In this video, I describe a call from an investment banker in Chicago facing fraud charges. Despite the fraud charges, he didn’t hesitate to express his grievances about a comment I made in a video, where I stated that the difference between serving 41 and 50 months in federal prison is inconsequential. This perspective, he deemed, was absurd. He called me crazy!
Yet, my assertion is not a result of insanity but a deep understanding of the larger picture of life after federal prison.
The fixation on the federal prison term often overshadows the vital question: How well-equipped are individuals to succeed once released from federal prison?
While our White Collar Advice and Prisons Professors team supports the push for lighter federal sentences for nonviolent offenders, the focus must shift to life post-prison. The overall prison term is a minor component when viewed in the totality of our life. The real challenge, and what truly matters, is how people thrive and rebuild their lives after their release. And that effort must start in federal prison.
So am I crazy? Is he right? Did I convince you!?!
Justin Paperny
