Earning Freedom, by Michael G. Santos

Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term, Michael G. Santos, Capetown South Africa: A.P.S. Publishing, 2013. e-book, 1242 pps.

www.MichaelSantos.com
Michael@MichaelSantos.com

Michael G. Santos is the inmate turned scholar and author whose book Inside was reviewed in the post just before this one. He was released from prison in August of 2012 after serving twenty five years. His story is intriguing. He used his time in prison well.  Earning Freedom breaks up the author's prison time into months and years, thereby enabling the reader to follow his progress to becoming the man that Michael G. Santos is today. 

sapphoq reviews says: Anyone facing time should read Michael G. Santos. His work is evidence that prisoners can and do self-rehabilitate in prison, if they choose to do so and work for it. Santos helped himself by deciding that he had to serve his time with an eye on specifics-- how he will achieve his goals, how he will support himself after prison, how he will strengthen his family ties while in prison, how he will avoid any write-ups for disciplinary infractions. In spite of roadblocks put up by various (but not all) wardens and prison staff, Michael G. Santos earned several degrees while behind bars. He also invested money in the stock market legally with the help of his sister-- which paid off handsomely-- so that he would have a nest egg upon release. Although he lost his fashion-plate girlfriend, a friend from high school in Seattle began corresponding with him. After a period of time, he did indeed marry Carole inside prison and are still together today. When their visits were in danger of being cut off by a change in prison policy, their decision to marry at a later date became an imperative to tie the knot sooner. In deciding to avoid write-ups (shots in fed pens; tickets in state pens) and time spent in the hole, Santos became a prisoner who lived his life with integrity. One example was when he refused to arrange to have his mattress stuffed by another prisoner for comfort. Instead, he asked for and received a transfer to a different cell. His two cellies who were sleeping with the altered sleeping pads received time in SHU for destruction of prison property (He is not a snitch. The mattresses were found during a search). There is much to admire about Michael G. Santos. He learned that anything worth having is worth working for. I wish him and his wife Carole the very best in life. Absolutely highly recommended.  

Inside by Michael G. Santos

Inside: Life Behind Bars in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007. e-book,  277 pps.

Michael G. Santos was sentenced to forty-five years for drug trafficking as a young man. Specifically, he headed up an informal organization that worked to get coke from Miami into the streets of Seattle. He was caught. He was arrested and went to court. He was locked up.

Inside talks about the author's own experiences inside the criminal justice system as an incarcerated inmate. By necessity, he describes some of what happens around him. He includes the language (curse words) but does not identify the ethnicity of any of the other inmates. This is not Michael Santos' first book. He has written several others about incarceration.

When Michael G. Santos first arrived in a prison, he determined that he had to do certain things in order to prepare himself for a life outside the walls. He obtained several degrees and while working for a doctorate, his access to education was cut off. He has been transferred several times during his sentence. Inside is a compendium of characters (with changed names and some details altered) that Santos has met during his imprisonment. It is also an indictment of the prison system itself.

sapphoq reviews says: Prisons are no longer considered to be rehabilitative. The purpose is punishment and separation from society for a period of time. A prisoner who concentrates on preparing for his release-- rather than just doing his time day to day-- is a rarity and a perceived threat to the security of a prison. Santos has been open about his writing in prison, not always with good results. The story that struck me the most was the one where a prison guard set up sex sessions with his wife for money. Some prisoners eagerly agreed to the guard's scheme. The guard and his willing wife made some extra money. 
     Michael G. Santos is not looking for pity, sympathy, or an ear upon which to scream about the horrors of prison life. His writing style is matter-of-fact. His education shows in his writing. Highly recommended.

Search for a Silver Lining by B.C. Murray

Search for a Silver Lining: One Man's Life Inside the Bizarre World of Prison, B.C. Murray. Portland OR: BookBaby, 2013. e-book, 309 pps.

