I started Pearls In Prison, because I believe, the needs and thought process for women facing prison are unique. When a first time and non-violent woman, finds herself facing the possibility of prison the questions are numerous and can range from the more serious questions regarding family, career and safety to what many would not consider important at all. Yet, if you are facing prison, whatever is on your mind is important.  Period!  Women have asked and wanted to know things such as, can I color my hair or shave my legs while in prison? The more you know and understand the easier the process is to endure.

Most Prison Consultants can offer the same basic information. The consultant’s primary role is to provide you with answers, offer assurance and support. Our goal, is to focus on quality of life before, during and post prison. With an ultimate focus on helping you return home as soon and as sound as possible.

Each defendant has difference circumstances to consider: Family circumstances; job impact; financial concerns – to only mention a few. The Prison Consultant serves more in the role of a coach and not a lawyer. The earlier a Prison Consultant is engaged the better.  The circumstances of your charges, as well as where you currently stand in your indictment can greatly impact your options and next steps. Most Prison Coaches or Prison Consultants cover the range from general information about prison and the various facilities to a full-fledged report specifically designed to cover plea agreement suggestions, preparation for your pre-sentence report, trial preparation, facility designation in formation and recommendation, especially strategies such as positioning your eligibility for RDAP qualification.

At Pearls In Prison, we believe that each defendant is an individual and must be approached in a manner best designed to serve their individual needs. Wives and mother’s of incarcerated men find our services well suited for them.

Call or email me and I will start the process with a no-obligation free initial consultation. For a  phone interview call Teresa Hodge: 866.608.2664  Email: Teresa@PearlsInPrison.com Twitter:@PearlsInPrison www.PearlsInPrison.com

Much of the hardship could not have been imagined while I was in prison. I thought I was being realistic when I imagined my re-entry process.  I remained optimistic but I knew things would be difficult.  Some of the lessons and the challenges encountered were certainly not envisioned as I served my 70 month sentence at Alderson Federal Prison Camp for Women.  I knew that with my return there would be an initial stigma attached to me. I knew I would not be welcomed with open arms beyond my family and my devoted support network.  What I had not expected was that the 70 month sentence could turn into a life sentence if I did not strategically craft the next few years of my life.  Another thing I had not expected was the possibility of my re-entry being a process, which would span several years.

In 2010 Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown  ”A felony is the equivalent of economic capital punishment.” Experience is teaching me daily that no truer words have ever been spoken.

As much as I hate to admit this, my return and re-establishment has been a difficult and daunting proposition. We often over simplify the thought that going to prison is how a debt is successfully repaid. For most of the 65,000 Americans returning home from prison this is not the case even though, in theory, that is how it is supposed to work.

Even if you are one of the fortunate ones who secures employment post incarceration, regaining your life is a difficult and daunting job. Being in a position to take care of your needs and those of your family is not only a necessity of life but also a basic emotional requirement for your own self–image. Prison can damage one’s self worth so the sooner you are financially stable the entire re-entry process will be a success .

Yet in these tough economic times it is difficult for many Americans to find a job and that hardship is magnified for someone coming out of prison. Without a job an ex-offender is unable to successfully reconnect back to society and regain the much needed respect and trust of the community.

Even as I struggle to regain economic stability I am plagued by the view people have of me.  I chose to fight my battles in open court because I believed so strongly in my innocence. Losing that fight cost me many extra years of imprisonment, but it also left me with a stigma that I will never be able to leave behind no matter how I live my life forward.  So, again, my sentence continues to follow me even as I rebuild my life.

With all of that said I know the best of my life awaits me and I am committed to bringing that thought into reality.  I cling to this hope and the opportunity for true rehabilitation that lies within this nation, in spite of the current moment.

I’m appreciative for this article, written by Merlene Davis of the Lexington Herald-Leader as it highlights an issue that not only affects ex-offenders but our nation at large.

