Personal Update (4-29-2011)

Personal Update (4-29-2011)

As I write this, it is nearing midnight, and most other cell lights are off. People are in bed, which is where I am, too. But I’m sitting up, book light clipped to my Ohio University English textbook, and a pad of paper to write upon on top of the textbook. I find that at night, I get my best work done. This is for several reasons. The primary reason is the reduction in noise. By 11:30 p.m., the noise had reduced to the occasional scream or banging against one’s door.

As part of the blog’s format change, I’ve decided to experiment with my writing. I suppose tonight’s “Personal Update” blog is born from a desire to create and unwind. After all, just because one is in prison doesn’t mean that they don’t have any stress. One is presented with stressors of unimaginable proportions. A prime example is the hatred directed at me for being productive.

The productive aspect is one of jealousy. To anyone wasting their life away in prison, the prisoner-student writing a college essay or taking an ACE (Adult Continuing Education) class is a threat. They feel reduced and somehow threatened because of this productivity and being left behind. Naturally, this isn’t my perspective. I do what I do not to belittle others. My writing and studying activities bring meaning to my life. I try to empathize with ‘them.’ Yet my empathy does not thwart their animosity.

I’m sad to say that I have intimate experience with discrimination. Because I am a prison educator, I am shunned…by some. A few weeks ago, I argued with a man in his late 30s or early 40s. He was upset with me for teaching my class. He felt I was helping the prison administration earn money by teaching my class. Somewhere in his warped mind, he felt that all prisoners should refuse to take any courses because the prison made money when prisoners attended classes.

How is one to reason with such a man? Better yet, how can a man make it to 40 and still not have a basic understanding of how the world works? I didn’t want to be rude by saying, “First, you go to school. Then you get a job.” But this is what I was thinking and feeling! I thought that this man needed to gain some semblance of education. And I was sad because I knew he never would, at least for now. Perhaps the revolving door of prison isn’t just an administrative and legislative issue so much as a local or personal issue. I can only hope this man comes to his senses before leaving prison. If not, I believe I’ll be seeing him here again. I have seen this all too often over the last five years.

Life in prison is tough. I won’t lie to you. It has been quite a ride. I still remember entering Polk. It was where one couldn’t even read a book, much less engage in any tangible form of education.

Thank God these days are easier. Here, one just has to avoid the idiots and watch out for the jealous attacks. One such attack that was forged against me involved a note. A man named John McPartlin, a prisoner who used to be here became upset with me because of my book. He was jealous, plain and simple. So, instead of stepping up to the plate and writing a magnificent article or book, he typed a note about me and turned it in. This note alleged numerous instances of wrongdoing on my part, my friend’s part, who posts these blogs for me, and even wrongdoing on my book’s part. After an investigation, I was cleared, but the mental scar still exists.

As I write this, I question my intentions and motivations. I don’t write to convict but to discover. I guess it is sometimes helpful to discover by means of a pen and a pad of paper. But as for the start of this blog, the noir focus, it is because I’ve been down as of late. To me, it’s easy to get depressed when one is constantly in the “go” mode. To relate, think of how it’s easy to be annoyed when you don’t sleep enough or have a hard day at work. That’s my life! This is not to say that I don’t enjoy my work; I love it! But I have worn down considerably over the last few weeks and months. As I told my dad, “One of these days, I am going to take a vacation…maybe next year.” The kick is that next year, I will put it off until the following year, and so on. Do note that I am speaking of taking some time off, not going to some faraway land. I’m in prison, after all.

Besides life being life, I’m rather pleased with where I am. I know I’m in prison, but for once in my life, I’ve found a calling that I enjoy that doesn’t involve copious amounts of alcohol. Thus, I consider it a marked improvement! Perhaps even a career?

As for my work outside of class, today, I focused on two primary activities. These are an English course and a mathematics course I’m taking through Ohio University. In the English course, I’m dealing with an essay on a particularly difficult decision I have had to make. For this one, I’ve chosen to sign my plea agreement. To me, it felt as if I was signing my life away. In the mathematics course, I’m dealing with relatively simple computations. Regardless, I’m glad I understand the material. Just today, I received lesson 2 of my mathematics course back. I scored 100%! I suppose that Dad was correct when he said that hard work does pay off. I know, I know, you were right all along.

Besides my classes, I’m ramping up for the newsletter I’ve founded, the Education Behind Bars Newsletter: https://www.federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/news/. Just the other day, the web page went up. Of course, nothing is on it yet. The first post will be in June with the debut issue. So far, I have worked out logistics through Linda Huddleston over at Midnight Express Books (http://midnightexpressbooks.com) and the copy service in NY that I’ve lined up. The first issue will have a paper-based circulation of 300. After the first mailing, we’ll see how many recipients request to be placed on our permanent mailing list.

