Sunday, November 30, 2014 So when you got out… what was the first thing you did? I am very fortunate to have found the love of my life while I was incarcerated. Carole and I married inside of a prison visiting room. We nurtured our marriage through the final decade that I served, but we […]

Saturday, November 29, 2014 You studied a lot and aimed toward a successful life after your release. When did you decide on that and what motivated you? Although more than a quarter century has passed since my time in the county jail, I still remember with vivid clarity what motivated me to change. I had […]

Friday, November 28, 2014   While in prison, what’s the worst thing you’ve experienced? The prison system frequently blocked me from progress. After earning an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree, I persuaded a university to admit me into a doctoral program. When a warden blocked me from completing that program, I felt violated. Pursuit […]

Thursday, November 27, 2014 What thoughts went through your mind the first few days in prison, when everything was new? I was arrested on August 11, 1987, when I was 23. At the time of my arrest, the only thoughts going through my head concerned liberty. I wanted my lawyer to get me out of […]

Wednesday, November 26, 2014   Tell me a bit more about the crime you were involved in, if not already covered in the previous questions. What exactly did you do? I perceived an opportunity to profit from the sale of cocaine. A popular movie at the time influenced my decisions during that reckless age of […]

Tuesday, November 25, 2014 What was the reason they put you in maximum security? At the time of my offense, in 1987, the prison system operated several different security levels. Administrators would consider a number of factors when determining which security level would be appropriate for an offender. Some of those factors would include criminal […]

Monday, November 24, 2014   You write on your website that you spent time in prisons of all security levels. What levels would that include, and how do they differ? I began serving my sentence in a high-security penitentiary. The name of the prison was the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta. Forty-foot tall walls of […]

Sunday, November 23, 2014 Do you agree with the 45-year sentence that your judge imposed now that you’ve served the time? In responding to this question, I can say that I “agree” that my judge imposed the sentence, but I don’t characterize the sentence as being consistent with my perceptions of justice. When we consider […]

Saturday, November 22, 2014 You were sentenced to 45 years for selling cocaine. Did you agree with the sentence at the time? In responding to that question, let me provide a bit more background. It’s true that a judge sentenced me to serve a 45-year sentence for crimes that I committed between the ages of […]

Friday, November 21, 2014 A reader asked me to compare and contrast views on rehab since my return to society. My views on rehabilitation programs in prison have not changed since I returned to society. During the 26 years that I served as a federal prisoner, I heard many platitudes about rehabilitation. Yet I did […]