Michael Santos-Nodes and Networks
While going through decades in prison, we learn to expect obstruction from the system. It’s our responsibility to continue growing through obstruction, to always be learning. I found opportunities to learn from reading. Books helped me understand how leaders in the world beyond prison walls think. Now that I’m free, instead of reading books, I […]
Krishna P.-05/03/2025-Building Resilience & Adaptability
Today I laid out a one‑month framework to hard‑wire resilience—physical first, then mental. Morning RoutineI’ll start every day with a 30‑minute run at dawn. Non‑negotiable. The goal for the first month is to cover 75 total miles; that averages out to 2.5 miles per day, leaving a small buffer for any travel or rest days. A […]
Celeste Monette Blair-05/03/2025-The Magic of Spoke Overlap
In 2023 I read an article in The National Liberator, an Aleph production, here is the excerpt: ” Voters banned slavery from state constitutions, redefining prison labor. More than 150 years after slavery was abolished, four states- Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont- voted to eliminate language in their constitutions that allows slavery as punishment for […]
Krishna P.-05/03/2025
So not to get ahead of myself. But I spent a great deal of time preparing for my future. Alot of people do not know this but the judge let me stay out an extended amount of time to finish an MBA AI program. I am one of the first people who have learned this […]
Michael Santos-Post Conviction Options
When a judge sentences someone in federal court, he typically says, “I sentence you to the custody of the attorney general of the United States.” For many entering the system, those words can be confusing. I know they were for me. I had never been incarcerated before my judge sentenced me to 45 years. I […]
Eduardo Luis Valdes-05/02/2025-Day 1325
Friday morning on this second day of May, 2025. As much as I may want to stay in bed, I push myself to get up and get ready. There was rumor it would be a half day of work today for us, so a lot of ground to cover this morning. I am on the […]
Michael Santos-Build Your Release Plan
Success doesn’t come by accident, and except for lottery winners, it doesn’t happen overnight. Success requires vision, discipline, and a detailed plan. When I walked out of prison after 26 years, my life differed from what others would’ve expected. The journey inside differed. It was different because I learned from leaders who taught me how […]
Carolynne Noffsinger-05/01/2025
Greetings from the prison of Atwood, This morning in the Carpentry class, I learned how to use and practiced with various saws and drills. While I have used drills a lot in my life repairing things such as fences (that our Yogi Bear nearly knocked down), I have never used a saw before. The saws […]
Mario A Lesesne-05/01/2025-Dream
Every day that I’ve spent in here has been consumed with numerous dreams. Initially it was just to be free. I’ve sought the dream of freedom over everything else. Then I sat one day, staring out the window at blades of grass dancing in the wind, and realized to myself, what is “freedom” if it’s […]
Celeste Monette Blair-05/01/2025-Transitions
Here at Aliceville FCI, we have the most lovely migratory birds that dance through a few times a year, make nests under the awning which wraps around the stretch of a place that reminds me of a strip mall. When I first began working compound, so many years ago, the policy was to knock the […]
