Journal of today’s activities:

Today I had to write a lengthy article for Visions magazine. I received that invitation earlier this year, but I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t divert attention to write the story. The editor asked me to write a story about my journey through prison, as she wanted to inspire readers from the Central Valley of California. After writing the article, I worked to create a newsletter that would show the work that Justin and I have been doing to develop our organization and to spread The Straight-A Guide Cognitive Skills Development Program. I also had to handle some administrative work and grading for the 80 students who enrolled in the class I teach at SFSU.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 171
• Miles run today: 14.5
• Miles run this week: 43.7
• Miles run this month: 276.13
• Miles run in 2014: 276.13
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 72.46
• Today’s Weight: 162

Journal of today’s activities:

 

 

This morning I toured the San Francisco Jail in San Bruno. A film crew from PBS NewsHour is scheduled to record me as I teach the Straight-A Guide inside of that jail next Thursday. I wanted to visit the facility and learn how I could best serve the men inside. I’m grateful to Sunny Schwartz and Steve Good, of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department. They coordinated the necessary approval from authorities so that I could participate in this project. The episode on innovative violence prevention techniques will air later this spring.

Following my time at the jail, I returned to San Francisco State University. Today was the first day of the new semester for me. When I walked into the classroom, the number of students who wanted to enroll in the course surprised me. We had so many students who were eager to participate that some chose to stand rather than be dismissed. I’m trying to coordinate a larger classroom for The Architecture of Incarceration. I’ll enjoy teaching this large group of students.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 170
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 29.2
• Miles run this month: 261.63
• Miles run in 2014: 261.63
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 64.53
• Today’s Weight: 164

Journal of today’s activities:

I’m at Stanford University. The campus chapter of the NAACP has sponsored a community event and I’ll speak on the injustices of mass incarceration. I look forward to sharing my story with those in the audience and explaining the reasons why we as a society must work together to end cycles of intergenerational failure. Mass incarceration presents a complex problem and we all have a role to play in resolving it. My role, I will explain, has three prongs.

• Creating programs that show others how to reject criminal lifestyles and prepare for life as law-abiding, contributing citizens.
• Working to help the formerly incarcerated transition into the labor market.
• Speaking publicly to create more awareness about how and why we can work together to improve the effectiveness of our nation’s criminal justice system.

During my presentation I will reach out to those audience. We have a heavy lift ahead of us. To reverse the greatest social injustice of our time, we need a lot of help.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 169
• Miles run today: 13.8
• Miles run this week: 29.2
• Miles run this month: 261.63
• Miles run in 2014: 261.63
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 71.1
• Today’s Weight: 164

Journal of today’s activities:

I visited with officials at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. More than 20 Alameda County probation officers filled the room. My one-hour presentation on the Straight-A Guide Cognitive Skills Development Program began with a description of my journey. I explained other people who lived in struggle identified with that message. They were more inclined to listen to people who had transformed themselves while incarcerated. I walked the audience through the way our partners implement the program today, with my training a team of facilitators, and the facilitators using our Straight-A Guide resources to help participants grasp reasons why they must reject criminal lifestyles, develop critical thinking skills, and learn how to create their own success. I’m looking forward to taking the next step in developing a partnership with Alameda County to implement our Straight-A Guide Cognitive Skills Development Program.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 168
• Miles run today: 13.4
• Miles run this week: 15.4
• Miles run this month: 247.83
• Miles run in 2014: 247.83
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 63.87
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

Today I delivered a lecture on the injustices of mass incarceration at the Newman Auditorium of the Santa Rosa Junior College. I prepared a PowerPoint presentation that offered graphical images to help members of the audience follow along with the story that I told. The slideshow began with an image of the Golden Gate Bridge, because the man who endowed Santa Rosa Junior College also played an integral role in building the bridge; he had a vision of tying San Francisco to Marin and the Northwest in order to increase commerce and quality of life. I told those in the audience that we needed to build a new bridge, one that would lead us out of the era of mass incarceration and back into an era of a more effective criminal justice system. My mother flew in from Los Angeles to attend the lecture with Carole. Following my presentation, I went to visit with Cris, the federal probation officer who was recently assigned to supervises my release. He expressed support for my work and assured me that as long as I acted responsibly, he would not interfere. In the evening, Carole and I treated my mother to a wonderful dinner at Cucina Paradiso.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 167
• Miles run today: 2
• Miles run this week: 2
• Miles run this month: 234.43
• Miles run in 2014: 234.43
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 57.04
• Today’s Weight: 170

