   In this series, we're offering content that will help people before they go into the criminal justice system. We know there's a lot of fear and anxiety about prison. Our team knows how to overcome it. And it's a bit thing to overcome the fear of prison, especially for those who don't know anything about it.   Howard Phillips Lovecraft, an American fiction writer, wrote a line that brought is often quoted:   “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear,” he wrote. “And the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”   If you've never been to prison before, then you may have some fear. That's normal. People who haven't been to prison don't really know what to expect. We've seen prisons depicted in movies. But are those representations real?   Prison population levels have soared over the past several decades. As a result, artists portray prisons in film, television, music, and literature. When artists portray scenes from prison, they feature the sensational. They produce the scenes to elicit an emotion. Frequently, film producers want to elicit the emotion of fear.   Our team at Prison Professors provides you with a different perspective. If you're going into the prison system, open your eyes to the best possible outcome. What does the best possible outcome look like in your case? If we can see the best possible outcome, we begin to realize that pathways to success exist.   Look at the success of our partners at Prison Professors.   Neither Shon nor Justin had been to prison before. One was going to prison for armed bank robbery. The other would serve time for a white-collar crime. Both men were afraid of what was to come. Prison would separate them from the people they love. It would separate them from the people who loved them. Neither knew anyone who had served time before. Yet both of them had seen the movies. They watched the television shows and they heard the stories.   Their outcomes on the other side of the journey, however, differed from what anyone would expect. Shon became the most successful jailhouse lawyer in history. He wrote briefs that won cases in District Courts, in Circuit Courts, and in the U.S. Supreme Court. Then, after completing his term, Shon went on to law school. He clerked for the D.C. Circuit Court. Georgetown Law School hired Shon. He's now a law professor and advocate for reforms.   Justin chronicled his story in Lessons From Prison. When he went to prison, he feared the type of life he would lead upon release. Justin's conviction for fraud resulted in the loss of his livelihood. He worried about how he would be able to earn a living. Like Shon, Justin, finished serving his sentence during the worst economic recession of our lifetime. Yet during the first few years since his release from prison, he began building businesses. Those businesses would generate millions in revenues. Clients for those businesses include law enforcement, the corporate sector, academia, law firms, the judiciary, and individuals who face time in prison.   Why did Shon and Justin experience a different outcome from what we see portrayed in media? They prepared for success!   I'm Michael Santos. My partners and I want to share everything we learned about mastering the prison experience. Like Shon and Justin, I went to prison as a young man. I started my prison journey in , when I was 23. I didn't get out of federal prison until 2013. Despite the 26 years that I served, every day felt productive. It felt productive because I wasn't only preparing for prison. I was preparing for the success I would want to achieve in prison and beyond.     How Do We Prepare for Prison: We prepare for prison in the same way that we prepare for anything else in life. Success begins with a definition: How do we define success? The person must ask the following question:   What is going to be the best possible outcome?   Answering that question is essential. None of us can change the past. But if we want to influence the future, we must begin by defining success. If we can define success, then we can engineer the path. That path should take us from where we are to where we want to go. Future chapters will define our methodical approach for defining success. We call it our Straight-A Guide. But for now, let's focus our preparation on defining success.   Defining a successful outcome from prison requires us to complete a self-assessment. What does our life look like now?   If we're a highly-educated person, that we may prepare in ways that differ from someone who doesn't have a high school diploma. If we have financial resources, we may prepare differently from someone who doesn't have enough money to live in prison. If we value close relationships with family, we may prepare differently from someone who wants to serve time alone. If we have a sentence in excess of 10 years, we may prepare differently from someone who is serving one year.   Preparing for a successful journey through prison requires us to define success. And as shown above, success for one person may differ from another person's success.   My partners and I all had different life experiences. Justin was a graduate from the University of Southern California and he was a licensed professional before he went to prison. Shon had a history of substance abuse and he was serving a sentence for armed bank robberies. I started selling cocaine when I was 20 and didn't have much of an education when I started.   But one fact united each of us. Justin, Shon, and I hated being in prison. We wanted a different outcome from what others would expect of us. We wanted to return to society as law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. We didn't want to live on the margins. We wanted success, and we prepared in ways that would be consistent with that outcome. Our preparations, however, began when we were already confined.     Prepare For Prison Early: The sooner a person can prepare, the better. Consider the oft-quoted adage on the best time to plant an oak tree. Do you know the best time to plant an oak tree? Some people say winter, some people say summer. Some people say fall, some people say spring.   A wise person knows the best time to plant an oak tree. It's 20 years ago. The second best time to plant an oak tree is today.   The same thing goes with preparing for prison. The sooner a person can start thinking about the outcome that he wants to achieve, the better a person can prepare for a successful journey inside.   Good preparations serve a person well. Preparations will serve a person going to prison in the in the same way that a blueprint can serve a builder. It provides a guide of what steps we must take.   Not all people get to prison the same way. Some judges allow people to surrender at some point after the sentencing hearing. Through counsel, the defendant can ask the judge for time to prepare and get affairs in order. When judges allow people to surrender, they typically allow at least 30 days to pass. Some of our clients have been able to postpone their surrender to prison for a year or longer. There may be a variety of reasons that make sense for someone to delay their surrender date. They may want to complete a class. They may have family obligations. They may need to complete a business transaction.   If there isn't a compelling reason to do the opposite, we encourage people to get started. Don't delay the surrender if there isn't a reason. While waiting to serve time, life can feel like it's on hold. It's hard to gain any traction in life when a prison term is looming ahead. For many people who must surrender to prison, the waiting can be interminable. It can feel like a person is serving time, but the time does not count. In Lessons From Prison, Justin describes how the period before surrendering to prison led to a depression. Others talk about drinking too much, or eating too much, or feeling traumatized with fear.   Each case is different, and we do not provide boilerplate guidance. But as a general rule, we find that it's best to start serving the time as soon as possible. The sooner a person starts, the sooner a person can get on a path toward building a successful future.   We provide tips through our website, through our YouTube channel, and through our podcast. Some of those tips will be specific for people who have an option to surrender to prison. Other tips apply to all people, whether they're surrendering to prison or whether they're going to be taken into custody without notice. It's important to remember that a judge has the discretion. The judge can leave a person out on bond for a lengthy period of time after the conviction. Or the judge can issue an order that results in an unexpected confinement. Consider the widely reported case of Martin Shkreli.   Martin Shkreli was widely castigated in the media. Headlines labeled him as the “Pharma Bro.” In 2017, a jury convicted him on charges related to fraud. While out on bond, he repeatedly appeared on social media. One post, supposedly, offered payment to anyone who could provide a piece of hair from Hillary Clinton. That post led prosecutors to say that Martin posed a thread. The judge agreed. He ordered the U.S. Marshals to take Martin into custody in September, long before his sentencing hearing. As a result, the Bureau of Prisons locked him inside a New York detention center.   Had Martin prepared better, the judge likely would have allowed him to surrender to a minimum-security camp. Life in a minimum-security camp offers considerably more liberty, and considerably less volatility than life inside of a detention center.   It's always best to prepare. Knowledge translates into better decisions, and better decisions translate into better experiences.     Designation Details: Many defense attorneys will stop their representation at the sentencing hearing. Others will be willing to assist their clients a bit further. For those who have a good legal team in place, we offer some advice. Ask the defense attorney to get some confirmations from the Marshals and the BOP regarding the designation. A process unfolds after sentencing. The U.S. Marshals will forward the Judgment Order and the Presentence Investigation Report to the Bureau of Prisons designation center in Grand Prairie, Texas. Administrators in Texas will consider many different factors. Then they will identify an appropriate prison for the person to serve the sentence.   The staff in Grand Prairie will be responsible for submitting the appropriate paperwork to the designated prison. Sometimes human errors occur. Those errors can mean that the paperwork is not in order. If the paperwork is not in order when the defendant arrives at the institution, staff members may lock the individual in the Special Housing Unit. That means the person will be held on lockdown, without access to the telephone or recreation. Time will be much more difficult.   If possible, prepare in advance. Ask the defense attorney to confirm with the Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshal service that all paperwork is in order. Our team has known many defendants who suffered because they were locked unnecessarily in Special Housing Units because they did not prepare in advance.     Point of Contact (POC): Identify a point of contact prior to confinement. Defendants may have a family member or friend who will serve as this point of contact. Let the POC know that they should expect to hear from you within two days. Defendants should understand that the Bureau of Prisons might not activate the phone or email system immediately. Still, if a defendant is on a prison compound, he will be in a community. Depending on the prison, a population level of between 100 and more than 1,000 people will serve time in the community. Someone will agree to help. They can have a family member reach out to your POC and let them know that you arrived safely and that you're okay.   Create a plan for your POC to follow. If your POC does not hear from you after three days, ask your POC to take action. Your POC should contact your attorney. If you don't have an attorney, you need an advocate who will help you. Your advocate should contact the Bureau of Prisons. Effective advocacy will lead the BOP to investigate why you're not able to communicate. If you're being held in the SHU because of misplaced paperwork, your advocate can take steps to correct the problem.   Alan was a client who could have used an advocate. Alan was convicted of healthcare fraud. He surrendered to a minimum-security camp to serve a 36-month sentence. Besides the instant offense, Alan did not have a criminal history. He expected to serve his time in the camp. Unfortunately, the BOP in Grand Prairie did not forward his presentence investigation report to the camp. As a result, when he surrendered to the camp, staff member locked him the Special Housing Unit. He remained in the Special Housing Unit for six weeks because the staff did not have a sense of urgency to fix the problem. Alan didn't know any better, and he didn't have a plan to fix the problem.     Finances: Create a finance plan as soon as possible. The plan should take into consideration the financial responsibilities outside of prison, and the financial needs while in prison.   Every individual has a unique situation. Some people have family members to support. Others do not have any financial responsibilities outside of prison. Think this through. Craft a plan that works for the support group. Coordinate a budget, or plan to assist through the journey.   It's possible to live in prison without any financial resources. Yet financial resources can ease the burden significantly. Remember that prison is a microcosm of our broader society. An underground economy will exist in every prison. By understanding how that economy works, a person can avoid problems that can complicate life inside.   In our book Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term, I wrote about my experiences with the prison economy. I describe why I would spend about $600 each month to live in prison. Those expenditures allowed me to pay for the email system, the telephone system, postage, and to purchase commissary.   Other people live without resources. Some people have “hustles” in prison that allow them to function in that economy. They wash clothes, they clean, they cook for other people. Other people earn an income while working on prison jobs. Those jobs may pay anywhere from $5 a month to $200 per month. Jobs that pay $200 or more a month are relatively scarce, and staff members award those jobs in accordance with seniority. It may take ten years in prison before a person can get into one of the higher paying jobs.   A good plan will keep a person on track. Take steps to understand the financial opportunities and limitations in prison. I've written extensively about my experience in prison. When I left prison, after 26 years inside, I had more than $100,000 in after-tax savings. Those resources allowed me to start my life. The financial resources reflected my preparation. The preparations began with a visualization of how I wanted to emerge. Then I put my plan in place. Then I set priorities. Then I executed the plan. Make sure that you do the same.     Reading: A good planner will see advantages everywhere. We encourage you to plan your reading list. That plan worked well for our partner Shon Hopwood. He chose to read selectively in prison. That selected reading plan led to his developing knowledge of the law. By reading, he became an expert in writing appellate motions. While in prison, Shon wrote briefs that led to liberty for many people. His briefs won in U.S. District Courts, in Circuit Courts, and in the United States Supreme Court.   Likewise, Justin followed a disciplined reading schedule while in prison. He read books that would lead to his success upon release. What books will you read while you're in prison? How will reading contribute to your success while in prison, and beyond?   In several of our programs, I describe the strategy that empowered me through prison. Each time I read a book, I would document the experience with a book report. The book report would follow a simple plan. I would answer three questions:   Why did I read the book?   What did I learn from reading the book?   How will reading the book contribute to my success upon release?   By responding to those questions, we show a disciplined, deliberate path to make time in prison work for you. It's part of an excellent preparation strategy.     Journaling and Reputation Management: At the soonest possible time, anticipate the challenges that you'll face upon release. Use your time inside to begin crafting your personal image. Anticipate the how prospective employers, creditors, business associates, and anyone else will perceive you. What will they find when they search your name on Google?   If you anticipate challenges in the future, you can begin sowing seeds today to overcome those challenges. That strategy worked well for Shon. It worked well for Justin. It worked well for me.   Each of us documented our journey in prison. Each of us chronicled our journey to show our disciplined, deliberate preparations inside. Those initiatives allowed us to overcome enormous obstacles. Shon persuaded a law school to admit him, he persuaded Bar to admit him, and he persuaded a federal judge to hire him. Justin's journaling and strategies for reputation management while in prison opened enormous opportunities. Within three weeks of concluding 26 years in prison, I was teaching as an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University.   What led to those opportunities? Our journaling and our efforts to redefine our image made all the difference. Rather than judging us for the bad decisions that led to our prison term. People judged us for our how we responded. We prepared while in prison.    