As I considered this project, I found myself using skills I’d never used before. For example, I’ve had to figure out costs, project these costs against current funding (via a generous donation), and make tough decisions to ensure the project’s sustainability. Do note that I haven’t had to apply these skills before because I was in high school before prison. Well, high school, then rehab, then to prison.

One topic that I should probably touch upon is that of ideology. I don’t feel it’s right to charge a subscription fee for the Education Behind Bars Newsletter: https://www.federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/news/. Education is a fundamental human right that should be afforded to all regardless of captive status or ability to pay. With this being said, EBBN will be entirely supported based on donations and potential advertising. It should also be noted that all funds received support EBBN (e.g., printing, layout, and mailing). The only compensated people on staff are the copy service and Midnight Express Books; this is their business, after all.

So, if you’re interested in advertising or donating, then you can contact me at [email protected] or mail donations to:
Midnight Express Books
P.O. Box 69
Berryville, AR 72616

*All donations should be made to Midnight Express Books, but note that they are for the EBBN project.*

Outside of these projects, I’m having a decent time reading a few reports/articles of interest to those in the prison education/social justice communities. The first is the new Pew Center on the States (https://www.pewresearch.org/) report entitled “State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons.” This report focuses on measuring recidivism rates to ascertain if our current methods of reducing recidivism work. The report clearly shows that they are not. This is demonstrated by the minimal drop in recidivism rates over the last decade and the massive increase in spending on corrections – over 400% annually!

The second is a 33-page article, “Cost and Punishment: Reassessing Incarceration Costs and the Value of College-in-Prison Programs,” by Dr. Gregory Knott. This scholarly article focused on reducing recidivism and correctional costs through in-prison college programs. I will contact Dr. Knott to see if he would be interested in syndicating his content on this blog or guest blogging in his own right.

The third is a 15-page “Reentry Courts: Looking Ahead” report by the Center for Court Innovation. This report is based on a roundtable discussion in which the focal point was reentry courts. Reentry courts aim to, as the report states, “promote sober, employed, and law-abiding lives while offenders are under supervision and to ensure that when offenders are released from supervision they have tools to continue to sustain sober, employed, and law-abiding lives.” All of this is undoubtedly a good thing.

When all three of these are considered, a truth can be gleaned. The Pew report shows us that recidivism is real, and our current efforts are not working. The article by Dr. Knott shows that prison education, particularly college-level education, is a proven method of reducing recidivism and lowering correctional costs. The Center for Court Innovation report describes the importance of reentry courts. All three documents verify what is required to salvage the lives of the millions who find themselves under the supervision of the criminal justice system.

When the three documents are viewed together, they open a vast realm of possibilities, including methods to help people while saving money. I think the answer is that there is not one correct answer. Instead, there are many answers. The answer I choose to bring to the table is that of educating prisoners. Your answer could be focused on reentry or sane sentencing guidelines. Regardless of what your answer is, proffer it. Make it heard. Do something with it. No one answer will solve all of our criminal justice problems. But a collection of answers might do the trick. With this being said, I, for one, would love to hear your ideas. But more than that, I would love to see them help those in need.

I hope you’ve found some tidbits of truth or entertainment in this blog. I aim to add more color to the blog and be more dynamic. With this being said, I’d love to hear from you regarding whether or not you feel that “Personal Updates” like these are helpful. I’d also like to hear if you think they belong on a blog focused on prison education. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I can easily be reached at [email protected].

Before I close, I have four quick thoughts to note. One, my Twitter account is now active. My handle is czoukis. To follow me, visit your Twitter account and find me @czoukis.

Two, I’m actively looking for guest bloggers. So, if you are an expert on prison education or know someone who is, please drop me a line or mention the idea of guest blogging to a friend. I’m also interested in receiving article submissions for the Education Behind Bars Newsletter or this blog. Whether previously published or not, stand-alone articles could add great content to the blog.

Third, as part of this new format change, I am searching for studies and reports on prison education. As I find them, I will seek permission to add them to this blog via a pdf file. As I receive permission, I will post it in the right unused column of the blog. This way, you will have all of the resources on prison education that you need at hand. I hope to add to this over the next few months until this blog becomes the prison education study and report source.

Last, a new media page, https://christopherzoukis.com/media-links, just went up. Please stop by here and read my first press release, my prison’s regulations for media interviews, and the Friend of Prison Education letter. The press release and the letter explain more of what I’ve been up to and my advocacy for education behind bars.

Well, it’s now a little after 2 in the morning. I’m going to go to bed. The only creatures still awake are the birds that live in the rafters and me. I hope that I haven’t rambled on too long. I’ll get the “Class Update” posted tomorrow.

Stay strong and fight the good fight!

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