1. What inspired you to write your books?
With
each of my books I have felt that there is an underserved need that needs to be
fulfilled. When considering College for
Convicts (McFarland & Co., 2014), I felt that the empirical research in
the field of correctional education was there, but that no one was effectively
presenting it in a useful and timely manner. As such, I strove to put forth the
research concerning prison education in an easy-to-understand, useful, and
authoritative manner that could be trusted and easily applied. The same is true
of my Prison Education Guide (Prison
Legal News Publishing, 2016). Here I realized that prisoners just didn't have
the tools at their disposal to further their education from behind bars. This
is doubly true considering that prisoners almost categorically lack access to
the internet. So, the goal was to bring the internet to them in the form of a
book that profiles correspondence programs that they can enroll in.
My
upcoming book, Federal Prison Handbook
(Middle Street Publishing, 2017), is perhaps a more personal work as it focuses
a lot on my experience as a federal prisoner. Understanding that prison can be
a scary, unforgiving place, my aim was to help others make it through the
process of incarceration as unscathed as possible, while answering family
member's questions along the way.
2. What are they about?
College for Convicts is essentially an
education-based argument for a "smart on crime" criminal justice
policy. The book discusses the research behind educating prisoners, refutes
arguments against it, and proposes a plan for how to bring serious education
into American prisons. The focus is on the remarkable benefits of prison
education not only for the prisoner and society, but for all stakeholders. Prison Education Guide is a reference
guide to correspondence programs that allow prisoners to participate. In this
book I profile graduate, undergraduate, career, high school, personal
enrichment, and Bible study programs. All of these programs can be completed
entirely through the mail and in a format that prison mail rooms will allow. In
a nutshell, my Federal Prison Handbook
is equal part federal prison survival guide and policy analysis text. The focus
is on introducing prisoners (and their family members) to life in the Federal
Bureau of Prisons, while offering smart tips on each stage of the process, and
explaining the policy and federal regulations concerning each area. My goal
with this book was to help those subjected to federal incarceration not only
survive the experience, but thrive behind bars.
3. What do you hope will be the everlasting
thoughts for readers who finish your books?
I
think that the answer for each book is a bit different. When readers finish
reading College for Convicts, I hope
that they will strongly support prison education programs, even programs at the
highest level (e.g., college). I hope they'll do so because they realize that
prison education isn't a soft on crime concept, but in our nation’s best
interest and will actually reduce crime, recidivism rates, and the
ever-increasing cost of criminal justice in America. Following reading my Prison Education Guide, I hope
incarcerated readers will leave with a sense of what is possible, even from
behind bars. I aim to inspire and guide prisoners to pursue a higher education
from behind prison walls. Just because someone is in prison, it doesn't mean
that they have no hope of rehabilitation or a brighter future. This book
provides the tools to succeed in obtaining just that.
And
with my upcoming Federal Prison Handbook,
I want readers to leave with a better understanding of what is to come. I want
them to feel more certain, less scared, and more prepared for the very caustic
existence of imprisonment. In a storm of uncertainty and turmoil, I aim to
introduce a foundation of understanding and advice that will guide readers
through their darkest hours.
4. What advice do you have for writers?
Start
at the end. Whatever it is that you hope to accomplish, picture what the end
looks like and commit yourself to the steps required to fulfill your objective.
If you want to write a book, think of the book, then think of what needs to
occur in the process of getting to a finished product. The same is true of book
marketing. Do you want to be featured on CNN or The Huffington Post? Then go and look at those who have succeeded
in doing so and reverse engineer their success. You need not recreate the
wheel. All you need to do is find creative solutions to challenging problems.
Often the process is easier than it first appears to be.
5. Where do you think the book publishing
industry is heading?
This
is a very good question. I think that while the largest publishing houses will
always have the lion's share of book revenue, I also see that independent
authors now have the tools at their disposal required to cater to very
targeted, niche audiences. So, my vision of the future for authors is that they
will increasingly choose to go it alone, publish their own works, and build
very eager, loyal followers. The power will be in authors' hands, not in the
hands of editorial gatekeepers. Likewise, authors will be able to enjoy a
larger portion of the profits from their independently published books.
6. What challenges did you have in writing
your books?
As
an incarcerated writer the obstacles are at every turn. They start with
procuring research without the aid of the internet (a dedicated friend helps me
with all of my research needs) and continue into how to draft without the aid
of a true word processor. But as with everything else in prison, success can be
realized with a lot of effort and a bit of creativity. Through the system that
I've set up -- a team of people both inside and outside of prison -- all of
these obstacles can be overcome. At that point, it's all about learning the
skills required and staying dedicated to the task at hand.
7. If people can only buy one book this
month, why should it be yours?
Another
good question, and one with three responses (one for each book): Readers should
buy College for Convicts because it
presents the truth about educating prisoners and making America safer. Our
national discussion on prison education -- and, in particular, college
education behind bars -- is frozen by irrational fears of coddling prisoners.
The real question is why would Americans support enhanced victimization and
crime? People seem very interested in dismissing what works (i.e. education) in
favor of what feels good (i.e. punishment and incapacitation). We should be
focusing on what is best for our society, not what feels good or is easy to
support. Incarcerated readers should buy my Prison
Education Guide because it is their one true hope for a better life; one
away from crime, addictions, and poverty. If a prisoner is looking for
something more, education is the answer, and this book is their guide. And
last, readers touched by the federal criminal justice system (incarcerated and
not) should buy my Federal Prison
Handbook because it distills decades of hard-earned experience about life
inside the belly of the beast. Read this book to survive the experience. Read
this book to stay safe. Read this book to protect your rights. The power of
fear can be crippling. When it comes to going to prison, this fear is based on
the unknown. This book shines a very bright light into the darkness and allows
those subjected to such an experience understand what is to come, prepare for
it, and make it through as unscathed as possible.
Author
Bio:
Christopher
Zoukis is the author of College for
Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons (McFarland
& Company, 2014) and Prison Education
Guide (Prison Legal News Publishing, 2016), along with the forthcoming Federal Prison Handbook (Middle Street
Publishing, 2017). He's also a regular contributing writer to The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, and Prison Legal News. He can be found
online at http://www.christopherzoukis.com
and http://www.prisoneducation.com.
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Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
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