Prison Professors

Kenneth Kennedy began struggling with drug addictions during his teen years. Those problems with drugs led him into New Jersey's prison system. He served multiple terms as a result of challenges he faced with drugs and his choice of friends. It wasn't until Ken began to align himself with positive role models that he changed his life. Now he is a college graduate, involved with his church, and striving to live as a contributing citizen. Kenneth expresses regret that he wasn't able to turn his life around before sacrificing more than 30 years to addictions and the prison system.

For more information, text PRISONPRO to 44222

Kenneth Kennedy began struggling with drug addictions during his teen years. Those problems with drugs led him into New Jersey’s prison system. He served multiple terms as a result of challenges he faced with drugs and his choice of friends. It wasn’t until Ken began to align himself with positive role models that he changed his life. Now he is a college graduate, involved with his church, and striving to live as a contributing citizen. Kenneth expresses regret that he wasn’t able to turn his life around before sacrificing more than 30 years to addictions and the prison system.

For more information, text PRISONPRO to 44222

Lawyer Goes to Prison and Becomes a Minister

Jeff Grant tells his story in two episodes. He was a lawyer who made some bad decisions. After becoming addicted to opioids, he committed crimes. Those crimes led to a fraud conviction. While in prison he had to humble himself. He got in shape. He focused on developing himself. When he returned home, Jeff went back to school. After several years, he earned a doctorate degree in divinity. Then he started helping others with his nonprofit.

Today Jeff devotes his life to leading the Family Reentry nonprofit. He talks about struggles for many people who leave prison.

Prepare for success before prison, in prison, and after prison. Learn how by listening to Jeff's story.

Lawyer Goes to Prison and Becomes a Minister

Jeff Grant tells his story in two episodes. He was a lawyer who made some bad decisions. After becoming addicted to opioids, he committed crimes. Those crimes led to a fraud conviction. While in prison he had to humble himself. He got in shape. He focused on developing himself. When he returned home, Jeff went back to school. After several years, he earned a doctorate degree in divinity. Then he started helping others with his nonprofit.

Today Jeff devotes his life to leading the Family Reentry nonprofit. He talks about struggles for many people who leave prison.

Prepare for success before prison, in prison, and after prison. Learn how by listening to Jeff’s story.

Jeff Grant Was a Lawyer who Went to Federal Prison

Anyone can make decisions that can lead them down the path to prison.

In today's Prison Professors podcast, we hear from Jeff Grant. Jeff built his career as a lawyer in New York City. During our podcast today, Jeff tells us how he built a career representing wealthy individuals and companies in real estate related transactions.

He suffered an accident. While recuperating, he learned how to manipulate the medical profession to get more prescription medicine. He became addicted to opioids. As an addict, he began making bad decisions. Those bad decisions included commingling misappropriating funds. To cover up the crime, he looked for a loan. When filling out the paperwork for the loan, Jeff lied.

Authorities began to investigate Jeff. In the podcast, he describes how he lived in denial. After a suicide attempt, he checked himself into a rehab center. And in time, he pleaded guilty to charges related to fraud. The guilty plea resulted in an 18-month federal prison term for Jeff.

Jeff describes some of the challenges he faced. Authorities required Jeff to serve his sentence at the low-security federal prison in Allenwood. While he was there, Jeff had both successes and challenges. The salient points that I took away from his interview follow:

• Jeff prepared himself before surrendering to federal prison.
• Jeff became sober long before he surrendered to the Low-security Federal Prison in Allenwood.
• Jeff chose to pursue a new activity while in prison. He focused on exercise, fitness, and learning guitar.
• Jeff made a commitment to emerge better than when he went in.

It's not easy to prepare for success after prison. But in this first of a two-part series, Jeff reveals his strategy. In the next episode, he talks about how he went on to earn a divinity degree, become a minister, and grew to lead the Family ReEntry nonprofit organization, with more than 100 employees.

Jeff Grant Was a Lawyer who Went to Federal Prison

Anyone can make decisions that can lead them down the path to prison.

In today’s Prison Professors podcast, we hear from Jeff Grant. Jeff built his career as a lawyer in New York City. During our podcast today, Jeff tells us how he built a career representing wealthy individuals and companies in real estate related transactions.

