Can I Read a Book to Prepare for Federal Prison?

Oct. 29, 2008 - PRLog -- There are books available that provide generic advice about prison and how to prepare for prison.  These books are written either by someone who was an inmate or by someone who worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  They are full of anecdotes and lists.  They may provide copies of forms used by the BOP to manage inmates as well as copies of rules and regulations pertaining to prisoners.  

There are also books available that provide advice about how to exercise.  Who among us would rely on an exercise book when we could use a personal trainer instead?  Prison is no different.  The difference between reading a generic book and having a prison consultant is just as important.

Prison consultants provide answers to questions from white collar federal defendants and their families, and so much more.  A good prison consultant can prepare you and your family to navigate the process of preparing for, and surviving the experience of federal prison.  You need to come out with the fewest scars possible.

Mistakes in prison can be costly.  The goal is to conduct yourself in a way that minimizes the amount of time you will spend in custody.  The rules in prison are strict, and violations lead to drastic consequences.  An innocent comment to the wrong person may lead to loss of good time credits or worse.  A gesture that is perfectly acceptable in normal life can result in punishment in prison that could range from solitary confinement to a transfer to a higher security prison.  These mistakes are most likely to be made at the beginning of your sentence and they can be avoided.

No one who starts a prison term for the first time feels prepared enough for the experience.  Even though most white collar defendants have spent their lives knowing how to prepare themselves for the other challenges they have faced in life, they do not do enough to prepare themselves or their families for this ordeal.

The money invested in a prison consultant is nominal when compared to the benefits.  Consider the benefit of knowing what to expect when you arrive at the gate.  Combine that with being prepared to avoid mistakes and knowing how to minimize your time in prison.  Add to that the comfort of knowing that your family has someone to call who can provide answers to their questions when you are gone, and you have a sense of the value of your investment in a federal prison consultant.  

Yes, there are books available that provide generic advice about prison and how to prepare for prison.  However, you only have one chance to prepare for this experience.  This is not the time to cut corners.  Too much is at stake.

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Geoffrey Mousseau owns White Collar Sentencing Consultants, Inc. and is the foremost expert in this field. He counsels white collar defendants, their families and their attorneys. He answers the questions you have before you go to federal prison.