Teresa Hodge: (866) 608-2664. Email: Teresa@PearlsInPrison.com. Twitter:@PearlsInPrison www.PearlsInPrison.com

What my family and the millions of families in the U.S. feel is not uncommon. I am pleased to learn how one mother’s feelings of isolation turned into — Beyond the Walls support group.  Beyond Walls proves that good can come out of all situations.  Read this amazing article Parents of Inmates Find Place to Leave Guilt, Find Understanding.

To very simply explain the Sentencing Guidelines, they were created for the supposed purpose of making sentencing follow a specific point system versus leaving discretion in the hands of the judge.  The Guidelines use a Sentencing Table, a chart that takes into consideration the criminal offense and the criminal history to arrive at an offense level and a suggested range of incarceration.

Quite frankly, most of us look at the Sentencing Table and want to faint.  We listen to attorneys explaining how the Guidelines could lead to years of incarceration when we’ve been thinking months or probation!  Most of us simply want to ignore it, close our eyes and pretend that we’ve never heard of this Table.  One of the major reforms mandated by The Guidelines was to revoke the principal of parole.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines is the greatest tool in the hands of the prosecution because it is designed to work to their benefit.  Many judges feel that the Mandatory Guidelines took away their very ability to do their job: TO JUDGE, to take into consideration all aspects of the offense and of the character of the offender.  Since they were first created in 1984, there have been modifications brought about via The Supreme Court, the most significant being US vs. Booker.

In addition to hearing repeatedly about the Guidelines from your attorney, you will specifically see them spelled out in your Pre-Sentencing Investigation Report.  These Guidelines are fright tactics and simply scare most of us to death; we don’t even want to consider what they might mean to us individually.  In my opinion, they are the primary reason that 97% of cases are settled out of court by Plea Agreement.   The alternative is to leave your fate in the hands of a set of rules that most of us are not capable of understanding or relating to and work against us not taking into consideration our individual circumstances.

To better understand the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, we strongly suggest that you consult with a Criminal Defense Attorney.

Soon after arriving at prison I realized that the 37-month sentence that I was going to complete was also going to be felt each-and-every day by my family.

Most often first-time offenders are given the opportunity to “self-surrender” and this means that they can be driven to their facility. Each person will have a unique story, but for me the trip to self-surrender included my sister.

The nearly 8 hour-long car ride from Indiana to West Virginia was mostly traveled in silence. I was caught up in all the what-if’s and why’s of what I had in front of me.

My thoughts range from the serious to the trivia such as: would I be allowed to shave my legs; would they let me color my hair; and would I be physically harmed while in custody all consumed me. I wish I knew many things in advance. I had no idea, that women there would be so willing to help and share their stories. I could not imagine my life away from the world as I knew it.

Perhaps, if I had answers in advance, I would have been more present with my sister. You see I never thought about how this journey was affecting her. I didn’t consider that she would be making the drive home by herself. I wasn’t thinking about how hard that journey would be for her. And, it was not until a few weeks later that the same trip that took us  8 hours on the front side took her one week to make home. At that moment, the reality sank in.  My family too felt our separation and a great deal of pain.

It often takes months, sometimes years, to find gainful employment upon being released from any form of incarceration. Even then it is often not the job for which you are qualified and at a pay scale far below what you have previously earned. The reason is simple: You are now a felon and must disclose this information to any prospective employer. There is hereinafter a stigma attached to your person, one that in many cases is insurmountable.

Employers, much like the general public, are ill-informed and very wary of associating with anyone who carries a record of incarceration. Few are able to access the primary facts about particular crimes and fear often unnecessarily the risk that they perceive is associated with any level of criminal activity.

In the current year, 2012, there will be over 700,000 individuals returning from incarceration. This mass reentry will bring these individuals, most of them desperately needing employment and income, into the job market. In addition there are millions more who will reenter from short-term imprisonment or will be ordered on house arrest or probation by the courts.

To add insult to injury over half of those returning to the job market will be undereducated, minorities and from communities that offer little support upon their return. In those instances, their family and support system is not strong enough to provide networking opportunities for them. As a result, they are unable to get employment in a timely fashion. Yet the first rule of reentry (imposed by the halfway house staff and/or a probation officer) is to find and keep gainful employment. Failure to do so is a bad reflection even on those who are trying desperately to be productive.