Are you facing a term in federal prison? I'm Michael Santos, and along with my two co-founders, Shon Hopwood and Justin Paperny, we want to help you master the system. The more you know about the system, the better you can position yourself to succeed.   We're now in our third episode of our five-part series, How to Master Prison. In our two previous episodes, we offered some insight. We discussed the process that brings someone into the system. Then we discussed how people going into the system should work to influence leaders. In this episode, we cover Custody and Classification. Those who have never been to federal prison may not know anything about custody and classification systems. But understanding the system can make all the difference in the world.   It's something that each of our partners knows a lot about. For those who are reading the chapters independently, rather than sequentially, I encourage you to tune into earlier episodes to learn about the members of our Prison Professors team. All readers should know why we're qualified to teach lessons on mastering the federal prison system. Our website at PrisonProfessors.com features a full bio on each of us.   As stated in the previous episodes, to master the federal prison system, start with an understanding of the massive bureaucracy. The system employs more than 40,000 staff members, and it confines more than 200,000 people. In an effort to keep decisions in harmony, the BOP relies about an extensive library of Program Statements and Policy Statements. The BOP invests heavily to train staff members so that they can make decisions in accordance with those Program Statements and Policy Statements.   The Bureau of Prisons operates a website at www.BOP.Gov. Through that website, visitors can access the Program Statements. The BOP published Program Statement 5100.08 on September 12, 2006. This Program Statement covers Inmate Designation and Custody Classification. It is the eighth version of the program statement. In time, the BOP will likely revise the Program Statement. When the BOP revises the Program Statement, it will be known as 5100.09. For now we will provide a primer on the system that is in use as of December 2017.     Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification Our team at Prison Professors has thousands of stories that reveal why an understanding of Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification is so crucial. We'll start with the case of Erik.   A federal judge sentenced Erik to serve a 48-month sentence for wire fraud. Prior to being charged, Erik said that he didn't know the meaning of wire fraud. He didn't consider himself a criminal. Many people make bad decisions during the course of their careers. Sometimes, those bad decisions lead to criminal prosecution. Erik owned, for example, a small finance company. Some financial structuring problems led prosecutors to indict Erik. Inappropriate use of Email and the Internet led to his guilty conviction. Regardless of his self-perception of not being a criminal, a federal judge ordered Erik to surrender to a Federal Prison Camp so that he could serve a 48-month sentence.   Had Erik understood the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system, he would have behaved differently, he said. Instead, Erik made decisions inside that really complicated his journey.   As anyone can see from the free calculators that we make available at PrisonProfessors.com, Erik should have finished his time in prison early. With credit for good time, credit for completion of the Residential Drug Abuse Program, and credit for halfway house, Erik should have served about two years in prison. Then he should have transferred to a halfway house. But Erik didn't understand the prison system. He made decisions inside that resulted in his serving the entire 48 month sentence.   Further, authorities prosecuted Erik a second time for possession of contraband in prison. Although he could have returned to his family in less than two years, he Erik ended up serving the entire four-year sentence. He also received a new felony conviction, and an additional six-month term. Instead of serving his time in a minimum-security camp, he served substantial portions locked in the segregated housing unit and then in a low-security prison.   How did that happen?   Erik's struggle came because he did not know the importance of decisions in prison. He did not consider himself a criminal. And he thought that others wouldn't consider him a criminal.   Yet Erik's self perception didn't have any bearing on how prison staff would treat him. Staff members would consider him an “inmate.” As such, they would judge him in accordance with what the various Program Statements prescribed.   The following sequence of events occurred. Erik surrendered to prison in accordance with the judge's order. As soon as he settled in, he wanted to use the phone. He didn't know the rules associated with the phone system. To use the phone, Erik had to wait for staff members to set up a list of approved numbers that he could call from his account. Erik grew frustrated. He wanted to talk with his parents, but the phone number wasn't approved. Not knowing the rules, Erik asked his wife to patch him through on a conference call. Staff members learned about the three-way call. After finding him guilty of violating the phone rules, a Disciplinary Hearing Officer sanctioned him with the loss of telephone privileges for six months. Erik responded by using a cell phone that he borrowed from another prisoner. Cell phones are contraband. Staff members caught him. Possession of a cell phone brought a series of new problems. Because it wasn't only contraband, it was also new criminal conduct. As a result of his decisions:   Erik lost his good time. He lost eligibility for RDAP and the time off that would have resulted had he completed the program successfully. Prosecutors charged him with new criminal conduct. He underwent more expenses with legal fees. He pleaded guilty to a second felony and he received a new six-month sentence that ran consecutive to his first sentence. He served more than a year in the Special Housing Unit—otherwise known as the hole. He served the remainder of his time in a low-security prison, where he faced other problems.   Erik liked to say that he wasn't a criminal. Yet those who worked in the system did not concern themselves with Erik's self-perception. They judged him in accordance with objective information.   He pleaded guilty to the white-collar crime of wire fraud. A judge sentenced him to serve a 48-month sentence. BOP staff members relied upon Program Statement 5100.08 for his Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification. The objective scoring showed that he should serve his time inside of a minimum-security Federal Prison Camp. Yet his adjustment in prison resulted in a new scoring. He received a Public Safety Factor that resulted in his serving the remainder of his time in a higher-security environment.     Security in The Federal Bureau of Prisons: At the time of this writing, at the end of 2017, The Federal Bureau of Prisons confines about 185,000 people. About 83% of those people, or 154,844 inmates, serve their time inside Bureau of Prisons facilities. The other people serve their time in privately managed prisons or other types of facilities. Males make up more than 93% of the federal prison population. Those people serve sentences in the following types of security levels:   Minimum-security Federal Prison Camps: 32,189 people, or about 17% of the population Low-security Federal Correctional Institutions: 69,437 people, or about 37% of the population Medium-security Federal Correctional Institutions: 55,377 or about 30% of the population High-security United States Penitentiaries: 21,524 people, or about 12% of the population Unclassified: 6,980 people, or about 4% of the population   Our partner Justin Paperny served time for a white-collar crime. He served his entire sentence in at the Taft Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security camp. Shon Hopwood served time for armed bank robbery, and he served his entire sentence inside the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Illinois. I served time for convictions related to selling cocaine. And over the course of 26 years, I served time in every security level.   Developing literacy of Program Statement 5100, also known as the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system, or the Custody and Classification Manuel, helps people who want to master the federal prison system. No one can change the past. At any time, however, we can start sowing seeds for a better future. In our book Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term, I show how I started sowing the seeds very early during my journey. The seeds I sowed allowed me to make significant progress in prison.   I took the opposite approach of Erik. He started in a camp. Once he surrendered, Erik made bad decisions that led him to higher-security prisons. I say they're bad decisions, because he told me they were bad decisions.   I started in a high-security United States Penitentiary. As soon as I got there, I started making decisions that would put me on a path to ease my adjustment. By understanding the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system, I laid the foundation carefully. That foundation would allow me to transfer to a medium-security Federal Correctional Institution. Then I transferred to a low-security Federal Correctional Institution. Then, at the soonest possible time, I transferred to a minimum-security Federal Prison Camps.     Understanding Program Statement 5100.08: The Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system is an objective system. On our website, we offer a free calculator to help people determine how staff members in the BOP will score them. Simply visit PrisonProfessors.com, click on the “Calculators” button in the main menu, and respond to the questions.   The calculators simulate Program Statement 5100.08, seeking responses to questions on two separate levels:   Base Scoring Custody Scoring   To arrive at the scoring level, respond to 10 separate questions. The response to each question will provide an objective score. Those questions include the following:   What type of detainer do you have, if any? What is the severity of your current offense? How many months do you expect to serve before your scheduled release? What will the BOP say about your criminal history? Do you have a history of escape attempts? Do you have a history of violence? Will staff in the BOP recognize that I voluntarily surrendered to prison? What will the BOP say about your age? What will the BOP say about your education level? What will the BOP say with regard to your history of alcohol or substance abuse during the past five years?   Notice that we always ask what the BOP will say. It's not important what you or anyone else says. We need to assess what the BOP will say in order to calculate your score appropriately.   Program Statement 5100.08 will attach a score to each of your responses to those questions. This score will be known as your “Base Score.” When it comes to the base score, you will note that the questions focus on your past. For the most part, you will notice that they require static answers—meaning that you will not have opportunities to change the outcome. Since you cannot change the past, you must wait for calendar pages to turn to influence the Base Score.   It's important to understand this score as early as possible. You may be able to influence the score during the presentence investigation process.   Once you calculate the Base Score, the next step will require you to answer questions that will lead to your Custody Score. Those questions follow:   What will the BOP say with regard to how much time you've served as a percentage of your sentence? With regard to program participation, will the BOP assess you as average or good? How will the BOP assess your living skills? What will the BOP say with regard to your record of disciplinary infractions? What will the BOP say about the frequency of disciplinary reports you've received in the past year? What will the BOP say about your community ties? What will the BOP say about your gender?   Program Statement 5100.08 will assign a score to each answer that you provide. The sum of those scores will result in your Custody Score. Then, Program Statement 5100.08 will require you to consult a variance table that may either add or subtract from your score.   By taking all factors into consideration, you receive a scoring. That scoring reflects all of your security points. Those security points will determine the type of prison where you will serve your sentence. Your behavior in prison will determine whether you move to higher security levels, and potentially extend your release date, as was the case with Erik. Or if you pursue the path of a master, your behavior in prison will result in your moving to a lower-security prison, and potentially advancing your release date.   These scores will come from your Presentence Investigation Report. If you want to influence these scores, then learn as much as possible before the PSI. We urge you to review the information available on our website. It will help you understand the importance of the PSR, and it will offer guidance on how to influence that PSR. If you need guidance, contact us today.   Higher-Security Prisons as Compared to Lower-Security Prisons The security-level of a prison influences the level of liberty. As stated earlier in this chapter, about 18% of the federal prison population serves time in a minimum-security camp. More than 80% of the federal prison population serves time in higher-security prisons. Regardless of where a person starts the sentence, various factors can influence the security scoring. A change in security scoring can result in a transfer to either higher or lower security prison.   Learn how behavior in prison influences the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification. Although nothing but the passing of time will influence the Base Score, the Custody Score is more dynamic. In other words, behavior in prison can result in lowering or raising the Custody Score. By understanding how the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system works, a person can choose to behave in ways that reflects a mastery of the system.     Experience in Different Security Levels: As a founder of Prison Professors, I would be remiss if I did not share what I learned from serving time in prisons of every security level. I started my term in 1987. Initially authorities locked me inside a detention center in Miami. At the time, it was called the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Since then, the BOP changed MCC Miami into FCI Miami. When I started, I didn't understand the system at all. I only cared about getting out of prison. Later, after a jury convicted me and a judge sentenced me, I changed my thought process. I wanted to leave prison successfully. Every decision that I made inside would put me on the trajectory of success.   What types of decisions will you make?   After being sentenced, authorities transferred me to the United States Penitentiary, in Atlanta. I had a 45-year term. Under the laws that existed at the time, I could earn credit for good behavior. As long as I didn't lose any of those credits for good behavior, I could complete that term in 26 years. I started to set goals. I wanted to get out of prison at the soonest possible time. Further, I wanted to make sure that when I returned to society, I would be in the best possible position to succeed. I understood that there were some things I could not control. But I had opportunities to make decisions every day. Those decisions would lead me closer to success, or further away from success.   Coincidentally, Program Statement 5100.08 rewards decisions that I consider to be consistent with success. By avoiding disciplinary infractions in prison, I could put myself on a path to move to lower security levels. It wasn't going to happen overnight. Yet by gradually working through programs in prison, I could begin to influence change. I could assess my environment. Although I couldn't avoid the volatility of prison, I could make choices that would minimize my exposure to problems. I could choose jobs that would be more consistent with my goals. I could maneuver my way into the best possible housing situation. By understanding Program Statement 5100.08, I could succeed in a high-security penitentiary. I did not receive any disciplinary infractions. I earned an undergraduate degree. I successfully coordinated my transfer to the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution of my choice.   Once I got to the next stop, I repeated the process. At the soonest possible time, I transferred from the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution to the low-security Federal Correctional Institution of my choice. By the time I arrived, I had a master's degree. While in the low-security prison, I continued the same pattern. While there, I married the love of my life. And at the soonest possible time, I transferred to a minimum-security camp. While there, I built many relationships that influenced my success in prison and beyond. Indeed, I met my co-founders at Prison Professors while I was serving time inside of those minimum-security federal prison camps.     Get Ready to Master Federal Prison If you or a loved one is facing challenges with the criminal justice system, we urge you to understand the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system. You may research the entire manual by reading Program Statement 5100.08. If you want a quick assessment of how the Bureau of Prisons will score you, turn to our free calculators at PrisonProfessors.com. The more you know about the system, the stronger you will become. As you restore confidence, you'll make better decisions. Those better decisions will show that you're a master of the system.   Regardless of where you serve your sentence, you can make decisions that will lead to a life of meaning and relevance. That said, we ask you to consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. We all have the basis need of safety. If you can maneuver your way into less-volatile environments, then we urge you to do so. By understanding the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification system, you'll know how to seize upon opportunities to influence the scoring level. The sooner you get started, the better off you will be. Our courses and books at Prison Professors will help.   Contact us today if you want more personal assistance.  