Journal of today’s activities:

Carole and I left my sister’s home at 10:30 so that we would have plenty of time to board our return flight home to San Francisco. Yet although I grew up in Seattle, I took a few wrong turns while driving back to SeaTac airport. After returning the rental car, boarding the shuttle, and making it through security, we got to the gate just in time for boarding. A smooth flight returned to San Francisco in the early afternoon. While on the plane, I read through Internet reports about philanthropic resources available to fund educational programs in prison. During the first quarter, I will devote at least 40 hours to research and write reports that may lead to additional financial resources for the development and distribution of our Straight-A Guide Cognitive Skills Development Program.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 166
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 0
• Miles run this month: 232.43
• Miles run in 2014: 232.43
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 61.61
• Today’s Weight: 167

Journal of today’s activities:

Carole and I woke early to drive from my sister Julie’s home to Green Lake. We worked on our respective projects at a coffeeshop until sunrise, then we went for a six-mile run around the lake. Following our run, Carole and I toured the Seattle neighborhood where I went to elementary school. Then we joined my sister’s family to watch my nephew Zachary’s soccer game. In the afternoon Carole and I worked on our computers while my sister and her husband Tim prepared a feast. They hosted a festive party to welcome me home and to introduce Carole and me to her friends. The homecoming was truly spectacular, and I’m feeling incredibly grateful.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 165
• Miles run today: 6.7
• Miles run this week: 66.1
• Miles run this month: 232.43
• Miles run in 2014: 232.43
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 68.18
• Today’s Weight: 163

Journal of today’s activities:

Today I met with leaders at the highest level of the Washington State Department of Corrections. I wrote a lengthy article that described my trip to Seattle, so I won’t repeat those details here. I will only say that speaking with those officials and the men who were serving sentences in a state prison brought me a high level of personal fulfillment. I am especially grateful to Mike Colwell, an Assistant Director of the DOC for having the courage to invite me to visit his agency.  These trips confirm that I am living my purpose and I feel incredibly blessed for every opportunity. In the evening, Carole and I drove to Seattle to meet my sister Julie and her family in their beautiful home for the first time.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 164
• Miles run today: 10
• Miles run this week: 59.4
• Miles run this month: 225.73
• Miles run in 2014: 225.73
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 68.05
• Today’s Weight: 162

Journal of today’s activities:

I’m seated on an airplane flying to Seattle as I type this entry. My wife, Carole, is seated beside me. Both of us grew up in Seattle. I haven’t stepped foot in Seattle since my prison journey began, longer than a quarter century ago. Ironically, the purpose of my trip is to visit with officials at the Washington State Department of Corrections.

For the past couple of months I’ve been corresponding with Michael Colwell, an Assistant Director of the Washington State Prison System. He has a real passion to help people in prison prepare for law-abiding lives. I’m thrilled that he took the courageous step of authorizing me to enter the prison system. I’ll be speaking with his colleagues and with several groups of people who are serving time.

My intention is to introduce all of those in the audience to our Straight-A Guide Cognitive Skills Development program. I’ll explain why this program can add value to the state’s prison system. I appreciate every opportunity to visit with people in prison and with people who work in prisons. I want to inspire others, to show them that they can become more than current circumstances if they pursue a disciplined, deliberate path. Following two days of meetings with Michael Colwell and his team in the prison system, I’ll visit with my sister and her family in Seattle. Carole and I will also visit with her mother, who lives in the Seattle area as well.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 163
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 215.73
• Miles run this month: 215.73
• Miles run in 2014: 215.73
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 64.62
• Today’s Weight: 160