Upon release from prison the belief is “your debt to society has been paid.” One could argue that it has not if every step along the way you are forced to disclose your past and you are continuously judged for your mistakes. Many who return home from prison want to positively connect back to their communities and remain productive, law-abiding citizens. Finding a job and being able to obtain independence is a necessity in the first step to a successful re-entry.

Finding a job is not only a good thing for the person returning home but for their families. The hidden cost of incarceration extends beyond the individual but also includes their family and support network. Families too suffer for the crimes of their loved ones. The ability for the person returning home to find a job offers a level of healing to the family. Additionally, recidivism is directly related to the inability to find work. Adisproportionate burden is placed on communities and on public assistance programs if these individuals are not able to find work at a fair wage quickly.

The hope is that this new law will be able to offer those returning home a better chance of restarting their lives and becoming a productive member of society able to put their past behind them and work for a better future.

For more information about prison re-entry contact us at Pearls In Prison. We offer re-entry coaching service for those who need help finding sustainable wages.

I was approved for six months halfway house and told that more than likely I would spend less than a week at this facility. My one week turned into 6. It could have been worse; I could have been forced to stay 6 months. So I was grateful. Normally, Federal and State inmates are allowed to serve a small portion of their sentence (up to six months for Federal inmates) at a halfway house. Halfway houses are normally close to home or in most cases closer than the prison that the inmate was located. By spending the latter part of your sentence closer to home, theoretically it should afford a smoother transition back from prison while remaining under correctional supervision.

Many people (men and women alike) have said, the halfway house was by in large the worse part of their experience and they wish they had completed their sentence at their prison. I have to admit there were times when I said the same thing. For me, it was the worst and most stressful part of this entire journey.

For many transitioning from prison the hardest part is the unrealistic expectation for you to transition so quickly. What is missing is a moment to catch your breath take in all of the changes of your world. Determine where and how you think you can work, prepare a resume, set up your email account and systems and then set out to find a job. Instead, you are often expected to walk in with a job or to have one within weeks. It makes you wonder if anyone has paid attention to the unemployment statistics lately.

You are technically in prison and are governed by a new set of rules that consist of a combination of old and new rules. For me, I did not expect nor did I need much help. I was actually one of the fortunate few that come home with job in hand. Less than 10 days of arriving in the area I was working. Even with a job, the halfway house transition remained emotionally and mentally draining.

In hindsight, I liken the entire experience to a jungle warfare mindset – eat or be eaten. Almost instantly, you are thrown into the world and with very limited resources told go get your life together. You have to show up ready and you have to take off running. The re-entry process is like the old story of the lion and gazelle.

“Every day in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelleor it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.”

The key to a successful re-entry is to be prepared. If you are going to a half-way house, to home-confinement you need updated and reliable information. It’s good to talk to people who have recently transitioned. More importantly, in jungle warfare or prison re-entry you have to have a solid strategy. A strategy that is flexible and takes into consideration the changes you might encounter and the possibilities of not everything falling into place like you imagined.

The halfway house is doable. The good news is you are closer to home and a step closer to your family. But there are ways that you can have a better quality of life for you and your loved ones during the transition. If you or a loved one needs help developing a re-entry strategy or to obtain updated and reliable information contact Pearls In Prison.

The reality is America has more people in prison than any other country in the world. People are going to prison at a shocking rate. It does not appear it will slow down anytime soon. The prison population is increasing every year. Prisons are overcrowded. Defendants are being sentenced to higher security institutions with longer sentences. Now more than ever, Federal Prison Coaches are needed. You no longer have to be rich to hire a Federal Prison Coach, you simply must choose wisely.

Prior to going to prison, I knew nothing about a Prison Consultant. I heard the term for the first time while I was in prison. However, it did not take me learn to realize that my personal outcome might have been different had I had a prison consultant. I had a lawyer. Actually, I had two by the time I went to trial. However, neither of them had gone to prison. Therefore, there were many things they did not know and therefore could not share. Had I been able to talk to someone who looked or talked like me and had endured what I was facing, I know I would have done things differently.