I'm Michael Santos with Prison Professors. Along with my partners, Shon Hopwood and Justin Paperny, we're glad to provide more information about how to prepare for the prison journey. Earlier episodes have given extensive biographical information on us. Complete your own due diligence. You'll see why we're exceptionally well qualified to help anyone who is going into the system.   More importantly, we're well qualified to help people who want to get out of the prison system successfully. Each of us succeeded after prison because we understood how to make good decisions as we worked our way through the journey. Always remember, the right decision at the wrong time is the wrong decision.   This episode is part of our series that we're calling how to prepare for prison. In the previous episode, we explained a bit about the process. As Dr. Stephen Covey advised in his best-selling book, it's always best to seek to understand before we seek to be understood.   In this segment of the Prison Professors podcast, we're going to discuss the importance of understanding stakeholders in the criminal justice system.     Federal Prison Hierarchy To succeed in the federal prison system, it's crucial to understand how it operates. Our partner, Shon Hopwood, tells a story that might help us illustrate the point. When Shon began serving his sentence for armed bank robbery, he wanted out. Many people in prison want out.   Shon read a case that highlighted a favorable decision. He thought the legal ruling might apply to him. Shon wrote a motion and he filed his motion in a court that he thought would grant relief. The judge refused to accept Shon's motion. Instead, the judge offered advice. He suggested that if Shon wanted to get relief in court, it would behoove him to file in an appropriate court that would have jurisdiction on his case.   Obviously, Shon went on to master the judicial system. As Steve Kroft of 60 Minute said, while serving his sentence, Shon became the most successful “jailhouse” lawyer in history. The legal briefs that he wrote for other prisoners resulted in victories in the district courts, circuit courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His legal victories changed laws and resulted in liberty for many people in federal prison.   But if Shon did not learn how to master federal prison first, he would not have succeeded in mastering the federal judiciary, or become a skilled jailhouse lawyer. We must take first steps first. And for people going into the prison system, it's essential to understand how the Bureau of Prisons operates.     Branches of Government Like the federal courts, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is a massive bureaucracy. Many years may have passed since some of our readers took a class in civics. As a quick reminder, our nation has three bodies of government. They include the following branches:   The Legislative Branch The Judicial Branch The Executive Branch   Our elected members of Congress make up the Legislative Branch of government. They include representatives from each of the 500+ districts in the United States, and they include the two senators that represent each state. Those members vote on legislation in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Once they're in agreement, the legislative bills go to the President. If the President signs the legislative bills, they become laws.   In our country, we have more than 90 federal Judicial Districts. For example, in California, there are four separate federal Judicial Districts—including the Northern District Court, the Central District Court, the Southern District Court, and the Eastern District Court. Each of those Districts is part of a Circuit. We separate those Circuits by geographic regions. For example , California is in the Ninth Judicial Circuit. New York is in the Second Judicial Circuit. We have the U.S. Supreme Court that presides over all Circuit and District Courts. We have more than 1,000 federal judges that preside over the various courts. Each of the judges strives to ensure that people receive due process—meaning, the judges strive to apply fairness in the courts for all.   The Executive Branch of government oversees the many different applications of government. Our president appoints people who oversee the different departments. For our purposes, we know that the Attorney General of the United States oversees the Department of Justice. And the Attorney General of the United States oversees the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. For that reason, we must understand how the hierarchy operates.     Politics and Prisoners: Earlier, I encouraged you to complete your due diligence on my partners and me. That way you could assess the veracity of our claim to have mastered our time in federal prison. It takes a lot of discipline to grow in prison. In my case, I went through 26 years.   By the time that I met our co-founder Justin Paperny in the Taft Federal Prison Camp, our country was going through a historic election. The economy was in the tank, sliding into the worst recession in recent memory. Unemployment was on the rise. Justin asked me why I followed the political race so closely.   As a prisoner, I explained, we must live with decisions that come down from the top. The president's perspective on governing will influence the policies that he wants to set. As a prisoner, we must live with those policies. If the president believes that people have a capacity to change, the president will appoint an Attorney General that shares that liberal viewpoint. If the president believes that we need to preserve the systems that are in place, then the president will appoint an Attorney General that shares such a conservative viewpoint. Policy shifts in prison will reflect the perceptions of both the president and the Attorney General.   To illustrate, let us provide two recent examples of such change.   The Second Chance Act provided prison administrators with new discretion regarding halfway house placement. Prior to the Second Chance Act, leaders in The Bureau of Prisons could authorize prisoners to serve the final six months of their sentences in a halfway house. After The Second Chance Act, leaders in The Bureau of Prisons could authorize prisoners to serve the final 12 months of their sentences in a halfway house.   Obviously, from a prisoner's perspective, 12 months in a halfway house would be better than six months in a halfway house. But it was up to the Bureau of Prisons to apply the law.   The U.S. Congress passed The Second Chance Act. But leadership in the BOP has discretion. When President Obama was in office, the Attorney General was Eric Holder. Under that administration, people in prison could have some influence on how much halfway house time they could receive. As a master of federal prison, I succeeded in putting myself on a pathway to get the full 12 months of halfway house. Similarly, as a master in the federal prison system, Justin succeeded in getting the maximum halfway house placement that was available to him.   In 2017, President Donald Trump appointed Jeff Sessions to serve as the Attorney General. Both President Trump and Attorney General Sessions had a different perspective. President Trump and AG Sessions had a conservative perspective, meaning that they believed that people should serve the maximum amount of time in federal prison. The 2017 administration cut funding to halfway houses.   But a master of federal prison would know how to cope with such change.   To prevail on maximum halfway house time—or any other matter pertaining to federal prison—Prison Professors urges people to understand the system. Pursue a strategy to get the best possible outcome, depending upon the political philosophy of the administration in power. The strategy that may result in success during a conservative administration may differ from the strategy that could result in success in a liberal administration.   To master federal prison quickly, make sure that you understand the political philosophy on both a macro and a micro level.     Directors of the Bureau of Prisons: The Bureau of Prisons is a massive organization. It employs more than 40,000 staff members that serve in six different regions. Those regions include federal prisons in most states, halfway houses in all states, regional offices, training centers, and headquarters in Washington D.C. The Director of the Bureau of Prisons presides over the entire bureaucracy. He reports to the Attorney General of the United States.   For the nearly 200,000 federal prisoners, it's important to understand the different roles in the BOP. What is the role of the Director?   Well, the Director must make sure that the prison system is operating in accordance with the wishes of the Attorney General. And the Attorney General wants the Director to operate the Bureau of Prisons in accordance with the political philosophy of the President.   The Director is not going to express concern for individual prisoner issues. Rather, the Director focuses on systemic policies. When prisoners attempt to seek relief from the Director, the prisoner reveals a lack of understanding for how the system operates. Masters understand the system. And they learn how to succeed, given the limitations of the system itself.   Unless a prisoner wants to advocate for systemic change, it doesn't make sense for him to advance arguments at the highest levels of the Bureau of Prisons. In fact, doing so can cause problems. Leaders know that the right decision at the wrong time is the wrong decision. Although people in prison may see many injustices on a systemic level, as masters, we should always have a very clear perspective. How are we defining success? What battles are we striving to win? What price are we willing to pay in pursuit of success over our battles.   By focusing on victory as we define victory, we know where to concentrate our energy. It rarely works in our interest to seek relief from the highest levels of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.   To oversee the Bureau of Prisons, the Director relies upon a large team. That team includes a Deputy Director, several Acting Directors, and several Regional Directors. It would be highly unusual for any of those directors to make decisions regarding any individuals in prison. Rather, the directors rely upon their subordinates. We should expect the subordinates to make decisions in accordance with the political philosophies of the people in power. Directors set policies and oversee budgets. Subordinates carry out those policies.   Federal Prison, an Overview: We know that the Bureau of Prisons is a massive bureaucracy. It includes many different divisions. People who want to master federal prison should broaden their understanding of how it operates. The more people understand, the more likely they become to get on the best trajectory.   Masters seek to understand more so that they can influence more.   Although a later chapter discusses custody and classification levels in detail, we can provide a brief overview here. The Bureau of Prisons categorizes in accordance with security levels. Consider the following:   ADX: This designation refers to an Administrative-Maximum U.S. Penitentiary. It is the highest level of security. Most people who serve time in an ADX start in a lower-security prison. They make decisions in prison that result in new criminal charges, or disciplinary problems. When a team or staff member identifies people in prison as being sufficiently disruptive, they may send them to an ADX penitentiary.   SMU: This designation refers to a Special Management Unit. Like the ADX, the SMU is a highly restrictive prison. Staff members may send people to an SMU when they want to restrict their communication. Although most people who are in an SMU have violent histories, it's important to remember the adage “The pen is mightier than the sword.” If staff members consider a prisoner to be a prolific writer, and the prisoner writes content that staff members consider inflammatory, they may confine the person in an SMU.   USP: This designation refers to a United States Penitentiary. In the broader community, people consider the word penitentiary as being synonymous with prison. But in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the word penitentiary has a different meaning and connotation. It means high-security. People going to a USP live in restrictive conditions. Staff members consider USPs to be more volatile. They govern USPs in response to population levels that include higher percentages of people who have violent, volatile, and disruptive histories.   FCI: This designation refers to a Federal Correctional Institution. The FCI includes both medium-security and low-security prisons.   FSL: This designation refers to a Federal Satellite Low Security Prison. The people in an FSL have the custody scoring of people in a camp. But they have some issue that prevents them from going to a camp. For example, they may have a detainer of some type, or they may have longer than 10 years to serve.   SCP: This designation refers to a Satellite Prison Camp. The camp is adjacent to a secure prison, and the inmates in the camp provide labor that keeps the prison operating.   FPC: This designation refers to a federal prison camp. It is frequently a stand-alone camp, meaning it is not tied to another prison, as with the SCP.   FCC: This designation refers to a Federal Correctional Complex. A complex will have several prisons of different security levels in a single location. People in one prison do not mix with people in another prison, but they're all in the same geographical location.   FDC, MCC, or MDC: These designations refer detention centers. People in detention centers, ordinarily, await outcomes of judicial proceedings. Although some people serve the entire term in detention centers, or they are assigned to the work cadre—performing maintenance on the prison, they are not necessarily serving time.   FMC: This designation refers to a Federal Medical Center. People who need medical attention may serve all or a portion of their time in an FMC.   FTC: This designation refers to the Federal Transfer Center, in Oklahoma. Prisoners may spend time in the FTC while traveling to other institutions, or they may serve their sentence in the FTC if they're part of a work cadre.   CI: This designation refers to a privately operated federal prison.   CO and RO: These designation refers to the Central Office and the Regional Office. We can use our understanding of the regional office and the central office to influence our placement, or to influence favorable outcomes.   Mastering the federal prison system requires some knowledge of the different types of institutions. The more we know about the Bureau of Prisons and the staff, the better we can position ourselves to get to the best possible environment.   All secure institutions include the following staff members:     Warden: The warden is the CEO of the institution. Wardens have an enormous amount of influence with regard to how the prison operates. Some wardens make themselves approachable. To the extent that a person in prison positions himself well, he can influence the warden's perception.   As a prisoner, it's crucial to begin with a clear understanding of success. Exercise discretion when it comes to approaching a warden—or anyone else. Lay the groundwork first, before asking the warden to intervene on anything. Understand that the warden has enormous power with regard to every person in the prison. In the various books that Prison Professors have written, we described how wardens influenced our success through the journey. Pay close attention to the extensive amounts of back work that we did, and also note how we were selective when requesting assistance.   Associate Wardens: The associate wardens are part of the warden's executive staff. They oversee various departments within the prison. For example, the Associate Warden of Programs will oversee unit staff. The Associate Warden of Operations will oversee facility management. The population level of the prison will influence how many AWs are available.   Department Heads: Department heads oversee specific departments. For example, the Unit Manager oversees all case managers. A Unit Manager reports directly to the Associate Warden of Programs. The Unit Manager will ask inmates to resolve matters directly with the case manager.   Line Staff: Line staff includes case managers, cook supervisors, counselors, landscape foreman, maintenance leaders, and others who work in various departments. They report to their respective department heads.   Case Managers: Case managers oversee all matters that pertain to a person's case. Once the judge sentences a person “To the custody of the attorney general,” that person becomes an “inmate” as far as concerns the system. And case managers will have direct oversight of the inmate. The inmate will not have a lawyer. The inmate must learn how to advocate for himself effectively. Case managers will be a key person to influence. Although policies guide decisions, there is always some discretion. A master will learn how to influence staff members in the Bureau of Prisons in a positive way.   Counselors: Counselors in federal prison do not offer the type of counseling that someone outside of prison would expect. Rather, they perform jobs like approving visiting lists and assigning jobs. It's best to understand the limited role that counselors play in federal prison. That way, people spare themselves the disappointment that comes from expecting too much.     Influence and Manipulation At Prison Professors, we discuss the long-term approach of influencing a positive outcome. That differs from shortsighted efforts to manipulate staff members. To influence does not mean to manipulate.   For obvious reasons, staff members are extremely cynical. Every day, staff members in prison work with convicted felons. Many of those people have criminal mindsets. That is why staff members expect inmates to lie. They expect inmates to do or say anything that will ease their burden. Masters of the system do not whine or complain about this reality. Rather, they learn how to work within the system, and how to succeed in spite of the challenges.   Masters know that the Bureau of Prisons invests a considerable amount of resources in staff development and staff training. Part of that training teaches staff members how “to be firm but fair.” The Bureau of Prisons wants to make sure the public is safe, the prisons are safe, and the staff members are safe. As such, it's extremely conservative. Training encourages staff members to rely upon policy when making decisions, and it trains them to interpret those policies conservatively. For that reason, it's crucial for masters to understand all policies. By understanding the opportunity costs that come with every decision, masters can make better progress than those who flounder.   If you want to master federal prison, work through all of the programs available through PrisonProfessors.com. You will learn our strategies for making exceptional progress in prison. More importantly, you will learn how to succeed upon release.    

