White Collar Advice · Blog
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One new post every day. Federal Sentencing, Prison Preparation, Supervised Release, and Life After. Read what applies to where you are right now. Then build something. Questions? Call or text us at 949-799-3277.
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Showing 1–12 of 517 articles
Habits Every Successful Person After Prison Shares
In April 2025, I had lunch with Matt Cox in Tampa two days before he interviewed me on his Inside True Crime […]
Justin Paperny
Jul 6, 2026
Surviving Federal Prison Camp: Advice From a Longtime Prisoner
You will see how a first week at Taft gets discussed, the two lines Michael offered, and the backgrounds of the men […]
Justin Paperny
Jul 2, 2026
How to Communicate in Federal Court and Prison
Someone new to our community called last week after getting sentenced to four years. While Judge Walter read the sentence, one thought […]
Justin Paperny
Jun 23, 2026
How Federal Prison Camp Jobs Get Assigned
Note: The chapter below is reproduced exactly as I wrote it inside Taft Prison Camp in 2008. The summaries, FAQs, and modern […]
Justin Paperny
Jun 22, 2026
The Federal Prison Checklist You Have Never Seen
I searched my own website recently. Huge mistake. Do you know how many “Top 10 Self-Surrender to Federal Prison Checklists” I have […]
Justin Paperny
Jun 16, 2026
RDAP Federal Prison: What Robert Reyes Did to Get Home 28 Months Early
Robert Reyes got 7 years. He was home in 35 months. Tuesday at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern, he joins me live on […]
Justin Paperny
Jun 8, 2026
What Is a Pre-Sentence Investigation Report in Federal Court: Chief Probation Officer Answers
The pre-sentence investigation report is the most important document most federal defendants never prepare for. It is read by your sentencing judge, […]
Justin Paperny
May 29, 2026
First Week Federal Prison Camp: Lompoc
Matt Bowyer documented his first week at a federal prison camp in Controlled Chaos. He surrendered to Lompoc on October 10th, 2025. […]
Justin Paperny
May 24, 2026
Federal Halfway House Rules Nobody Tells You Before You Get There
He called me from the halfway house furious. Not frustrated. Furious. His job application got denied. He was on lockdown longer than […]
Justin Paperny
May 22, 2026
Preparing for Prison. Most Defendants Get It Wrong.
Most defendants spend the weeks before reporting to federal prison researching programs. Which courses are available. When they start. How many credits […]
Justin Paperny
May 5, 2026
What Is a Minimum Security Prison? A Former Federal Prisoner Explains What Actually Happens There
Eighteen years ago tomorrow I learned a minimum security prison is the lowest custody level in the federal Bureau of Prisons system. […]
Justin Paperny
Apr 28, 2026
What Do Prison Consultants Do? And Why You Probably Don’t Need One
A journalist called me recently. He is writing a piece about sentencing mitigation and wanted to understand what I do. He found […]
Justin Paperny
Apr 23, 2026
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