Stop Paying for Federal Prison Advice: The Real Way to Prepare

While in Mississippi, I received a call from a good dude just sentenced to federal prison. He told me he had been watching my videos and said, “Hey man, I’ve been sentenced, and I’m interviewing prison consultants.” I couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “What does that even mean? Interviewing prison consultants?” He wasn’t sure how to answer.

If you want to flush money down the toilet, by all means, hire a prison consultant. But if you want to save money and actually get what you need, listen up.

The Problem with Paying For Federal Prison Advice

When you think about what a prison consultant can really offer, the truth is, it’s not much. Learning how to shop at the commissary or get a better bunk isn’t going to help you with what really matters. You should focus on putting yourself in the shoes of those who will influence your release—your case manager, your Judge, your probation officer. What do they expect to hear from you? How can you be different from every other person they see?

Why We Give It Away for Free

I don’t dismiss the value of preparing for federal prison—that’s why we give it all away through our nonprofit. You don’t need to pay someone to tell you how to navigate a minimum-security camp. And anyone claiming to be a prison expert after serving six, twelve, or even twenty-four months in a camp is misleading you. True expertise comes from traversing the entire criminal justice system, influencing stakeholders, and consistently creating a record of progress.

Instead of charging for this advice, we offer it for free. Every Monday at 1 p.m. Pacific, 4 p.m. Eastern, we host a webinar where we teach—not sell. Last week, while I was in Jackson, Michael Santos, who served 26 consecutive years in federal prison, led the webinar with Scotty Carper. Michael documented every day of those 26 years, wrote dozens of books, and educated himself throughout his sentence. If you want to learn from someone who knows what it takes to truly succeed after prison, you should join our community–the lessons we teach come from Michael’s journey.

Real Success Comes from Creating

If you’re serious about getting out of prison as quickly as possible, you need to understand one thing: the only investment that matters is in creation. That’s why we tell you to document your journey, build a plan, and influence those around you. This is not something a consultant can do for you.

We’ve created courses, like our Probation Report Course, that guide you through preparing for your probation interview. These are based on real experiences from over a thousand clients, interviews with judges, and mock interviews. And here’s the thing—20 people were given free access to this course, and only four logged in to complete it. That’s the problem. People want the shortest sentence, but they don’t always want to do the work.

Case Study: Tracii Hutsuna

I want to share the story of Tracii Hutsuna someone who embraced this process. After being sentenced to 51 months—a higher-than-guideline sentence—she didn’t accept the judge’s belief that she was beyond reform. Instead, she documented every day of her sentence, created a release plan, and shared it with her case manager.

Because of her authentic work, Tracy was released after just 17 months. Her case manager was so impressed that Tracy was allowed to teach a class in prison, helping other prisoners develop their own release plans. She didn’t just do the work for herself—she inspired others along the way. Her success wasn’t by accident; it was the result of consistent effort, creation, and strategy.

Justin Paperny

P.S. Questions? Schedule a call here or text 310-940-9087 to get started.

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