I'm Michael Santos and I want to welcome you to another Prison Professors podcast episode. Earlier episodes provided you with the background information on my partners and me. Today we're recording a series of five podcasts that will help our listeners understand a bit more about the process of going into the criminal justice system.   As of now, I have five episodes planned. They include the following:   Understanding the Process Understanding the stakeholders Understanding the custody and classification system How to Prepare for Prison Why Writing a Narrative Can Assist You Through the Journey   Understanding the Process   We're going to start by paraphrasing Stephen Covey. In his timeless bestseller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Covey advised that we should try to understand before we try to be understood.   That guidance applies to anyone who wants to master prison. We're recording this series of episodes of the Prison Professors podcast specifically for people who anticipate that they may go into the criminal justice system. Those who have a solid understanding of the system may want to skip this episode.   Our goal is to help listeners make decisions that will put them on the path for the best possible outcome.   And the best possible outcome requires good decisions. To make good decisions going forward, we need to understand how the process works. So let's begin with some instructions on how someone goes into the criminal justice system.     The Investigation: Investigators frequently start the process. Those investigators may work as part of the SEC, the IRS, the FBI, or the DEA. Allegations of misconduct can lead to an investigation. During that investigation phase, agents will collect evidence. The agents will work closely with federal prosecutors. The federal prosecutors will make a decision on how to proceed. If they want to charge a person with a crime, they have different options.   But once investigators and prosecutors decide to bring charges, especially in the federal system, the person becomes a defendant. The Charge: When prosecutors choose to bring a case against someone, chances for a conviction become exceedingly high. At first, the person may be a “target” of an investigation. The investigation can take place secretly, with a grand jury.   In the grand jury proceeding, a prosecutor puts together a group of citizens. Those citizens listen to evidence that the prosecutor presents. That evidence includes live testimony from investigators and other witnesses. Grand jury members listen to the witnesses respond to the leading questions from the prosecutor. At some point, the prosecutor will ask the members of the grand jury to “indict” the target of the investigation.   In some cases, prosecutors use a less formal way of charging people. Rather than going through a grand jury, they may file a “criminal information.” The criminal information can result from an agreement that the prosecutor makes with the defense team.   Regardless of how prosecutors bring charges, things change. To start, a person becomes a defendant. We have all heard stories that in our country, we have a presumption of innocence. Yet few people who have been charged with a federal crime recognize that distinction.   Statistics show the consequences. We encourage our listeners to do their own research. Simply type into Google “United States Attorneys' Annual Statistical Report.” Or download it from our website at PrisonProfessors.com. Read the data. That data should help people make better decisions as they advance through the process.   At our website, PrisonProfessors.com, we offer an abundance of articles, blogs, and videos that will help people understand more about the criminal justice system. Learn as much as possible. We do not dispense legal advice, but we provide a lot of content that will help our audience make better decisions.   Our co-founder, Shon Hopwood, is a lawyer. But he does not use our site to provide legal advice. To participate in litigation, Shon would need to know details of the case. Details of a case require many hours of research, and time comes at a premium. We trust that our listeners will have a solid legal team in place to advise them.   On the other hand, we members of our audience to understand the opportunity costs that come with every decision. Those who want to master prison quickly should realize implications of every decision along the way. We make better decisions when we have a more complete understanding of the process.       The Defense Attorney: Once prosecutors charge a person, the defendant will need a defense attorney. If a client does not have the resources to hire a defense attorney, the Court will provide an attorney. The court-appointed attorney may be a part of the federal defenders. Or the court-appointed at torney may be a defense attorney that agrees to work on the CJA panel. Every federal judicial district has a roster of attorneys who are experienced in federal court.   Regardless of whether the defense attorney serves on the panel or with the federal defenders, that person will have been exposed to extensive amounts of training and resources. Federal defenders and panel attorneys are well qualified to represent defendants in federal court.   Other defendants may retain counsel. Attorneys who have extensive practice in federal court charge a premium. Hourly fees for defense attorneys with experience in federal court depend upon how long the attorney has been practicing and geographical locations. Defendants should expect to spend tens of thousands for any representation in federal court. For those who lack access to capital, we urge defendants to use federal defenders rather than hire an attorney who lacks experience in federal court.   Our team has a process for vetting defense attorneys in federal court. We also offer consulting services to assist defendants who need this guidance. Your defense attorney will become an essential part of your team, so choose wisely.     The Plea: If prosecutors bring charges against a defendant, a plea hearing will follow. That plea hearing can happen quickly, or it can be postponed. We work with some defendants who may wait for years before they actually face charges and enter a plea. In most cases, people enter not-guilty plea hearings. Then, after defense attorneys work out the most favorable deal, defendants change their plea to guilty in accordance with the plea agreement.   Let's talk about pleading guilty.     Pleading Guilty: Entering a guilty plea is a formal proceeding. There will not be much conversation. Early in the hearing, the defense attorney will let the judge know that the defendant wants to enter a plea, or a change of plea. The judge will then ask the defendant to rise. The defendant must swear to tell the truth, under penalty of perjury. The judge will let the defendant know that he is not bound by any deal the prosecutor may have made. The defendant must acknowledge that he understands. After the judge is satisfied that the defendant understands, the judge will read each criminal charge. Then the judge will ask the defendant if he is guilty of the charge. The defendant will not have an opportunity to explain or elaborate. He will simply say, “I plead guilty.” Opportunities for explanations and elaborations will come much later.     Pleading Not Guilty: If the defendant persists with a “not guilty” plea, a trial will follow. The trial can last for days, weeks, or months. During the trial, prosecutors will present evidence. The defense attorney will argue to discredit the evidence. The judge will decide what evidence the jury will hear. And in time, the jury will render a verdict. If the verdict is not guilty, the judge will release the defendant—and he can go home. If the verdict is guilty, the process will continue with a Presentence Investigation.     Presentence Investigation: A federal probation officer will begin the Presentence Investigation (PSI) by reviewing a report from the federal prosecutor. That prosecutor's report will present the government's version of events. Probation officers will cut and paste the prosecutor's version of events into a report that is known as the Presentence Investigation Report, or PSR.   To continue the investigation, the probation officer will speak with the defendant. The defense attorney should be present during the PSI interview. If a defense attorney chooses not to prepare the defendant for the PSI, the defendant will have a red flag; he is not being advised appropriately. Defendants should take every effort to prepare for the PSI, as it will have lasting implications. Those implications stick around long after the sentencing hearing.   During the PSI interview, the probation officer will ask the defendant about what he or she has to say about the offense. We advise defendants to prepare for this question. Ideally, the defendant will have written a narrative in advance. The defendant can explain the process by thinking through the content of that narrative.   According to video interviews our team has done with federal judges, which are available on our YouTube channel, that PSR can have an enormous influence at sentencing. Further, it will have an influence on placement in the Bureau of Prisons. The PSR will influence the journey in prison. It will influence when the defendant transfers back into the community. And it will influence the level of liberty the defendant has while on Supervised Release. For those reasons, we urge defendants to take every opportunity to understand the presentence investigation, and to prepare.   Fortune, as you know, always favors those who prepare.   The probation officer will conclude the investigation with an extensive presentence investigation report. The PSR will include what the probation officer learned from the defendant and also from other people who are related to the defendant. That may include family members, it may include employers, it may include creditors, it may include victims.   The PSR will include both objective and subjective information. The objective information includes information about the conviction. It will also include information that will influence the federal sentencing guidelines. Those federal sentencing guidelines are complex. We urge defendants to learn how various factors influence those guidelines. Also, it's crucial for defendants to know how they can work to get the most favorable outcome during the sentencing hearing. It all starts with the presentence investigation report.     Sentencing Hearing: Learn and understand about sentencing hearings before the inevitable date. Unfortunately, when federal prosecutors bring charges, more than 80 percent of the defendants face a sentencing hearing. Influencing the outcome with a well thought-out sentence-mitigation strategy—that is essential. Learn what steps you can take to move the needle in your direction. Although every case is different, and requires a highly customized approach, we can provide some bullet point suggestions.   For example:   Think about the perspective of all stakeholders. Their perception is much more important than your perception. Learn more about stakeholders in the following chapter. Think about the victims of the crime. If you don't think your crime has a victim, then you're not thinking about the stakeholder's perceptions. From the stakeholders' perception, the crime has victims. Who are they? How have they suffered? Prepare to reveal what you've learned from the process. In what ways have you grown as a result of this experience? Execute a plan that will differentiate you from other defendants. Think about the judge's perception. Influence the process by showing what steps you've taken to make things right. Help the judge understand how you will adjust your life in light of this experience. Convince the judge that you'll never appear in Court as a criminal defendant again.     Designation in the Bureau of Prisons: In some cases, a comprehensive strategy will result in an alternative sanction that does not include time in custody. Our team at Prison Professors does its best to help defendants who want to advance arguments for a non-custodial sentence. No one can change the past, but we all can sow seeds for a better future. Unfortunately, in most cases, sentences include prison. When prison becomes part of the journey, the next step after the sentencing hearing will be for the Bureau of Prisons to assign the appropriate prison.   Several factors go into the equation of prison designations. The Bureau of Prisons relies upon the latest edition of Program Statement 5100 to determine prison designations. The complicated matrix assigns points to objective factors that include criminal history, type of offense, severity of crime, and so forth. A variance table makes additional adjustments. Public Safety Factors and Management Variables can also influence the custody and classification. Our website includes a calculator that calculates the point system.   Besides custody and classification scoring, the Bureau of Prisons will also consider judicial recommendations, medical needs, prison population levels, institutional needs, and geographical locations. All of those factors go into consideration of the Bureau of Prisons' decisions. Then, the BOP will order the prisoner to begin serving the sentence in a specific prison.   Defendants should learn everything they can about the designation process. The more they understand, the better prepared they become to influence where they will serve the time. Although we can master any environment, the earlier we get started in mastering the process, the better off we are.   Isn't that always the case in life?     Serving the Sentence: Success through any prison journey begins with a clear understanding. When we can define what success looks like on the other side of the journey, we have a start. The heart of this book will describe how to take us from where we are today, to the life we want to create. Although many of us would like to change the past, we master the system when we deal with the world as it exists—rather than as we would like it to be.   Our team at PrisonProfessors.com will help you every step of the way.     Outro: Thank you for listening to Chapter 1 of our free ebook, How to Master Federal Prison—Quickly. To get the entire free ebook at once, take one of the following actions:   Text LIBERTY to 44222, or Simply visit PrisonProfessors.com and enter your email.   We will send you a copy instantly.   Shon Hopwood and Justin Paperny are my partners at Prison Professors. I'm Michael Santos. Our team creates digital content and we offer consulting services.   We assist people who face challenges with prosecution, sentencing, and prison.   We also assist agencies that want to improve outcomes in their institutions. Our clients include individuals, law firms, state and federal prison systems, the courts, and school districts.   Visit us at PrisonProfessors.com or contact Justin at 818-424-2220 to learn more. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. And please leave us an honest review!   Stay tuned for another 20 to 30 minute episode with Prison Professors.  