He suffered an accident. While recuperating, he learned how to manipulate the medical profession to get more prescription medicine. He became addicted to opioids. As an addict, he began making bad decisions. Those bad decisions included commingling misappropriating funds. To cover up the crime, he looked for a loan. When filling out the paperwork for the loan, Jeff lied.

Authorities began to investigate Jeff. In the podcast, he describes how he lived in denial. After a suicide attempt, he checked himself into a rehab center. And in time, he pleaded guilty to charges related to fraud. The guilty plea resulted in an 18-month federal prison term for Jeff.

Jeff describes some of the challenges he faced. Authorities required Jeff to serve his sentence at the low-security federal prison in Allenwood. While he was there, Jeff had both successes and challenges. The salient points that I took away from his interview follow:

• Jeff prepared himself before surrendering to federal prison.
• Jeff became sober long before he surrendered to the Low-security Federal Prison in Allenwood.
• Jeff chose to pursue a new activity while in prison. He focused on exercise, fitness, and learning guitar.
• Jeff made a commitment to emerge better than when he went in.

It’s not easy to prepare for success after prison. But in this first of a two-part series, Jeff reveals his strategy. In the next episode, he talks about how he went on to earn a divinity degree, become a minister, and grew to lead the Family ReEntry nonprofit organization, with more than 100 employees.

Ro Clausen has been living the prison experience for longer than 15 years. Her husband, Adam, is serving a sentence of more than 100 years in federal prison. Ro has been by his side, striving to support him in every way. To build support for all wives and family members who have loved ones in prison, she formed Strong Prison Wives and Families as a public Facebook Group.

Through Strong Prison Wives and Families, Ro and her team provide a resource that anyone can use. People from across the United States publish information about their experiences with the criminal justice system. It's a helpful resource for anyone going to visit a loved one in prison. It's also a useful resource for people who are serving time in prison. They can direct family members to rely on the service.

Besides the public Facebook page, Ro has built other social media channels. Altogether, the Strong Prison Wives and Families group has more than 60 thousand active members. Yet with more than two million people in American prisons, it can grow much stronger.

We support Strong Prison Wives and Families by sharing proceeds from our digital product sales. Use promo code SPWF when purchasing books or digital products from PrisonProfessors.com. We will send 50% of all gross profit from those orders to support the team at SPWF.

Today’s Prison Professor podcast features the inspiring Ro Clausen. Ro is the founder of a public Facebook group called Strong Prison Wives and Families. With help from her team, she has used social media to build an awesome support network. With Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other services, SPWF shares information about supporting people in prison to more than 60,000 people.

Professor Aaron Thomas Kinzel had grew up in struggle. Members of his family were involved in criminal activity. They sold drugs. They were trapped in the criminal justice system. He grew up with anger problems, confrontational with authority.

When Aaron was 18, police officers stopped him for a traffic violation. He resisted. A shootout followed. Later, authorities charged him with crimes that resulted in a 19-year prison term.

Aaron served his sentence in the Maine State Prison System's high-security penitentiary. During the first several years, Aaron adjusted in the ways of the penitentiary. He lashed out with violence and resisted mentoring. Later, while in his sixth year, Aaron found mentors in some of the long-term prisoners. They encouraged him to participate in academic programs.

Aaron attended his first college course as he passed through his 9th year of imprisonment. That college course changed his life. When he concluded his prison term, after a decade inside, Aaron continued with education. He earned an associate's degree. Then he earned a bachelor's degree. Then a master's degree. Now he is nearing completion of his doctorate degree. He is employed as a professor at the University of Michigan.

In today's podcast on Prison Professors, we learn about Aaron's journey and about the collateral consequences that follow for formerly incarcerated people. The sooner people begin preparing for success, the sooner those people can overcome the challenges that follow a criminal conviction.

Aaron Thomas Kinzel when to prison after he participated in shootout with law enforcement. He was 18. He came from a background of violence and criminal behavior. While in prison, Aaron discovered the power of education. He is now completing his doctorate degree and he is a professor at the University of Michigan. Learn from his podcast on Prison Professors. Please subscribe to our program. Rate and Review the show on iTunes.