Federal Prison Consultants-Not all Consultants cost $20,000 a pop!

Sept. 27, 2009 - PRLog -- A recent article in USA Today discussed the new niche industry of Federal Prison Consulting. It stated that some rich white-collar criminals are paying up to $20,000 a pop to Federal Prison Consultants or Prison Coaches for information and assistance on how to prepare for life in a federal prison, how to survive in a federal prison, and most important of all, how to reduce the federal prison sentence that the defendant received at sentencing. More and more famous or infamous white-collar defendants are facing federal or state incarceration. First it was television celebrities such as Martha Stewart, then big company officials such as Jeffrey Skilling and Andrew Fastow of Enron, then financial ponzi manipulators like Bernard Madoff, and now even well known sports celebrities such as Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress have been in or are now going to prison.

Recently, Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison starting with an evaluation at Riker’s Island Correctional Facility in New York. He was unceremoniously received at Rikers by his fellow inmates upon his arrival. He was greeted with wild hollering, sneering, and taunting after completing the intake process right before he was about to be placed in general population. The intake process was dehumanizing enough; a complete strip search, fingerprints, inmate mugshot, and a change from a $3,000.00 business suit into a $4.00 set of inmate clothing. He now looks forward to three hours of recreation a day, three showers a week, one visit per week-end, and the taunting jeers of other inmates who see Plaxico as a man who had everything and they have nothing. Plaxico immediately requested and received solitary confinement. He now spends all his time in a six foot by eight foot concrete cage, alone.

“Prison isn’t easy, but it can be manageable”, says Michael Frantz, a federal prison consultant, “if you have the proper knowledge, resources, and motivation. There are many challenges facing those individuals entering federal prison. These challenges are not easy, but they are manageable. You need the knowledge to select a federal prison consultant with experience and wisdom. You need the many resources of the consultant including his knowledge, contacts, and expertise. You need the motivation to survive federal prison and to get home as soon as you can.”

“The best news”, says Michael Frantz, “it doesn’t have to cost $20,000.” He says that after a free consultation services start as low as $295.00 and it is the best advice, help, and support that a defendant can get. A complete package that not only prepares the defendant for federal prison, assists in facility designation, provides documentation and assistance to the  client’s attorney for judicial recommendations,  prepares the client for the all important Pre-Sentencing Investigation Interview (PSI), positions the defendant for all Bureau of Prisons programs including  sentence reduction programs, provides 24 hour access for the defendant’s family, and also provides free assistance to the inmate his entire period of incarceration, costs about one-third of the $20,000 price tag cited in the USA Today article. “This is a comprehensive program that literally includes everything. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to work!” says Frantz.  Frantz states it is best for a defendant to secure the help of a federal prison consultant early in his/her case before entering a plea agreement and before the all important Pre-Sentencing Investigation Interview and Report (PSI/PSR).

The most knowledgeable federal prison consultant is one who has experienced prison firsthand and knows the programs, procedures, policies, as well as the daily ins and outs of prison life. This federal prison consultant can provide the best services and direction to the arriving inmate. Yet not all those individuals who have been to prison make good federal prison consultants. An exceptional federal prison consultant is dedicated, resourceful, educated on prison life, and tells it like it really is. The consultant will help the client prepare for federal prison, tell the client what to expect in federal prison, and inform the client on how to make the most out of his stay in federal prison. A good consultant won’t try to scare or intimidate the defendant into becoming a client. On the other hand he will not sugar coat the client’s upcoming stay in federal prison either.  He just tells it like it really is. Of course differences do apply. Frantz said, "A defendant headed for a maximum security United States Penitentiary (USP) will certainly receive a different preparation than a defendant designated to a minimum security federal prison camp." A good consultant will prepare the defendant for where he is going, not try to scare him by preparing him for where he is not going.

The consultant should also have an abundance of tools at his disposable. A good federal prison consultant should have tools available to prepare the client for federal incarceration such as the seven component “How to Survive Federal Prison” course©. He should have an informational website with an abundance of free information. He should have a prison primer such as the highly acclaimed prison preparation book, “Jail Time, What you need to know…Before going to federal prison! ©”. He needs a variety of informational articles on all aspects of daily prison life such as JT Special Reports©. He needs a company with associates who counsel not only the incoming defendant but also his/her family as well. These tools are not only necessary but essential in completing the preparation, positioning, and education for the newly arriving inmate.

The federal government currently has a 97% guilty plea rate in federal criminal cases. Federal prosecutors have over a 75% conviction rate following trial, and 91% of federal criminal defendants receive a prison sentence. It's no longer a question of will I go to federal prison, it's a question of which one will I go to and how long will I be there. You don’t have to pay $20,000 for a federal prison consultant; you simply have to pick the best one for you.

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Michael Frantz is a leading Federal Prison Consultant with Jail Time Consulting (JTC) in South Florida. The staff of JTC provides sentence reduction strategies, research, and many pre- and post-sentencing services for their clients. Michael has authored a bestselling book on federal prison titled, “Jail Time, What you need to know…Before you go to federal prison!” He has also authored over thirty-five JT Special Reports© on various federal prison issues affecting both the inmate and his/her family. They are available on the website. He writes a daily blog on the JTC website http://prisonconsultinggroup.com answering readers’ questions and comments. He is a nationally recognized authority on federal prison and has published over 40 articles nationwide. He has been contacted by ABC’s 20/20, the Oprah Winfrey network, the Fox News Network, as well as many radio and TV stations nationwide. He can be reached at 954-522-2254, 800-804-4686, or at mike@jailtimeconsulting.com.