Hello, hello. My name is Michael Santos and I welcome you to our new Prison Professors podcast. As stated in the intro, I'm part of a team that includes two co-founders, Shon Hopwood and Justin Paperny. Every day we'll publish a new Prison Professors episode. What do we mean by every day? We mean every day. Why would we do this? Well, we have a lot of reasons. Primarily, we want to teach our audience about America's prison system, the people it holds, and strategies for growing through prison successfully.  Over the past few years, we've seen a lot more interest in the prison system. The big interest began when Michele Alexander published her amazing book, The New Jim Crow. Ms. Alexander's book launched an entire movement that brought awareness to mass incarceration. Since then, Netflix dramatized Piper Kernan's book, Orange is the New Black. At the same time, television networks began publishing all types of shows that sensationalized the prison experience. Recently, Ear Hustle became all the rage by profiling lives of men serving time inside of San Quentin.  Prisons have become mainstream. But the message of intergenerational failure isn't something that we want to promote. At Prison Professors, we offer something different.  When we prepared to launch Prison Professors, people questioned the graphics we chose. Overall, people didn't relate to people in suits going to prison. And it's true. Our prisons incarcerate disenfranchised people of color more than anyone else. Our team does a lot of work to reform prison and sentencing systems across the United States. With our Prison Professors podcast, however, we strive to disrupt the thinking about America's prison system. Our logo may be one way to start. Our nation confines more than 2 million people. We incarcerate more people per capita than any nation on earth. At Prison Professors, we don't complain about these troubling statistics. Nor do we make any judgment on the influences or decisions that led people to prison. We know that anyone can go to prison.  With our podcast, we strive to show people the best possible outcomes. We strive to disrupt the thinking of taxpayers and anyone going into the prison system. Rather than complaining about how bad our prison system is, or why mass incarceration represents one of the greatest social injustices of our time, we strive to show people pathway to success. Our team has always believed that we need to live in the world as it exists—not as we would like it to be. The truth is, our government has passed thousands of laws that can lead people to prison. And a felony conviction can result in lifelong complications. Those complications derail prospects for happiness. They can have ancillary consequences that include under employment upon release—or no employment. They can lead to a lack of access to housing, to financing, to social services. Those are realities. At Prison Professors, we want to help people who must content with such struggles. We want to show pathways to success in spite of such struggles. For that reason, we offer new content every day.  We will structure our Prison Professors podcast in one of two formats. Either I'll narrate an episode or I'll interview a guest. Some episodes will stand-alone. Other episodes will work together as part of a series on a specific subject. For example, you may enjoy our upcoming multi-part series on how to master prison quickly. Or you may want to learn from our series on Scott Tucker, which we title Billionaires Preparing for Prison.  At Prison Professors, our team helps people master the prison experience. Through our podcast, we'll bring more awareness. And we'd like to offer suggestions on how people can make it through the journey strong, with their dignity in tact. Our Prison Professors podcast offers daily insight for people who want the best possible outcome.  My co-founders and I have a great deal of experience with the prison system. Through our website at PrisonProfessors.com, we offer an index with notes on all shows. We encourage you to visit PrisonProfessors.com. Enter your name to become a member of our mailing list, or follow us on social media. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube and you'll receive a notice each time we feature a new video. If you subscribe to our Prison Professors Facebook page, you'll learn about efforts we're making to improve outcomes of our nation's prison system. In episodes two and three, I'll introduce you to my two co-founders. You may be familiar with their work already In October of 2017, 60-Minutes featured a segment on Shon Hopwood. Shon also describes his story in his best-selling book, Law Man: Memoirs of a Jailhouse Lawyer. Law Man is relevant to listeners of the Prison Professors podcast for many reasons. Shon's inspiring story shows that regardless of what bad decisions a person has made in the past, an individual can start sowing seeds that lead to success.  The FBI arrested Shon in 1998 for a series of armed bank robberies. A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced him to a term that would require Shon to spend more than 10 years in federal prison. Yet Shon found a way to prosper inside. He studied case law. He wrote briefs that brought victories for people in district courts, in circuit courts, and in the U.S. Supreme Court. After his release, Shon earned his undergraduate degree and he earned a law degree. He clerked for two federal judges. Now Shon serves as a tenure-track professor at Georgetown Law School.  Without a doubt, Shon Hopwood is a success story. He is also a co-founder with Justin and me at PrisonProfessors.com and the Prison Professors podcast.  Justin Paperny is our other co-founder. His skills as a young baseball player led to Justin's scholarship at the University of Southern California. After earning an undergraduate degree, Justin went on to a career as a stockbroker. He managed assets for professional athletes and hedge funds. As a result of his failure to report a Ponzi scheme, authorities charged Justin with the crime of violating securities laws.  I met Justin at the Taft Federal Prison Camp, in California. We became friends soon after he arrived, in 2008. We began to engineer a strategy that would lead to Prison Professors and other business opportunities while we were still serving time. Justin and I understood that many people face challenges with the criminal justice system. A lack of understanding can make matters worse. In some cases, the wrong decisions can bring disastrous results.  While serving time in the Taft camp, Justin and I worked together. We crafted plans that would lead to the best possible outcome for anyone who has concerns about the criminal justice system. Upon Justin's release, he began building the properties we would need to bring our products and services to market. We now have several platforms that include:  PrisonProfessors.com MichaelSantos.com WhiteCollarAdvice.com PrisonNewsBlog.com BrandingFast.com, as well as our Prison Professors YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Twitter feed. We encourage you to follow us everywhere. You'll learn all about Shon and Justin in episodes two and three. I'll share my story with listeners during the remainder of this episode. As I said at the start, my name is Michael Santos. My journey through the criminal justice system followed some bad decisions I began making when I was a young man. In 1984, I was 20 years old and I started selling cocaine. When I was 23, in 1987, authorities arrested me. After a lengthy trial, a jury convicted me of operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise.  We were at the dawn of our nation's war on drugs and I faced a possible sentence of life in prison. I'd never been incarcerated before, and I didn't know what to expect.  Like many people who go into the criminal justice system for the first time, I only wanted one thing. That was to get out! My ignorance of the system led to some bad decisions, and those bad decisions resulted in my serving much longer than I should have served.  During an awkward transition between the conviction and my sentencing date, I decided to begin preparing for a better outcome. Rather than worrying about what was going to happen to me, I started thinking about ways that I could prepare for a brighter future. We reveal this story in our book: Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term.  Earning Freedom, along with our other books, are available through our website at PrisonProfessors.com. Readers of Earning Freedom will learn that leaders like Socrates, Viktor Frankl, Nelson Mandela, and others inspired me. Leaders like Steve Jobs and Bill gates taught me to think differently, Instead of dwelling on the problems, I needed to focus on solutions.  From those leaders, I learned to chart my own path from struggle to prosperity. That path through prison included a three-pronged focus. I would work to:  Earn academic credentials. 2. I would work to Contribute to society in meaningful, measurable ways, and 3, I would work to Build a support network. That three-pronged path led me through 9,500 days as federal prisoner, number 16377-004. I concluded my prison term on August 12, 2013.  When I went into the prison system, I didn't know what to expect. My judge sentenced me to serve a 45-year sentence. I learned that if I avoided disciplinary infractions, I could conclude that sentence in 26 years. But that was a long time for me to contemplate. I was only 23 when I started, so I hadn't yet been alive as long as the system would expect me to serve.  What was the best possible outcome?  I didn't know at the time. But I started to think. Instead of dwelling on the time that I had to serve, I began thinking about the life I would lead when I got out of prison. How would society judge me? Would I be able to find employment? Would the decades I served in prison anchor me in a cycle of failure?  To put the length of time into context, take today's date. Add 26 years. Think of the challenges to maintain a high level of energy and a high level of discipline over that length of time. It's not easy to maintain a positive attitude while weeks turn into months, months turn into years, and years turn into decades.  By reading about others, I found a key to keeping a strong mental attitude. It begins with defining success. If we train our mind to see the best possible outcome, we can start engineering a new path. That path can lead us from where we are to where we want to go. To become successful, regardless of where we are, we need to define success.  I learned that lesson from Socrates. I was still lying in the Pierce County Jail awaiting sentencing when I read a story of The Crito. Socrates lived longer than 2,500 years ago. Back then, laws prohibited people in the elite class from teaching the poor. Yet Socrates believed that every human being had value. He willingly taught everyone. Despite warnings from authorities, Socrates continued to teach. Eventually, he was tried and convicted. Judges sentenced him to death.  At the time that I found the story on Socrates, I didn't have much of an education. I never would have read a philosophy book if I were not beginning my life in struggle. Yet when I read Socrates, I learned a great deal. I learned lessons that would frame my adjustment decisions through prison.  Socrates made principled decisions. Through him, I learned how to make principled decisions. Rather than run away like a coward from problems he created, Socrates said that he would stand and face his punishment. He would die with his dignity intact.  Socrates taught me to think differently. Instead of whining about problems that my own decisions created, I would need to take the punishment. I would need to figure out how I could get the best possible outcome.  I especially value Socrates' lessons on how to ask better questions. Many people have heard about the art of Socratic questioning. As I began to serve my lengthy term in prison, the questions I asked had a monumental influence on how I would adjust inside. As a young man going into the prison system, I felt as if my world was completely imploding. I was married, but my wife was divorcing me. All of the ill-gotten gains I received from selling cocaine were gone. I was starting a journey that would require decades in prison. I'd spend it alone, without any money. What would my life be like when I got out? That was a good question. It prompted me to think in terms of how my life would be if I didn't make some changes.  I learned to stop dwelling on my own problems. Instead, I began to focus on the best possible outcome. It's important to remember the qualifiers: “best possible outcome,” with the keyword being “possible.”  Obviously, I would have liked to get out. But getting out wasn't a possibility. My conviction carried a mandatory-minimum sentence of 10 years. The statute gave my judge discretion to impose a life sentence.  Regardless of what decision my judge made, I had to make better decisions. Since the law required my judge to sentence me to a minimum of 10 years, I had to think about that. What would be the best possible outcome in 10 years?  I began thinking about the people I would meet. The world would move on over a decade. I would be stuck in prison. If I didn't create a deliberate adjustment plan, after 10 years, I would only know other people who were in prison. And how would those people influence my future?  I hated being in prison. I mean I really hated it. I wanted out. But I couldn't get out. What kind of life would I have after 10 years if I adjusted to the ways of the prison? How would I talk? How would the words I chose influence the way that other people perceived me?  Unless I adjusted well while inside, I would face real problems when I got out. I wouldn't have any money. I wouldn't have a support network. I wouldn't have any work experience. I could get stuck in a cycle of failure unless I created a course of action that would lead to success.  By reading about Socrates, I learned how to introspect. I learned how to assess influences that led to my troubles. I was in prison because a jury convicted me for crimes related to selling cocaine. Yet in truth, my bad decisions began long before I sold cocaine. If I made better decisions, Socrates convinced me that I could get out of prison as a better man, with more opportunities.  Better decisions would begin by thinking about the people I would meet in the future. Or rather, thinking about the people I wanted to meet in the future.  If I were going to persuade employers to believe in me, what would they expect me to accomplish while I was in prison? That was one question I had to answer.  If I wanted more liberty from a probation officer, what could I do while in prison to influence his decisions? That was another question that I had to answer.  If I wanted to launch businesses in the future, how could I persuade customers to believe in me even though I'm a convicted felon? I had to overcome challenges for the rest of my life.  Those questions inspired me. They set me on the three-pronged approach that I described earlier in this introductory episode. I would work to:  Earn academic credentials. 2. I would work to Contribute to society in meaningful, measurable ways, and 3, I would work to Build a support network. Those three concepts became my compass. I tried to make every decision inside in accordance with those three principles. It's a strategy that Rick Warren later wrote about in his book The Purpose Filled Life.  Even from the depths of a prison cell, I could ask questions that would improve my outcome. I wanted the best possible outcome. For me, that meant being able to return to society successfully. Even if I served multiple decades in prison, I wanted to return unscathed. Regardless of how much time I served, I didn't want others to know by looking at me that I was once a prisoner. With that guidance from Socrates and others, I began to find my way. The strategy influenced the books I read. Strategy influenced the social network I developed, and every other decision I made while serving my sentence. As a result, I earned university degrees. I became a published author. I built a strong support network. I even got married to the love of my life, Carole. Work that I completed in prison allowed me to earn an income to support Carole.  When I finished my sentence after 26 years, I returned to society more than $100k in the bank. I could use those funds to launch my life.  That didn't happen by accident. It convinced me that success comes with good strategy. And good strategy is what my partners and I teach through the Prison Professors podcast. We teach a pursuit of excellence. And we show that if we could do it, anyone can do it.  I concluded my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons on August 12, 2013. A few weeks later, I began teaching as an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University. While working there, I began creating products and services to help improve outcomes of our nation's prison system. Those products and services now contribute to our company at PrisonProfessors.com.  Our clients include individuals who are going into the system. We also have contractual relationships with the Bureau of Prisons, the California Department of Corrections, the Washington State Department of Corrections, and many other large groups. Federal judges, federal probation officers, and U.S. Attorneys, as well as many law firms have purchased our products and services. We sell to the corporate sector, to sales organizations, and to anyone who wants to succeed after struggle.  It's a big market. Because regardless of where we are today, we all face struggle at one time or another in our lives.  If you research our team at Prison Professors, you'll see our authenticity. Both Shon Hopwood and Justin Paperny have my 100% confidence. And I consider it an honor to work with each of them. Each of us will work hard to prove worthy of your trust.  We look forward to revealing more through our Prison Professors podcast. Expect us to launch new episodes every day. We will publish show notes on our website at PrisonProfessors.com. When we conduct interview-style podcasts, to the extent possible, we'll record in both a video format and an audio format. You can watch the videos on our YouTube channel or on our website.  We'll ask you to support the Prison Professors podcast by subscribing to us on iTunes. If you choose to subscribe, please rate the show with the number of stars you deem appropriate. Leave us an honest review. Your reviews and subscriptions will persuade iTunes to increase our distribution. The more distribution we have, the more effective we will be at spreading the message on steps we can take to improve outcomes of America's prison system.  That is my story. In future episodes, opportunities will open for me to reveal more. Let me tell you what you can expect in the upcoming episodes. As I mentioned, episodes two and three will introduce you to my partners, Shon Hopwood and Justin Paperny. After that, we're going to present a series on how to master prison. Then we'll follow with interviews.  If you'd like to be a guest on our show, please reach out through Prison Professors.com. Check out our podcast link. And connect.

