The New Fish Companion Series: Book I. Each installment provides information to help the newly convicted adjust to federal prison. This edition focuses solely on what occurs post-conviction through the first, three-months in custody. Take any writing course, and the first thing they tell you is to write about what you know. That adage made this series inevitable. After spending twenty-three years in custody, I know more than most people selling their expertise to the recently convicted.
Today, the top people in prison consulting, seem to be ex-politicians or people who once worked for the FBOP. These ex-Justice Department workers and such may be familiar with life in a pen. They may even be able offer advice about life inside, but there is only one way to know what doing time is like.
If you face a stretch inside, seek insight from someone who has been there. Many retired wardens have gotten into this business, which seems comical to me. No warden knows what if feels like to be alone in one of the most hostile places on Earth. They've never had to fight the claustrophobia caused a months-long lockdown in a small cell.
Chances are you probably don't think of yourself as a criminal. Maybe you made a simple mistake, and now, you're left in a scary situation. You may be educated, maybe even a professional, and while normally functioning at a high level in society, this predicament requires social skills you desperately lack. Maybe you have doubts you're tough enough to face it.
If so, don't worry. I faced a learning curve too. I got arrested during my final semester in college. To survive in there, as a twenty-three-year-old, white kid, with little street experience. I had to figure out the unwritten rules fast. I was lucky to meet a few cons in county who had done previous federal bits. These "old heads", in prison slang, taught me critical etiquette to avoid trouble. Through them, I learned to cast a small shadow, stay out of the way, and do my own time.
I managed to get through twenty-three years with only one incident report. I was able to walk away from most confrontations and only got into a handful of fistfights. My worst experience involved an eighty-man brawl where my friends and I were outnumbered three to one. The incident left me injured, but I didn't need hospitalization and recovered completely in about a month.
This series culls its information from some of the advice I give clients in my private consulting business. I wrote these books as reference guides to those who have purchased my services, as well as to provide information to the many cons who aren't able to hire my company. I also hope my writing reassures worried family members by answering their questions, easing their anxiety, and providing an example of how, with the right attitude, incarceration, can be turned into a transformational experience.
I created a comprehensive system addressing every question first-time offenders need answered, including many they wouldn't even know to ask. You see, every "old head" con is a prison consultant. New fish climb off the weekly buses looking dazed, scared, and confused. Any old timer with a little compassion in his heart usually picks one of these lost souls to show the ropes. I spent many years practicing this profession even before I got out and started my company.
The First 90 Days will be the most stressful time, with the most stuff going on for first-time offenders. I'll cover the post-conviction process, including the Pre-Sentence Investigation with a federal probation officer. After that, I'll explain what to expect during those first weeks. I'll help you avoid common mistakes new fish make and show you how to get as comfortable as the experience allows in as short an amount of time as possible. Above all, I'll teach you how to cast a small shadow and not step on toes unintentionally.
Brooks, Scott, Jr.: -
Brooks used meditation, yoga, and Taoist Qigong to survive 23 years in federal prison. His books share his story of how to face terrible hardship and turn the experience into something positive. His works have three objectives to entertain readers with a look at the seldom seen world of federal prison, to help new inmates adjust as quickly as possible, and to help anyone deal with life's difficulties in a more positive way.
