Step8 - White Collar Advice

Around 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, there was mail call in federal prison. I walked from my cubicle to the front of […]

Justin Paperny11 August 20258 min read

“My lawyer says it makes sense, but nothing moves this judge. He’s a guideline guy.”“I made him watch it. I think he […]

Justin Paperny5 August 202511 min read

Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade begins with a warning: If you wait until your moment of need […]

Justin Paperny29 July 20259 min read

I’ve been in Hawaii with my family since last Saturday. For years after I came home from prison, I didn’t travel unless […]

Justin Paperny27 July 20257 min read

“Who else you got?” a friend asked. “What do you mean?” I responded. “What other lessons can you share from dead philosophers?” […]

Justin Paperny24 July 20259 min read

I spent time this week reviewing the sentencing, media tour, and public comments made by George Santos, who’s now facing 87 months […]

Justin Paperny17 July 20255 min read

“Did you read them?” a friend awaiting sentencing asked after sending me fifteen Rockefeller quotes last month. “Thank you for sending them. […]

Justin Paperny29 June 20258 min read

Someone new to our community asked me,“I got six years. How long will I serve?”“I have no idea”, I told him.“I can make […]

Justin Paperny28 June 20254 min read

The June 2025 BOP memo changes how home confinement referrals work. One of the clearest shifts is this: prior employment is no […]

Justin Paperny26 June 20252 min read

If you’re facing a sentencing hearing in federal court, one of the most overlooked—but essential—steps is understanding how the Bureau of Prisons […]

Justin Paperny22 June 20254 min read

His answer was never absolute. It came through fragments, habits, observation. He asked: How do we stay present? How do we face […]

Justin Paperny18 June 20253 min read

When Michael Santos handed me a blank notebook in federal prison, I thought it was a symbolic gesture. It wasn’t. It was […]

Justin Paperny18 June 20253 min read

Category: Step8