On today's episode of Felony Friday Israel Torres joins the show to share what it was like to have his life sentence commuted by President Obama. Israel was sentenced to life in prison at the age of twenty-one for a nonviolent drug offense. He thought he would be serving out his life sentence until President Obama commuted his sentence and granted Israel his freedom. Now that Israel has rejoined society he is contributing value and proving every day that non-violent drug offenders can do great things once given a chance to prove their worth on the outside. A few months ago Israel appeared Michael Santos' Earning Freedom Podcast. Michael is a friend of the Lions of Liberty Podcast and was gracious enough to connect us with Israel to set up this interview today. This episode is a little longer than most. Make sure to listen to the entire show, because at the end host [...] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An escaped prisoner called Michael Santos of the Earning Freedom podcast seeking guidance.

Do you know how many people face charges in federal court each year? More than 75,000 people each year see a document that says The United States of America versus their last name. Of those 75,000 people who face a federal criminal indictment, more than 10,000 do not consider themselves criminals. They believe that they will never see the inside of a federal prison. Unfortunately, most are deluding themselves.  According to a Department of Justice website, more than 90% of all people charged as criminal defendants in federal court are found guilty. That means they must proceed through a presentence investigation. They proceed through a sentencing hearing. They find themselves having to say goodbye to family and serve lengthy sentences in federal prisons. Where do they turn for guidance?  Through the MichaelSantos.com and Prisonprofessor.com, I've provided an abundance of content. Recently, I established a formal partnership with my friend Justin Papery to merge my websites with both FederalPrisonAdvice.com and Etikallc.com. Together, Justin and I intend to broaden our services to reach the 10,000 people each year who need to prepare for prison. We're going to initiate an out-bound marketing campaign that will more defendants understand the different services we provide, including prison consulting. Justin will serve as the prison consultant, while I work on more macro issues to serve the needs of our clients.    

Today I read about the 18-year prison term a federal judge in North Carolina imposed on a real estate developer. Keith Arthur Vinson attempted to develop a 1,400-acre luxury golf-community in North Carolina. He retained legendary golfer Arnold Palmer as a designer and sold more than 125 lots in the range of $400k. A lot of glitz when into the marketing of the development, apparently. Unfortunately, the recession resulted in the dream turning into a failed land deal. Authorities charged Vinson with fraud.   A jury convicted Vinson and he has been in custody for several months. He appeared for sentencing on in late June, 2015. Yet instead of expressing remorse, Vinson made excuses. The judge cited Vinson's statements during the sentencing hearing as being part of the reason for the 18-year sentence imposed.   If the federal government charges an individual with a crime, that individual had better do everything within his or her power to understand the system. No one wants to stand before a judge for sentencing. Yet if the federal government brings charges, the vast majority of times, a sentencing hearing will follow. Defendants should prepare themselves for that possible outcome. They can begin by educating themselves on the presentencing investigation report, and then on sentence-mitigation strategies.   If Keith Arthur Vinson would have known more about how the process operates, he could have invested the time and energy to prepare better. He should have known that any type of finger pointing or blaming of others would only exacerbate his problems. I suspect that Vinson's statements during the sentencing hearing cost him several additional years in prison. Had he understood the essence of sentence-mitigation, he may have succeeded in persuading that judge to understand that he was something more than the criminal charge.   As a prison consultant, I help those who retain me to prepare. For those who choose to prepare themselves, I offer an abundance of free or inexpensive content on MichaelSantos.com and PrisonProfessor.com.

If you've been charged with a federal crime, you should hire a prison consultant. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the abundance of information from the free podcasts that I make available on PrisonProfessor.com and at MichaelSantos.com. By listening to information from others who've made it through the prison system, you'll learn why a prison consultant can help you.    Prison Consultant speaks with Ryan Ryskamp: In today's episode on the Earning Freedom network, I have a second conversation with Ryan Ryskamp. Listeners who tuned in to my conversation with Ryan yesterday know that he served 37 months in a West Virginia federal prison camp. While in custody, Ryan found a lot of mentoring from white collar offenders who helped him devise business strategies that he could launch upon release. Although Ryan was a college graduate and he did not have a substance abuse problem, he was successful in negotiating a 12-month time cut because of his participation in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Everyone should learn about the RDAP program to see whether they qualify for the 12-month time reduction. He appreciated the cognitive development aspects of RDAP. At PrisonProfessor.com, I offer guides that will help more offenders understand RDAP. Ryan also spoke about his journey through the halfway house and home confinement. He served the final six months of his sentence under those conditions. While inside, he did not have access to a cellphone and he said that if authorities would've caught him with a cellphone they would've returned him to federal prison. My experiences differed, as I wrote in PrisonProfessor. Each jurisidiction differs, which is more reason for people to work with a prison consultant. If you've been charged with a federal crime, learn as much as you possibly can to prepare for a successful journey. Hire a prison consultant if you have the resources. If not, visit PrisonProfessor.com or listen to the Earning Freedom podcasts daily.

How can a prison consultant help you? If you're facing a criminal charge in federal court, you may want to consider working with a competent prison consultant. Your defense attorney will lead you through the guilt and innocence phase of the judicial proceedings. A prison consultant will help position you to serve the lowest possible sentence in the best possible environment. Equally as important, a prison consultant will help you develop a strategy to emerge successfully. Prison consultants accomplish such goals by helping you prepare for challenges that include:  The presentence investigation (PSI) The residential drug abuse program (RDAP) Sentencing mitigation strategies Strategies to make the best use of time while in federal prison At PrisonProfessor.com, visitors will find inexpensive guides as an alterative to personal prison consulting. Also, the Earning Freedom podcast on MichaelSantos.com offers free insight with daily podcasts that provide insight into living in prison. Today's podcast includes an interview with James Anderson, the second of two podcasts of leaders within the Anti Recidivism Coalition.    James Anderson James Anderson describes his journey through the criminal justice. As a child, he experienced severe trauma. His brother, an inveterate gang member and meth user, influenced him. His father beat him routinely. Before James reached his teen years, interactions with law enforcement became routine. In the eighth grade, authorities cited James for bringing a weapon to school. As a teenager he faced a life sentence when authorities charged him as an adult. A mentor came into James' life while he awaited the outcome of his criminal proceedings. In her love and genuine concern for his welfare, James describes how he began to work to prove worthy. He made a 100% commitment to reject the gang lifestyle and to begin preparing for a better life. At the conclusion of his criminal proceedings, a judge saw fit to limit James' exposure to the criminal justice system to seven years. During the 3.5 years that he served, James received mentoring and support from Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti Recidivism Coalition. Upon his release from confinement, James became the first fulltime employee of the Anti Recidivism Coalition. In that role he has traveled across the United States to speak about the injustices of mass incarceration and to speak about steps we can take to improve juvenile justice programs. He enrolled in community college. After two years of outstanding grades, he received news that UCLA accepted James and he is now UCLA bound. Upon graduation from UCLA, James anticipates a life of leadership and contribution. He aspires to prove worthy of the enormous support that he has received from so many. James lives as the change that he wants to see in the world. If James can overcome a childhood of trauma, gang influences, and crystal meth to become a leading citizen that influences change, just think what you can do.

