Hello, I’m Michael Santos.
On August 11, 1987, when I was 23 years old, authorities arrested me for leading a cocaine distribution enterprise. Although my case did not involve violence or weapons, the case exposed me to severe sanctions. For that reason, the officers in the detention center locked me in solitary confinement.
I didn't understand the system at all and I made a series of bad decisions:
After the prosecutors and my defense attorney finished their case, the jury convicted me on every count. A federal judge sentenced me to 45 years in prison.
In that moment, I realized that I had to change. Although it would have been better to make the change before my arrest, or before my conviction, I've learned that it's never too early, and never too late to make a change.
Following the trial, an officer brought a series of books. I wish that I could go back to thank him, but I only know him as Officer Wilson, and it would be impossible to find him. The books he brought changed the way I think, and by changing the way I think, those books changed my life. They helped me believe that although I could not change the past, I could choose how I would respond to the sentence imposed upon me.
US Marshals transported me from the detention center in the Seattle area to federal prison. After layovers in Oklahoma and Alabama, I began my term in a high-security penitentiary on the East Coast. It was the second oldest federal prison in the United States. Once I got there, I began to execute the plan that I learned how to develop during the year I served in solitary confinement.
As it turns out, a plan can help a person turn a crisis into an opportunity. Thanks to the leaders who inspired me, I had a plan that would convert the multiple decades I served into the most formative years of my life. I didn’t want idleness or despair to characterize the time that I would serve. I owed that transformation to all members of my family, especially my sisters Julie and Christina, who stood by to support despite the pain I had caused by committing serious crimes.
Instead, I made it a personal mission to transform my life while I served the sentence. Prison became my training ground, a place to sharpen my mind, discipline my habits, and prepare for a life of contribution once I returned to society.
Early on, I made three commitments that would guide my every decision during those years:
This three-pronged adjustment anchored me. It was as if I had a compass to guide my decisions and to make sure that I used every day productively. With clear direction on the life I wanted to lead once I finished serving my sentence, I had both hope and purpose amid the chaos and challenges of incarceration. Despite serving approximately eight years in high security prisons, two years in medium security prisons, seven years in a low-security prison, and the remainder of my time in minimum-security camps, I could always find ways to live productively.
Besides many university professors and business leaders, I found mentors in the books I read. From the dialogues of Socrates, I learned the value of reason and accountability. Frederick Douglass taught me about perseverance. Nelson Mandela showed me the power of maintaining dignity in the most oppressive circumstances.
During my first year in solitary confinement, Officer Wilson brought me those books and they put me on a path of learning. Books on stoicism helped me shift my mindset from despair to possibility. They reinforced what would become my guiding philosophy throughout my incarceration—that while I couldn’t control my external circumstances, I could control how I chose to respond.
At a time when I had limited access to external resources, I relied on these lessons to shape my daily habits and long-term vision. I wasn’t preparing for life in prison—I was preparing for life after prison.
Everything I did in prison was part of a strategy to ensure I could leave stronger, more capable, and ready to contribute. I set incremental goals and worked relentlessly toward them. I wrote manuscripts by hand, and through my relationship with mentors, I found ways to publish. Through those efforts, I met Carole, who married me inside a federal prison and became my liaison to the world. She typed my papers and helped me interact with publishers. Together, we built a platform that shared my story and lessons with the outside world, proving that transformation was possible even under the most challenging conditions.
These efforts paid off. By the time I transitioned from federal prison to a halfway house, on August 13, 2012, I had served 9,135 days. I spent that final year in the halfway house, and concluded my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons on August 12, 2013. While serving 26 years, I built a life and prepared to build financial independence. I authored several books, and built a massive support network. That preparation allowed me to transition seamlessly into society and begin my next chapter.
By the time I left prison, I had developed the CEO mindset. I understood the problem and I wanted to build solutions. Like anyone who wanted to build solutions, I had to take methodical, incremental steps:
During the first decade, Carole and I build a series of business ventures and income streams that would lead to our independence. Then, in 2023, we began working with others who supported our work so that we could focus on making an impact toward improving outcomes of the system. We launched the Prison Professors Charitable Corporation so that we could give everything away for free. Such a shift would allow us to share with others the lessons that others taught me.
Through the nonprofit, I make three promises:
The information on this website, I hope will build hope and provide direction to others. We want to empower people to reach their highest potential, regardless of what struggle they're going through now. Every person should work toward creating and seizing new opportunities, without depending on the government.
Our mission is simple. We create and distribute learning resources that will help people who live in challenging circumstances recalibrate and rebuild. Anyone can use the self-directed courses we create to begin opening new opportunities.
I believe in the power of education, self-discipline, and strategic thinking to transform lives. Through Prison Professors, my goal is to make this transformation possible for everyone. Regardless of what bad decisions, or what challenges we're going through, we can always work toward a brighter future.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about my story. If there’s one takeaway I hope you leave with, it’s this:
Adversity doesn’t have to define your future. With the right mindset, strategy, and support, transformation is always possible.
Warm regards,
Michael Santos
Founder, Prison Professors
