People in prison sometimes lose hope. I know—I lived through 26 years inside federal prisons across the United States. But I also know that hope can be restored. At Prison Professors, I work every day to build that hope and offer pathways for redemption. And few stories speak to this mission more powerfully than the story of Ross Ulbricht.
While attending the 2025 Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, I stood before a massive tribute wall dedicated to Ross Ulbricht. For those unfamiliar, Ross is the founder of the Silk Road, a controversial online marketplace that operated more than a decade ago. Since Ross founded the platform, authorities held him responsible for everything on it. The DOJ brought charges against him, and after a jury convicted him, a federal judge sentenced him to serve two life terms plus 40 years under the same charge I once faced: continuing criminal enterprise.
Ross’s story is undeniably a story of human resilience, transformation, and support. On January 21, 2025—his first day in office—President Trump commuted Ross’s sentence, fulfilling a long-standing promise. And that decision lit a new torch of possibility for thousands of others still behind bars.
The Power of Community
The Bitcoin community didn’t forget Ross. Throughout his incarceration, supporters rallied, advocated, and built awareness. At the Bitcoin conference, that support was on full display—literally. An entire exhibit featured Ross’s artwork, personal belongings from prison, and items being auctioned to raise funds for his future.
Among the items:
- Prison ID cards from different facilities like USP Florence and USP Tucson
- Oil paintings Ross created, including collaborations with other incarcerated artists
- Prison gear like laundry bags, padlocks, and shoes—each a symbol of life behind bars
- His pre-arrest backpack, frozen in time from the moment liberty was taken from him
These artifacts told a story. Not just of incarceration, but of introspection, growth, and humanity. In one of his paintings, Ross expressed the feeling of being “disconnected from the world… disoriented, losing my sense of self.” Many people in prison will relate. I did.
But Ross also painted bridges—literal and symbolic—toward healing, toward freedom, and toward something better.
Bitcoin and Prison Reform Intersect
Bitcoin represents more than money. It’s a movement rooted in freedom, sovereignty, and resistance to unjust systems. Just like prison reform. Just like second chances.
In both arenas, we challenge the status quo. We reject systems that prioritize punishment over possibility. We ask deeper questions:
- Should a person spend life in prison for creating a platform?
- Should the government print money endlessly while denying citizens control over their own future?
- Should justice be measured by time served—or by how a person uses that time?
A Better Way to Measure Justice
Just as Bitcoin operates outside the centralized control of government, I believe we need to build a new model for prison reform. Today, we measure justice in calendar pages—months, years, decades.
But what if we measured justice by how hard a person worked to earn freedom through merit?
- By how hard someone works to educate themselves?
- By how they contribute to their community?
- By how they change?
This is what I advocate at Prison Professors. It’s what Ross embodied during his years of incarceration. And it’s the message I want to share with anyone who feels stuck, forgotten, or lost.
On a piece of art displayed at the conference, Ross quoted:
“If you are to get out of prison, the first thing you must realize is you are in prison.”
Profound words—not just for the incarcerated, but for anyone confined by doubt, fear, addiction, or despair. Whether you’re in a cell or stuck in a self-imposed prison, change begins with awareness. And transformation begins with action.
Ross Ulbricht’s freedom reminds us: no person is beyond redemption. His journey from incarceration to the keynote stage of the Bitcoin Conference is a beacon of what’s possible.
Let’s continue building pathways of hope. Let’s measure justice by what people become—not by what they once did.
Let’s move beyond filthy fiat systems—monetary or punitive—and build a future based on fairness, transparency, and human dignity.
At Prison Professors, we offer free lessons, advocacy, and resources for people in prison and those preparing for a better life. Subscribe. Support. Spread the message.
