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Like the Persians, you have lived in Rough Country. Like thePersians, you can turn that toughness into a relentlessness ofpurpose, and then there will be little you cannot eventuallyovercome.The other advantage you may have is time. From this dayforward, spend the remainder of your time in prison planningfor your release. Some things you can and should do inprison: Attend counseling sessions and group meetings toovercome damaging behaviors and addictions Read books about jobs you are interested in, history,psychology, or skills you would like to develop Hone your artistic skills, such as writing, art, music, ormath Study for the GED, college courses, or othereducational opportunities Participate in prison work programs to get real jobexperience Be a model prisoner in terms of following rules andavoiding disciplinary issues Develop a relationship with a church or otherorganization that might help you when you arereleased Issue a sincere and honest apology to anyonevictimized by your crime Volunteer for prison programs where you lead othersor work as a team, like teaching other inmates to read7

Each of these steps will help you transition back into societyand maybe even give you a leg up on someone who wasn’tincarcerated. These steps will also put you in touch withpeople – like a counselor – who can write a letter ofrecommendation for you upon your release.You have a choice here. You can choose to be warehousedor you can use this time to learn and grow.Parole/ProbationIn Maine, the way to reduce your time spent in prison is toearn your way into minimum security and then apply forsupervised community confinement.In determining whether or not to allow you to do this, theState looks at your criminal history, employment history, age,and the severity of the offense. These are things you cannotchange at this point. But the State also looks at your prisondisciplinary conduct, whether you have participated in joband character development programs, whether you have aplace to live that will be a positive influence on your behavior,and whether you have a release plan that is likely to succeed.You control all of these factors!You should start thinking about release today.You should also start planning for your supervisedcommunity confinement application immediately. Thismeans: Gathering letters of reference and support frompeople inside and outside the prison8

Mending fences with any prison staff you’ve offended Creating a plan for your successful release Doing the things listed in your plan that you can dowhile in prison Writing a sincere and heartfelt apology to yourvictim(s)Each and every day, task yourself with doing something thatwill better prepare you for your release. Your opportunity forearly release will be here before you know it, and if you followthis advice, you will be able to show the State that you havetaken your rehabilitation seriously and are likely to succeedif released.ApologizingAir Force Tech. Sgt. Gary Sapone observed that “As simpleas it may sound nothing seems more powerful and able toaccomplish more than a simple heartfelt apology.” In fact,Sapone adds that research has shown that receiving anapology has noticeable positive effects on the body.A smart thing to do while serving time is write an apology tothe people you harmed as a result of your crime andincarceration. When apologizing, keep in mind the advice ofBenjamin Franklin, who many think was the smartest of ourFounding Fathers: “Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”For a good apology: Say you are sorry Take responsibility for your actions9

Let them know they are not to blame for whathappened Let them know you know you hurt them Tell them anything you have done to make sure younever do anything like that to anyone else again Admit you were wrongA bad apology: Blames the victim (e.g., “When you called me thatname, I lost control and hit you”) Blames the circumstances (e.g., “If I hadn’t beendrunk, I never would have hit you”) Minimizes the consequences (e.g., “Fortunately, Ididn’t hit you as hard as I could have”) Whines or complains (e.g., “I am in prison andsuffering for what I did to you”) Asks for help (e.g., “Please write the State asking formy release”)Most importantly, your apology must be sincere and comefrom the heart. If you take satisfaction in the fact that you hurtyour victim, think the victim got what s/he deserved from you,or blame the victim for what happened, do not try andapologize, as your attitude will come through in the apologyand the State will understand from your apology that you areonly sorry you got caught and that you have no remorse forhurting your victim.Advice from Successful Transitions10

Many people have successfully transitioned back into societyafter serving time. Some of them were kind enough to sharewhat they wish they knew before leaving prison and what theylearned along the way. Obviously, their advice varies basedon their experiences, and you may have differentexperiences. Here are their viewpoints summarized.What to do before getting out: Write down plans and goals, get organized, completea resume, get addresses and phone numbers of placesyou need to go to get your driver’s license, healthcare,and anything else you think you will need. Get a head start on the proper identity papers,particularly the birth certificate and Social Securitycard. Go to your chaplaincy department while still in prisonand try to find a group or organization that will be therefor you from the moment you are released. Apply for educational grants and better yourselfthrough education.Parole/Probation: Be respectful of those that are there to help you,including your parole or probation officer. Ask for help in working on your plan and in findingresources that are out there to help you succeed.Employment: It will be difficult to find work and a place to live.11

Learn a trade or work skill while in prison. Do a web search for “Jobs for people with felonies”and you will find a long list of companies who hire exfelons. Expect to be turned down at job interviews because ofyour felony. Take whatever job you can get and do it well until youfind the job you want. Expect to have to earn people’s belief in you, but onceyou do it will be well worth your perseverance.Change: The world you left no longer exists. Things are not thesame as before you went in, especially with technology. There are simple everyday tasks that you will not knowhow to do. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with even simple tasks, sostay focused and determined. Life for someone in prison doesn’t change day to day.But the world outside the prison walls changes daily. Don’t try to pick up where life was when you wereincarcerated. Understand that things have changed. You’re going to get rejected and some things are notgoing to pan out the way you envisioned but staypositive and do not give up. Expect to face change and adversity. There are a lot of obstacles with employment, housing,and transportation. Things are not as easy as you think.12

