Three weeks after I finished serving 26 years in prison, in August of 2013, San Francisco State University hired me to lecture in the criminal justice department. I taught a class called The Architecture of Incarceration. At the conclusion of the class, the following students sent comments expressing their appreciation for the course.
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Marisol S:
I thought it was a great way to end the class leaving us with the mentality, motivation, and empowerment in being involved in the change that can take place in the criminal justice system. Thank you for teaching me about the architecture of incarceration and the classification system and much more.
Sean B:
Thank you so much for this semester. I learned so much in your class and feel very lucky to have had you as my professor.
Ciara M:
Thank you so much for such an amazing semester… you are truly one of the best and most inspirational instructors of my entire educational career. I appreciate you… and the messages you are teaching.
Thank you for being you.
Sincerley,
Ciara McLemore
Yolanda B:
I really enjoyed your class it was awesome and look forward to your intern program.
Edgar C:
I want to say that I loved listening to the new perspective that I’m sure you presented to many of us in your class this semester. I wish you the best for the future and I hope that you continue to show people the injustice of our criminal justice system until some change is achieved.
Sincerely,
Edgar C
Garrid K:
Once again, I wanted to thank you for your time and effort this semester. I started off unsure of how the class would go and didn’t think I would gain much from it, but you and your story have given me a great deal of understanding, knowledge, and perspective. I value my time in this class above all others I have taken at San Francisco State University and I wanted to acknowledge your effort and dedication as going above and beyond that of many other educators in this field. It was an honor to meet you and be taught by you. I have nothing but praise for what you have done in life and I look forward to your future endeavors.
Thank you,
Garrid K
Conrad A:
Thank you for an awesome semester.
Conrad A
Nicolas H:
I had a blast in your course this semester and really appreciated the passion and energy you provided us with week in and week out. You are an incredible human being and I hope to continue seeing your growth on your website. You are truly an inspiration and motivating force for me and I hope to stay in touch with you after this semester. I wish you nothing but the best, Professor Santos (You better get used to people calling you that).
Sincerely,
Nick Horn
Stephanie D:
thank you so much for an informative and exciting semester.
LeAnne H:
Hi Professor!
It’s been a great semester in your class, and I actually enjoyed working on this final since it made me reflect on the whole class in its entirety. I’m really going to miss my Thursdays because today’s the last day of class, but I really do hope to keep in touch with you! Your story is inspirational and you are such a great speaker and a great person. Thank you so much for the amazing semester!!
Susan G:
Thank you for teaching such an amazing class this semester. I can truly say that this has been by far my favorite class since I’ve been at San Francisco State. I have learned a great deal and although I’m excited about graduating, I will miss your class. You have been an inspiration and I wish you and Carole the best! I hope I get to work with you in the near future.
Regards,
Susan G
Erik G:
Thank you for providing us with a great class this semester.
Michael S:
Thank you for the great semester!
Marisol S:
I enjoy every week of class, I have not missed one class yet, I always leave your class feeling motivated, passionate, and inspired. I will fight for change to occur within the justice system, it can and will happen. I wanted to thank you and your wife for sharing with us last week. I enjoyed it and learned alot. Thank you.
Thank you,
Marisol S
Veronique C:
Hello Prof Michael. truly this is one of but the best class i have ever taken
Kevin G:
I just wanted to say that it’s be really enjoyable to take your class and am looking forward to the last class. I really enjoyed and looked forward to going to your class and just listening to you speak about your story. I also wanted to thank you for bringing in so many different people from both perspectives. I think that it is important, both as a person planning on going into the CJ field, and as a member of this society to understand the perspective of the prisoner and the officers. Your class has been enjoyable and very educational. I wish the best for you in your future endeavors and hope that you keep on teaching (at SFSU or elsewhere) because people need to understand the flaws, but also the possible good, of our system and what can be done to better it. Anyway thanks!
Judy C:
Thank you for a wonderful semester. I am proud to say that I was able to be a part of your first teaching class. I hope to be able to work with you on any internships that you may have to offer regarding your Straight A Program or other program.
Omar A:
I really enjoy your class, it taught me a lot about the prison system.
Garrid K:
Thank you and your wife for valuable insight into your lives together this past class session.
Callan D:
When I signed up for this class I was excited, but I was worried that it might get a little boring as the semester went on. When in reality the exact opposite happened. This class opened my eyes and made me realize that all prisons and jails in this country need to change. By taking your class you were also able to give me real life examples, and allowed me to listen to individuals who walked and talked through the very halls of the prisons and jails we learned about. I am happy I chose this class and it made me realize America’s biggest downfall. I will recommend this class to all my friends as well as you as a teacher. The information in this class could not have been learned anywhere else.
Ciara M:
Thank you so much for such an amazing semester.
Molly D:
Thank you again so much for such an amazing class and wonderful insight.
Best,
Molly D.
Michael P:
I’m so relieved to have an instructor that really understands the inside and out of the topic they are teaching. Such a treat to have Michael Santos and his incarceration background as my instructor. I was really surprised when he first told the class that he did in fact serve 20 years in prison, then i was kinda worried about a former inmate teaching but after 2nd class you could barly even tell he was an inmate by his professionalism and his kind nature , such a nice guy. I told my dad who is a retiredt hat my instructor served time and he was mad haha if only he knew how great of an instructor Santos is. Thank you so much for a great semester.