The question many ask is why do I need a prison consultant? The short answer is, the experience is we bring to the table is invaluable. If prison is foreign territory to you, as it was for me, then speaking to a person who has been there helps to take away some of the mystery. Prison coaches can help to present options and share information. Plus you cannot be overly prepared for the process. In dealing with the judicial process, knowledge is power. Preparing for what lies ahead is critical to not only your ability to survive prison, but it could determine how well you re-enter society post incarceration.

More and more, those who have been convicted of a white collar crime case, or those with means use prison coaches. White-Collar crime in the United States is both escalating at an alarming rate. Daily we hear about someone indicted, convicted or sentenced for a white-collar crime. The Department of Justice has a 97% guilty plea rate in federal criminal cases. Federal prosecutors have over a 75% conviction rate following trial and 91% of federal criminal defendants receive a prison sentence.

Many people who never in their wildest dreams thought they would go to prison find themselves in a lengthy investigation that shakes up their life followed by a prison sentence. Not just the high end executives, but lower level corporate employees, entrepreneurs and small business owners are often swept up in this legal net. Many white-collar offenders are simply ordinary people who got into financial difficulty and tried to get out of it through illegal and fraudulent means. Others are lower level corporate employees who may have unknowingly broken the law by simply following upper management directives and initiatives. Regrettably, they too are getting sentenced to long federal prison terms.

It is no longer a question of will these people go to federal prison, it’s a question of where will they go and how long will they be there? With longer sentences, more vigorous prosecution of white-collar criminals, and unfavorable prison designations, isn’t it only prudent to hire an experienced Federal Prison Consultant or Federal Prison Coach? How can a federal criminal defendant afford not to? Yet what do you ask when hiring a Federal Prison Consultant/Federal Prison Coach? Here are some very useful tips!

In selecting a Federal Prison Coach ensure they are qualified. The Prison Coach should be able to work with both the defendant and offer family support. The main questions to ask:

• Has the consultant been through the system? Does she or he know the “ins” and “outs” of federal incarceration from personal experience? Have they experienced the grueling process of federal incarceration themselves? If so, then what they have to offer is without a doubt valuable.
• Have they been to a woman’s facility? There is a difference between a male prison and a female prison and our experiences and transitions are very different. Our staff is comprised of women who have gone and survived the experience. There is a level of compassion and sensitivity that we can offer and extend to you.
• Can you work with them? There are enough professionals out there today where you can choose who you want to work with going forward. By all means, don’t pick someone who finds it in their mission or advertisement to scare you. I know I did not need any additional fear tactics in my life during that time. I was scared enough. What you need is someone who will give you the truth and facts.
• Can the coach/consultant work with you immediately, prior to your arrival at prison? It is important to have him aboard at the earliest possible time, prior to sentencing if possible. There are so many factors to consider. To be able to both minimize your time in prison and maximize the best use of your time you will need to bring someone sooner vs. later. It works well when we work with your legal team.
• Will the consultant be there while you are in prison? Are they willing to representyour interests with the many situations that may occur while an inmate is away doing their time? For us, that is when our program and signature service begins. You willneed help while in prison and you may need more upon your release.
• Will your prison coach be there after you are released? Newly released inmates need assistance in having their self-worth restored, knowing how to navigate through the half-way house process (which is not an easy feat), locating a job, regaining their civil rights, and possible expunging or clearing up of their criminal records. Will your consultant provide assistance and reference materials in these important post-incarceration areas?

If you or a loved one are in need of a Prison Coach contact us. Our staff is ready, willing and committed to helping women reduce the short and long term harm that prison can cause.

While your attorney provides invaluable knowledge and counsel, few have gone to prison. We have.

Call us today.

Have you been sentenced or is someone you love facing the possibility of prison? If you’ve never experienced prison firsthand, it’s challenging to know how to help or advise someone else. If prison is already a reality for someone you love and you need help in understanding the process and options, we can step in where your attorney can’t.

Let your attorney provide your legal counsel and call us for first-hand knowledge on what the prison system and re-entry entail. Together, we can determine how you can best get back to the important things in life like your family and freedom.