It is easy to just say “I’m going to get a job, buy a home,start a family,” but it takes hard work to obtain thesethings. They don’t just suddenly happen. It’s frustrating when you try so very hard and see solittle progress. You need faith and confidence. Bedoggedly persistent. You’ll have a huge hole in your life where kids and acareer should be. Be flexible and open minded to change. Things willmost likely not be as you envisioned them to be.How to Behave: Show humility and be teachable! Don’t allow pride tostand in your way. Don’t be scared to ask for help. Wear age-appropriate clothes. Date age-appropriate people. If you are not ready to give up all your criminalbehavior and ways of thinking you might as well stay inprison. Everything you say or do will be verified. You mustdecide that you will be honest. There will be bad days, but remember you’ve alreadymade it through the darkest part. Live your life not to disappoint those who are cheeringyou on and helping you. Network. Be honest, friendly, careful, helpful, and have cleanhabits. Try and create stability.13

Express sincere gratitude, which means not just withwords, and pay forward any help you receive.Being Judged: You may get judged by some people, but again, staypositive and don’t give up! In the eyes of many, you are nothing more than acriminal. Society will be quick to take the ex-felon labeland run with it. Expect to feel “different” than everyone around you. Despite smiling to your face, people will be wary andsuspicious of you, but about half believe in secondchances. Avoid the other half. Society assumes because you were once a criminal,you will always be a criminal. Some will be cruel, butyou will find others who will be compassionate. Thesecompassionate ones will be your best source forsupport and stability.Family and Friends: Ask family for support. Family, friends, and loved ones can be some of yourbiggest downfalls if they want you to go back to the wayyou were before prison. One of the best things can be support from family andfriends if they want you to change for the better! Move out of the environment you came from. Stay away from friends and family who use drugs andalcohol.14

Stay away from those people you associated with priorto being incarcerated. Once the initial excitement about your release is over,everyone will be going back to their lives. Those people who believe in you are going to be there. Expect to have to earn people’s belief in you, but onceyou do, it will be well worth your perseverance. Get feedback from family on how you are doing.Resources: Use the resources given to you by the Department ofCorrections. No one coming out wants to work with theDepartment of Corrections, but the resources that theDepartment of Corrections provides are beneficial. You can secure employment and obtain a place ofyour own with the help of Department of Correctionsprograms. When you are released, the small amount of cashgiven to you will not sustain you for more than a coupleof days. Surround yourself with a church community. Find an active church group that helps ex-offenders. Seek out family first and then a church for help. Catholics are particularly good at helping ex-offenders. Find someone who will hold you accountable. If you are not fortunate enough to have family support,approach a church or social organization forimmediate assistance.15

Keep in mind that the first two weeks after getting out areoften the hardest of all, and things will get better as you adjustto life on the outs.Making Sense of SufferingPrison is not easy. You undoubtably suffered in many ways.Life on the outs also has hardships. How do we make senseof it?In the 1930s in Austria, a doctor name Viktor Frankl cameto believe from his studies that people needed meaning andpurpose in their lives, even in the darkest of times. Hebelieved that we can find meaning in life, even in the mostmiserable circumstances where nothing seems to makesense. In fact, he thought our main motivation (reason) forliving was to find meaning in all we do, and that people havethe freedom to find meaning in even the worst conditions.People create meaning by doing a good deed, experiencingor meeting someone new, or taking a positive attitude evenunder the worst circumstances. Of course, this all soundsgreat in theory, but what would a privileged medical doctorknow about suffering?Well in 1938, Nazi Germany invaded Austria. And in1942, Frankl, his pregnant wife, and his parents were sent toa concentration camp for the “crime” of being of Jewish. TheNazis took Frankl’s home and possessions, confiscated thebook he was writing, forced his wife to have an abortion, andeventually separated him from his family.16

In the concentration camp, they were scarcely fed, giveninadequate clothing or shoes, killed both by design and atrandom, forced into slave labor, and subjected to beatingsand humiliation. Col. William Quinn and Gen. DwightEisenhower each described such camps in separate reports:In the midst of the senseless suffering that would later sickeneven hardened military men who oversaw years of savagefighting, Frankl put his theory to work. He focused onhelping other detainees. He realized in these dark17

circumstances, he needed to give people meaning by helpingthem focus on some future goal.He also “allowed” himself to be free in certain moments,feeling what little good was available to him, like the sun onhis face or a pleasant memory with his wife. He re-composedhis book in his mind. The Nazis could not take that fromhim. He believed he could learn from every experience, goodor bad, and he sought to do so in the concentration camp.Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a person but onething: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’sattitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’sown way.” Frankl believed there were only two types ofpeople, “good people” and “bad people”, and no matter whowe are and what we’ve been, we have the freedom to choosewhich we want to be going forward.Frankl also believed that if we fail to seek meaning, we fill ourlives with meaningless pursuits, such as drugs, money, food,anger, or dominating others. When we seek these things, wemove further from finding the meaning we so desperately

Mike Tyson said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." And in trying to establish your life on the outs, you are going to get punched in the face, whether . autobiography (book about his life) by saying, "If I'd gotten the job I wanted at Montgomery Ward, I suppose I never would have left Illinois." If one door .