B.C. Murray is currently incarcerated. He is from the South and has done his time primarily in southern jails and a hub (a prison where an inmate waits with other inmates until there are adequate numbers to justify the use of transport dollars to transfer an inmate to wherever he is going within the system). He has landed at a fed pen in Arkansas. Search for a Silver Lining is primarily about the social aspect of his experiences as a prisoner.

sapphoq reviews says: B.C. Murray admits near the end of his book that his motives for writing it were unclear. Certainly, he recounted some humorous tales of various cellies. He also had a few things to say about prison jobs-- food service jobs are the worst-- and he busts a few racially-based myths along the way. Unfortunately, his writing suffered from his lack of purpose. There is a weak argument that after being through the humiliation of arrests, court dates, trials and public media, prison is almost a relief. There is also the unconvincing argument that it makes more economic sense to give non-violent prisoners house arrest. I don't know if it makes more economic sense or not. I do know that his arguments were not backed up by any evidence. I did enjoy the variety of quotations that B.C. Murray used to set off each chapter. Any monies received will go to his two sons, he says. Not really recommended.

Arrested by Wes Denham

Arrested: What to Do When Your Loved One's in Jail, Wes Denham. Chicago: Chicago Press Review, 2010. e-book, 266 pps.

Arrested is an ideal book for the family members of someone who is going through legal difficulties. Wes Denham is a business writer who has an excellent grasp on the law; http://folioweekly.com/Hot-Bullets-Cold-Truth,5556 for an example of an article that he wrote. He addresses concerns of those left behind to hold up the fort until the convict becomes an ex-convict.

When a loved one is arrested, there are several pitfalls to watch out for that Denham addresses. One of them is the high cost of phone calls from jail and what that can do to the family's budget. Another is making sure that your own living quarters and car are "clean" should law enforcement want to toss the place because your family member lives with you. And then there are the attorneys.

Denham discusses life as a prisoner and how that can effect the family who is outside the bars. He talks about commissaries, getting religion (while incarcerated), sex, and how to tell if your convict really wants to change. He discusses what to do if you are threatened (flee; and report the threat to the cops) and provides several handy checklists. The appendixes include helpful forms and letters and the most thorough vocabulary list of prison slang that I have ever seen in a book.

sapphoq reviews says: Wes Denham has written a pretty good book to guild families of people who are getting tangled up in the justice system. Arrested leaves nothing out. A valuable aid to thinking clearly in a situation where family members can often go to pieces. There is straight talk about financial concerns, avoiding prison rackets from the outside (don't send money to people when asked to, especially to other prisoners), and having a life. Highly recommended.

Behind Bars by Jeffrey Ian Ross and Stephen C. Richards

Behind Bars: Surviving Prison, Jefrey Ian Ross and Stephen C. Richards. Indianapolis: Alpha Books/Penguin, 2002. e-book, 173 pps.

I read through several books on how to prepare for prison and this was the one that I thought was the most valuable for soon-to-be convicts and their families. Behind Bars was written by two college professors who have had experience with incarceration-- one is an ex-con and the other was on the staff. This book tells it like it is. In spite of cries from some readers that "we need more positive prison literature" [huh?], there is no glossing over the facts about fighting and sex, the gangs and the drugs, giving birth in prison and the high recidivism rate. Because serving time isn't on most peoples' bucket lists. 

Behind Bars starts off with some stats about American prisoners and then walks the reader through the arrest process, the difference between jails and prisons, classification, getting to prison and what to do and not do once you get there, and getting out. There is a rundown on a "typical" day in a fed pen which has controlled movement. All the taxpayers who are screaming about how their/our tax dollars pay for prisoners to go to college can stop now. There are no Pell grants for convicts and haven't been since 1992. Cons (or their families) have to pay for any college courses. Although a meaningful education is a huge help in not returning to the prison system as a con, there are many barriers in the way. Prisoners are subject to almost instantaneous transfers. Wardens are threatened by the educated. Cons work in prisons for what is considered to be slave wages on the outside and then spend that money (added to their accounts) in the commissary where the markup is usually around 125 percent. The food is inedible and many fights break out in the chow hall. Hope that you do not get sick in prison. See a dentist if you can before arriving at prison-- some of the ones on the inside may be dedicated-- because you don't want to take your chances with the local hack surgeon. There is a ton of information in Behind Bars.

sapphoq reviews says: Ross and Richards have written an excellent book for those who are on their way to becoming convicts. Behind Bars should be read by anyone who is about to have a first contact with the legal justice system as a prisoner. The curious and the folks who figure they will never have to serve time behind bars [some innocent people do wind up in prison] will also find this book to be valuable. Highly recommended.