What value does a prison consultant provide? People who don't have any experience with the criminal justice system sometimes ask that question. They believe that a defense attorney would serve as the solitary ally for an individual who faces criminal charges. In reality, an individual wanting to overcome the challenges that accompany a criminal indictment should prepare. If the journey ahead includes prison as a possibility, then the individual should learn from a prison consultant.   Although the Internet includes a lot of boilerplate information of questionable value, an effective prison consultant will offer more. That information would include:   How to prepare for the presentence investigation. How to position yourself for the lowest possible sentence. How to position yourself to serve time in the best possible prison.   Individuals looking for that type of information will find a valuable resource in the self-directed guides available through PrisonProfessor.com. Those who want to invest in a personal prison consultant will find enormous value in working with me. Those who want to listen and learn from individuals who experienced prison will find some value in listening to the free daily podcasts available on MichaelSantos.com. Today I feature Kent Mendoza.   Anti Recidivism Coalition   Kent Mendoza tells his inspiring story about creating a life of meaning and relevance while climbing through the juvenile justice system. As an undocumented immigrant, he said that he began living a destructive lifestyle when he was very young. He faced life in prison before he was even old enough to vote. He talks about serving time as a young gang member inside of California's youth prison system. While in that challenging environment, Kent met his mentor, Scott Budnick. Scott, a well-known Hollywood film producer, has a passion for improving outcomes of our nation's juvenile justice system. To further that mission, he launched the Anti Recidivism Coalition. The ARC has been instrumental in changing laws that influence thousands of lives. Today's podcast of Kent Mendoza provides insight into the first of two young men who transformed their life while they served time inside of California's juvenile justice system. Tomorrow we will feature James Anderson. If these young men can overcome the trauma of spending their adolescent years being locked in cages, just imagine what you can do.

H2: Prison Consultant talks with CEO of Startup LeadLaunch.io Each year, more than 750,000 people return to society after spending time in jails and prisons. Statistics show that more than half of those people will struggle after release. They will face challenges with employment, credit, and housing. An effective prison consultant can help those who want to help themselves. Through PrisonProfessor.com, I offer a number of prison-consulting products. Individuals can download lesson plans to help them understand the presentence investigation, the residential drug abuse program (RDAP), and strategies to prepare for sentence mitigation or alternative sentencing. For those who want to invest the time to work with a personal prison consultant, I'm available. I wrote a number of books to teach strategies that empowered me through 26 years of confinement, and through Amazon, I offer a downloadable MasterMind program. Each day, I publish a free podcast on MichaelSantos.com. Those podcasts offer strategies to empower people through prison, or they offer guidance from community leaders. In today's episode, we hear from Adam Vine, CEO of LeadLaunch.io, a startup that offer Internet marketing services for small business. I invited Adam onto the program because I wanted him to provide insight about the thought process that goes into building a successful startup company. He spoke about the importance of having a deliberate strategy, about using goals to guide, and about executing a plan relentlessly, in a methodical manner. Listeners will find that the strategies Adam spoke about are unique to the startup world. Launching a startup requires the same type of deliberate aforethought that an individual must take to resume a life of success after confinement. Listen and learn from the guidance that Adam Vine provides. He can be reached at Adam@LeadLaunch.io Twitter: @leadlaunchio

White collar offenders search for a prison consultant when a criminal indictment or the possibility of a prison sentence derails they're sense of balance. I understand. They do not come from a criminal lifestyle and they don't have many places to turn to for guidance. As a prison consultant, I offer services in a number of ways. Through PrisonProfessor.com, I offer guides to prepare individuals for challenges. They may learn how to prepare for the presentence investigation. They may learn best-practice techniques to prepare for sentencing. They may want to read how the residential drug abuse program (RDAP) can result in their being released from prison early. Each of those prison-consultant guides provide an enormous amount of content at a modest price. In addition to the prison consultant guides available at PrisonProfessor.com, I have an author page at Amazon where I offer several books and a prison-consultant MasterMind course. Further, each day, I offer a new podcast at MichaelSantos.com that I call Earning Freedom. All of that work supplements the private one-on-one prison consulting to assist individuals in preparing for the lowest possible sentence in the best possible environment.  In today's podcast, I feature Dr. Thomas O'Grady, a top-ranked professional coach who offers guidance to business professionals. He has advised such superstar business leaders like Lee Iacocca, the former CEO of Chrysler, and Alan Greenspan, the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. Dr. O'Grady's guidance is both timely and relevant to anyone who faces struggle, including those in prison. I invite business leaders like Dr. O'Grady onto the show because the guidance they dispense can strengthen anyone. An entanglement with the criminal justice system will derail those who fail to prepare. Yet those who know how to confront the challenge head on can position themselves to emerge stronger, with a recalibrated life and a fresh start. As Dr. O'Grady advises through his mentoring and coaching, an individual has the power within to build a new path and a better future. In fact, he uses that subtitle to advertise his podcast: Life Unsettled.   Read more of Dr. Thomas O'Grady's wisdom in his upcoming book, The Mechanics of Breakthrough Success.   For more information on Dr. Thomas O'Grady, please visit the following links:   Thomas O'Grady, PhD Bio: http://www.lifeunsettled.com/about/little-background-thomas-ogrady/ Author: “Mechanics for Breakthrough Success” (forthcoming) ; “Database Developer's Guide to SQL Server 7” Podcast Blog: http://www.LifeUnsettled.com Podcast: http://www.LifeUnsettled.com/foritunes LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasogradyphd Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThomasOGradyPhD Thomas@LifeUnsettled.com Inspire! Motivate! Dream! Create!

Serving as a prison consultant allows me to work with people from every sector in society. Why? Because our nation's criminal justice system will take anyone. Our country incarcerates more people on earth than any other nation. White-collar offenders with advanced degrees and multi-million dollar fortunes serve time in communities with people who don't have any education and may be illiterate. Prison authorities may assign former corporate CEOs to serve time alongside prison gang members. How do individuals with such disparate backgrounds thrive in such communities? As a prison consultant, I teach strategies that any individual can use as they strive to navigate the challenges of a criminal indictment. Through free podcasts available on Earning Freedom, people can ascertain the depth and breadth of my experience. Through lesson plans available at PrisonProfessor.com, people can pursue the self-study programs that will help them under the presentence investigation, the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), sentence mitigation strategies, and more; PrisonProfessor makes those course available at a really low coast. Those who want to retain a one-on-one prison consultant will derive value from the investment. They'll get the benefit from all I learned during the 26 years that I lived as a prisoner. On today's podcast, listeners will learn from Salvador Castaneda, a former prison gang member who transformed his life while in federal prison. He has since been released and he is enjoying success in society as a law-abiding citizen.    Salvador Castaneda, Jr. I met Salvador Castaneda during my 25th year of imprisonment. In his interview today, he tells our audience that he formerly considered himself a member of the Paisa prison gang. Salvador worked alongside me as I was developing the Straight-A Guide program. I've since modified that program for the MasterMind course available on MichaelSantos.com. Salvador tells the Earning Freedom podcast how adhering to a values-based, goal-oriented strategy resulted in successful return to society. Immediately upon his release from prison, he secured full-time employment. Success led to his receiving a full scholarship in a vocational program, a full scholarship to a local college, and advancement in his career.  If you face challenges with the criminal justice system, you will find inspiration in listening to Salvador's story of success.

If you've been indicted, you may value my work as a prison consultant. I show people how to overcome current challenges by making deliberate choices. Deliberate strategies empowered me through the 26 years that I lived in federal prison and I'm convinced that a deliberate strategy can help anyone who needs to overcome struggle. Many people who contact me face charges for white-collar crime or for business-related crime. Defense attorneys help them with the judicial proceedings. In my role as a prison consultant, I help them focus on what steps they can take to prepare for success through the journey. Besides working with clients to position them for the lowest-possible sentence in the best possible environment, I help them understand how they can use their time wisely so they emerge from prison successfully.   BrandYourself.com One strategy that worked well for me was to write my own narrative. In today's podcast, I'm pleased to present Patrick Ambron. While in college, Patrick joined friends from Syracuse University to launch BrandYourself.com. The innovative company provides resources for people who want to contribute to the narrative of their life. This service can prove especially useful for anyone who has a criminal record. As Patrick discussed during our podcast today, no one can escape the power of an Internet search engine like Google. When people want to learn about someone else, the search frequently begins with an inquiry on Google. Individuals who fail to take action allow others to control what Google will present. Those who want to influence the narrative will take a more deliberate approach. Patrick suggested a multipronged strategy: Build a personal website. Load regular content onto the website that will highlight the positive aspects of your life. Create a series of social media profiles. Cross link the website with the social media profiles so that Google has more content to share. Participate in other social media sites like Quora to demonstrate areas of expertise. Continuously add new and relevant content. It doesn't matter whether you're in prison or you're going to prison, you can find ways to stay relevant in the world. Through our MasterMind program, I showed the many ways that I was able to use my time in prison to prepare for success. You can and should do the same. Those strategies will help you mitigate the damage that articles about mortgage fraud, healthcare fraud, securities fraud, or tax fraud can cause. If you want to prepare for a better outcome from federal prison, then I urge you to use the guidance that Patrick provided on today's podcast. If you'd like to learn more federal prison, then continue listening to the free podcasts at MichaelSantos.com, consult the resources available through PrisonProfessor.com, or contact me for one-on-one consultations.

Prison Consultant: Understanding the Pre-sentence Investigation (PSI)   In my role as a prison consultant, I work with many defendants when they're at the lowest point of their lives. Authorities have indicted them for a federal crime. They don't know where to turn for reliable information. Their defense attorneys focus on navigating the guilt-or-innocence phase of the judicial proceedings. Yet for a defendant, the entire process is incredibly personal. In many cases, the defendants don't have any idea what awaits them after the finding of guilt. As a service to defendants, I strive to provide as much insight as possible. As a prison consultant, I offer insight that I learned from personal experience. I served 26 years in federal prisons of every security level. Further, I've published extensively about the criminal justice process, and I gathered information from countless others who experienced the federal prison system. I offer that information in a number of ways:  Through free podcasts that I make available on MichaelSantos.com Through inexpensive guides that I make available through PrisonProfessor.com Through personal, one-on-one consulting for those who retain me  In today's free podcast, I describe the importance of the presentence investigation. After a finding of guilt, the judge will order a federal probation officer to conduct the presentence investigation. That investigation will culminate with a report known to insiders as the PSI or PSIR or PSR. Either way, it's an incredibly influential document that will factor in to where the defendant serves his time, and possibly, whether the defendant qualifies for programs that can result in time cut. Those who are facing imprisonment should learn all they can about the Presentence investigation (PSI) long before they have the initial meeting with a federal probation officer. Regardless of whether the PSI influences the judge, the Bureau of Prisons will place enormous influence on the document. Defendants should invest the time and energy to prepare, and today's podcast provides some free insight to consider. For those who want more, I recommend the guide I make available at PrisonProfessor.com. Or contact me to inquire about one-on-one consulting.  

Title: Prison Advice from Philanthropist As a prison consultant for white-collar offenders, I strive to provide a combination of free and premium content in a number of formats. Some of that content features strategies that empowered me through 26 years in federal prison. Some of the content features stories I recorded about other people who went through prison successfully. We discuss strategies and early-release programs like the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and other possibilities for early release. Sometimes I profile leading community citizens and ask them to share their thoughts. They speak about leadership and describe how those principles can help an individual emerge from prison successfully. In today's free podcast, I share the story of Patrick Johnson. Patrick is a former hedge fund manager and investment banker. He now leads a large philanthropy and strives to make the world a better place. Patrick came across my work in Business Insider. I write about my work as a prison consultant for many publications, including Business Insider. The article moved Patrick to follow my work, read my books, and connect.   Prison Consultant Gets Tips from Philanthropist I participated on Patrick's podcast called Lunch… During our conversation Patrick asked about the strategies that empowered me through prison. The conversation went so well that I invited Patrick to participate on the Earning Freedom podcast. Since Patrick built a career as a financial services professional, I thought that many of the white-collar offenders who contact me for prison advice could benefit from his insight. The truth is, as a prison consultant, I strive to pull insight from as many sources as possible. I want the people who contact me to recognize a pattern. An individual who has been indicted for securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, or any other type of crime can slip into a vortex. But as Patrick and I discussed today, there is always an opportunity for reconciliation and growth. Each individual must make his or her choice. The podcasts I offer may inspire those who are looking to restore their strength after an indictment. If you're facing time in prison for a white-collar crime or a first-offense, and you'd like to learn more about how to make it through successfully, please review the free content that I offer on MichaelSantos.com and PrisonProfessor.com. You may contact me directly if you'd like more personal service. I can help.

