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Say what you did in plain words, say what you'll do, and give your officer something to check. My letter promised I'd make my victims whole. I owed $535,000 and made the last payment in 2019.
The promise that took ten years
Before I came home, I wrote an open letter to my probation officer. It went into my release plan.
I said what I did. I didn't call it a mistake or an error in judgment. Then I made two commitments: I would never stand in a courtroom as a defendant again, and I would find a way to make my victims whole.
Restitution was $535,000 when I came home.
I made the last payment in 2019, ten years after I left the halfway house. I haven't been back in a courtroom as a defendant.
Promises are cheap in this system. Prosecutors hear them. Judges hear them. Case managers hear them every week. A promise in writing, with a date on it, gives someone a way to measure you. Every page of my plan is still online with its original timestamp at EtikaLLC.com.
People tell me it's too long, nobody will read it. Maybe. They can flip through it and see that you did it.
Your letter needs three things: what you did, in plain words; what you'll do; and something they can check.
If you want help writing yours, and building the record that backs it up, let's talk.
Schedule a free call with our team.
Questions people ask
Should I call my crime a mistake in the letter?
No. Name what you did. "Mistake" and "error in judgment" read as softening.
Will my probation officer read a long release plan?
Maybe not every word. A dated plan lets them check that you did what you said.
Read next: Part 12: Can You Pay Someone to Get You Into RDAP? I Turned It Down
Written by
Justin Paperny
Founder White Collar Advice
