WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008
It's December 24th, a Wednesday. It's 6:30 P.M and I'm writing from the large television room. In 30 minutes or so, the weekly bingo tournament will begin. Bingo night is a big deal in prison. For many inmates, it's the highlight of the week.
I've noticed that inmates adjust to their surroundings in a variety of ways. The primary goal appears to be easing the pain of confinement. Personally, this means a total devotion to writing, reading and exercise. My commitment to this routine approaches 16 hours a day. Others forget about what they are missing by immersing themselves in television, bingo or table games. Few inmates commit themselves voluntarily to education or independent study projects.
The prevailing idea, apparently, is to forget the outside world in order to make it through the prison term. Yet, I've noticed a problem with such adjustment patterns when I listen to others express genuine fear as their release dates approach.
My friend, Edward, was a typical example. He had been a real estate operator for a number of years. I say operator rather than real estate investor or broker, because the ventures he described sounded more like a scheme than a genuine business. As he described it to me, he led seminars through which he encouraged those in his audience to apply for government guaranteed housing loans. In exchange for assigning over full management discretion of the property, Edward guaranteed an attractive annual rate of return to those who signed up with his program.
When changing market conditions rendered Edward incapable of living up to his end of the bargain, huge defaults in the real estate loan ensued. Those defaults led to a criminal investigation and charges against Edward for operating a Ponzi scheme. He pled guilty and served three years in prison.
I met Edward as he approached release. He told me that he had dropped a considerable amount of weight through regular exercise and dieting. An avid sports fan, he also joined others in watching ESPN religiously. A wake up call came for Edward, however, when he received notification from the U.S. Probation Officer who would be supervising his release. Edward showed me the letter which stated categorically that the conditions of his release expressly prohibited him from any type of employment related to sales or promotions.
"Up until that time I received the letter from my probation officer, Edward said, "I always intended on earning a living through sales. That's all I know how to do. Now I don't have any idea how I'm expected to earn a living."
The message of this blog is simple. Felons face obstacles that prohibit entry into many careers. Never presume returning to a certain field is certainty. Use the time wisely during incarceration to develop other skills in order to succeed upon release.
Tomorrow I'll discuss the infamous U-shaped curve and how it relates to my confinement.
