A Prison Author’s Blog

When people in society ask someone in prison what it’s like inside, they are most often met with replies like, “It’s sheer hell”, or “It’s miserable and inhumane.” If asked to elaborate, prisoners typically point to examples of violence, conflicts with guards and other staff, a lack of support from family and friends. Rarely is there any mention of the real source of the prisoners’ problems, that being, ourselves, our inner turmoil.

I began studying human behavior a little over 45 years ago. At the time, I had just started serving a life sentence at Western Penitentiary on the North Side of the city of Pittsburgh. Western was a petri dish for radical rehabilitation programs at the time. Prisoners could purchase and wear their own clothing in the evenings and weekends. There were certified vocational school programs and varsity sports programs where the best athletes got to host other prison varsity teams and travel to their prisons to compete. And there were weekly military veterans, N.A. and A.A. groups who came from all over the city in the evenings. Two renowned psychiatrists flew in from New York City each week to conduct group and one-on-one therapy sessions. The prison was also home to the most progressive four-year college degree program in the country. Monday through Friday, mornings, afternoons and evenings, college professors and their graduate students arrived from the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus to offer a variety of courses in a variety of disciplines.

It was in this University of Pittsburgh’s prison college program where I spent 12 straight years, learning everything I could about every subject that was put before me. No subject interested me more than the workings of the human mind, particularly, how we learn, and how we “unlearn.” My studies in educational psychology led me on a quest to find the answers to such questions as, why were the vast majority of my fellow prisoners, myself included, so self-destructive and filled with discontent and unhappiness? Theories abound as to why people become criminals, and they are equally plentiful when it comes to how to bring about change. This book is not about theories. It is about exploring ways to make your life more fulfilling and productive through personal transformation. If you know there is unhappiness and discontent within you, if you’re tired of being angry and feeling hopeless, this book can help you. Whether you’re serving five years, 10 years, 20 years, or life without parole, you can learn to live a purposeful life. All it takes to begin is to have a genuine desire to change and a willingness to be honest with yourself.