Prison Consultant for White-Collar Offenders   In my work as a prison consultant for white-collar offenders, I strive to provide relevant information that will help people through challenging times. Some of those white-collar offenders are women. Women, in fact, represent a growing segment of our nation's prison population—thanks to a wrong-headed commitment to mass incarceration. But what do we know about females in prison? It's my job to work toward changing such outcomes.    Females in Prison Today I'm proud to introduce listeners to the Earning Freedom podcast to Jonel Beauvais. I met Jonel after I made a presentation for Dr. Nancy Lewis' class at the State University of New York in Potsdam. Dr. Lewis introduced me to Jonel, praising her as a speaker who truly connected with an audience. Those who listen to today's podcast will grasp why Dr. Lewis recommended her. I invited Jonel to participate on the Earning Freedom podcast so that our listeners could learn more about a women's prison and how females adjust to the prison environment. Jonel told the story of having to enter the prison system as a 25-year old woman. She suffered horribly, not so much for herself, but for the family members she had to leave behind. During her initial days in a women's prison, Jonel spoke about the importance she placed on easing the trauma that her family members suffered as a consequence of the prison term she began to serve. While inside the women's prison, Jonel said that the number of women who had entered into romantic relationships with other women surprised her. She estimated as many as 80% of the people in her prison developed romantic relationships with other women who served time. They could lean on each other, develop support for each other, help each other through the challenges and pains of confinement. As a young mother, Jonel said that she empathized with the pain that all women in prison had to endure. One strategy that really empowered Jonel was astral projection, and she offered a moving example of how she used astral projection to connect with her son and comfort him through the darkness of their separation. Those who listen will find inspiration and hope through Jonel's remarkable story.   Prison Consultant:  If you're a white-collar offender and you anticipate time in prison, I urge you to educate yourself about every aspect of our nation's prison system. Through daily podcasts at MichaelSantos.com, you will learn inspiring stories about others who faced imprisonment and emerged with their dignity intact. Through products and services on PrisonProfessor.com, including prison consulting, you will find resources that will help you through the journey ahead. To learn more from Jonel, please contact her directly at the following email address: jonel-b@outlook.com jonelb@sevendancerscoalition.com  

Prison Consultant for White-Collar Offenders: As a prison consultant for white-collar offenders, I strive to provide a combination of free and premium content in a number of formats. Some of that content features strategies that empowered me through 26 years in federal prison. Some of the content features stories I recorded about other people who went through prison successfully. We discuss strategies and early-release programs like the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and other possibilities for early release. Sometimes I profile leading community citizens and ask them to share their thoughts. They speak about leadership and describe how those principles can help an individual emerge from prison successfully. In today's free podcast, I share the story of Patrick Johnson. Patrick is a former hedge fund manager and investment banker. He now leads a large philanthropy and strives to make the world a better place. Patrick came across my work in Business Insider. I write about my work as a prison consultant for many publications, including Business Insider. The article moved Patrick to follow my work, read my books, and connect.   Prison Consultant Gets Tips from Philanthropist I participated on Patrick's podcast called Lunch… During our conversation Patrick asked about the strategies that empowered me through prison. The conversation went so well that I invited Patrick to participate on the Earning Freedom podcast. Since Patrick built a career as a financial services professional, I thought that many of the white-collar offenders who contact me for prison advice could benefit from his insight. The truth is, as a prison consultant, I strive to pull insight from as many sources as possible. I want the people who contact me to recognize a pattern. An individual who has been indicted for securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, or any other type of crime can slip into a vortex. But as Patrick and I discussed today, there is always an opportunity for reconciliation and growth. Each individual must make his or her choice. The podcasts I offer may inspire those who are looking to restore their strength after an indictment. If you're facing time in prison for a white-collar crime or a first-offense, and you'd like to learn more about how to make it through successfully, please review the free content that I offer on MichaelSantos.com and PrisonProfessor.com. You may contact me directly if you'd like more personal service. I can help.    

Prison Consultant: Emerge From Prison Successfully   As a prison consultant, I strive to present empowering stories that profile others who work to emerge from prison successfully. The stories portray people who encountered the prison system and used their time inside to prepare for success. Sometimes I share stories of well-educated white-collar offenders who face prison because of fraud convictions. Sometimes I interview people who come from less privileged backgrounds. There is an inspiring message with every story of an individual who faced struggle, but overcame the challenge to emerge with dignity intact.  Today I present the story of Malik Wade. Malik did not enter the federal prison system as a well-educated white-collar offender convicted of fraud. On the contrary, Malik grew up in an urban community, influenced by a criminal lifestyle. While serving longer than a decade, however, Malik completely reformed his life. He created opportunities to educate himself. He participated in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), which allowed him to shave a year off of his sentence. In today's podcast, Malik shares how an individual can move through struggle with his dignity intact as a law-abiding, contributing citizen. If Malik could emerge from prison successfully, just think what you can do! Malik's impressive adjustment through prison has resulted in his returning to society with many opportunities. Venture capitalists, hedge fund leaders, and CEOs have reached out to support Malik. They've sponsored a venture he initiated to prepare young people from urban communities for success. The work that Malik has done, and his return to society as a law-abiding, contributing citizen, may serve to inspire anyone who listens. Facing imprisonment can challenge anyone. Some consider the prospect of imprisonment as one of the worst challenges an individual can face. Those who've overcome prison share guidance that can benefit anyone.   Prison Consultant The 26 years I served provide a depth and breadth of experience that differs from any other prison consultant. Many white-collar or first-time offenders who anticipate surrendering to prison contact me with descriptions of hopelessness. When educated people face prison for the time they can slip into a vortex. It's my job to help them restore their strength and dignity. The free podcasts available at MichaelSantos.com demonstrate that there is a path back to success and prosperity. Malik Wade shows that he can do it. If you've been convicted of a white-collar crime like securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, or any other type of crime that may bring a prison term, visit PrisonProfessor.com for guidance. Or, if you would like to schedule a free personal consultation, contact me now. I help people prepare for prison and to prepare for success upon release.  

In my book Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term, I describe how I transformed my life. Those decisions had a monumental impact on my ability to return to society strong. By making values-based, goal-oriented decisions like we teach in the MasterMind course at MichaelSantos.com, anyone can build a better future despite past bad decisions. If that strategy could empower me though the decades that I served in prison, just think what the strategy can do for you. Today I'm offering an extra podcast. This episode describes how I earned my first million dollars in prison. Although I provide much more detail in the Earning Freedom book, I offer a condensed version of the story in this 30-minute podcast.   In revealing this story, it's my hope that others will see that they, too, can begin sowing seeds for a brighter future. The process requires a commitment to define success. I call that the vision. Then, it requires the individual to consider where he is today. We'll call that point A. Then, the individual must consider his vision, his definition of success, point B. The individual must reverse engineer the path that he will take to travel from point A to point B. That becomes the plan. Then, the individual must take the incremental action steps along the way. That is what we call execute.  Visualize Plan Execute I adhered to that plan through each of the 9,500 days that I served. I adhere to that plan today. In the Earning Freedom podcast I'll reveal more about how this disciplined, deliberate strategy empowers me every day. The strategy can empower others as well. Such a strategy leads to fulfillment in every area that brings meaning and relevance to life If you'd like to learn more, stay tuned to the Earning Freedom podcast. When you're ready, make the commitment and sign up for our mastermind program.

In today's extra podcast, I describe how I transitioned from a man who served 26 years in federal prison to become an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University. There are lessons in that story that anyone can use to prepare for success. As I've described at length through various articles and news reports that are available on MichaelSantos.net or through a simple Google search, my transformation began during that awkward phase between the day the time that a jury convicted for trafficking in cocaine and the time that my judge sentenced me to serve a 45-year term. I made a commitment to work toward reconciling with society for bad decisions I began making in my late teens. My focus was to:  1.     Educate myself. 2.     Contribute to society. 3.     Build a support network. That three-pronged strategy would guide every step I took through federal prisons of every security level. By earning university degrees, I would develop a skill set that would allow me to contribute to society by writing. In publishing, I could transcend prison walls and introduce ideas to others on steps we could take to improve outcomes of America's prison system. By transcending prison walls through writing, I could bring more people into my support network. I documented my journey in prison through journaling. Those journals led more people to become aware of my work. When I concluded my prison term, after 9,500 days, an editor from the San Francisco Chronicle contacted me with a request to publish a story about the journey. That front-page story resulted in more people becoming aware of me. I used that story to reach out to universities. I responded to an invitation to visit San Francisco State University. It was my first time stepping foot on a university campus. While there, Dr. Jeff Snipes offered me a position as an adjunct professor.  If you want to become sowing seeds for success, you need to plant them early. You too can overcome challenges that you're facing right now.

In today's podcast on the Earning Freedom network, I respond to a university students questions about prison. Kristin Wilson, a student from City University in New York, reached out through MichaelSantos.com. Instead of responding to her questions through writing, I invited Kristin onto the Earning Freedom podcast and suggested that she could ask me anything about my prison experience. I pledged to answer openly and honestly.

When you're facing struggle or challenge, what strategies empower you to overcome? If you're looking for a new strategy, you may consider the Staight-A Guide. This strategy can lead you to achieve your highest potential, just as the Straight-A Guide empowered me to sustain a high level of energy and discipline through each of the 9,500 days that I lived as a prisoner. In this second edition of the Earning Freedom podcast, I provide an introduction to the Straight-A Guide. Listeners who want to achieve better levels of fitness, to develop their career, to live as better citizens, or who want to restore confidence, relevance, and meaning may find value in this strategy that empowered me. Please review the Earning Freedom Podcast With Michael Santos on the iTunes network. I will publish daily episodes that inspire you to achieve your highest potential. Join my tribe by visiting MichaelSantos.com and learn strategoes to live your best life now.   "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage" is the line I remember from the immortal poem. I found that line to be as true today as when written by Richard Lovelace, nearly 400 years ago. With the Earning Freedom podcast, you'll learn lessons to empower you through challenging times or struggle.

Despite Judge Jack Tanner sentencing me to serve a 45-year term in federal prison, lessons that Socrates taught empowered me. They can empower anyone who chooses to apply them. As human beings, we all face struggle in our life at one time or another. Through the Earning Freedom podcast, I'll describe strategies that empowered me as the days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, the months turned into years, and the years turned into decades. This initial episode of the Earning Freedom podcast describes how I felt to embark upon a 45-year sentence, back in 1987, when I was 23 years old. Please review the Earning Freedom Podcast With Michael Santos on the iTunes network. I will publish daily episodes that inspire you to achieve your highest potential. Join my tribe by visiting MichaelSantos.com and learn strategoes to live your best life now. "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage" is the line I remember from the immortal poem. I found that line to be as true today as when written by Richard Lovelace, nearly 400 years ago. With the Earning Freedom podcast, you'll learn lessons to empower you through challenging times or struggle.

If you're a prison administrator interested in an innovative program to inspire the inmates in your institutution, then visit MichaelSantos.com. Sign up for our newsletter to learn how your institution can receive free daily podcasts that inspire and motivate people in custody to prepare for law-abiding, contributing lives. Our free daily podcasts will feature interviews with people who've succeeded after a term in prison. We also will interview successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. Through our daily podcasts, interview guests will provide actional advice for people in prison who want to prepare for success. Are you interested in cultivating an environment that inspires people to succeed? Then let's change the world. Visit us at MichaelSantos.com today. Or conctact me at Michael@MichaelSantos.com.