Who we are
Who we are
Empowering transformation through education
Our Mission
At Prison Professors Charitable Corporation, we envision a world where justice and rehabilitation go hand in hand. We empower those touched by the criminal justice system — from individuals bracing for incarceration to those navigating reentry into society, along with their families. We ignite hope and open doors to new possibilities through innovative educational content and training programs, fostering personal growth, legal understanding, and successful societal integration.
After my arrest, authorities locked me in a solitary cell. I spent a year in confinement before a jury convicted me. A judge sentenced me to 45 years. A kind officer gave me biographies about Frederick Douglass, Socrates, and Nelson Mandela. Those books changed my life. They helped me to think differently and started my preparations for advocacy.
Founder’s Background
When Michael Santos was 20 years old, he began trafficking in cocaine. After a lengthy trial, a jury convicted him, and a federal judge sentenced him to serve a 45-year sentence. A prison officer convinced Michael to read literature that described the lives of:
- Socrates,
- Frederick Douglass,
- Nelson Mandela, and
- Other leaders whose life stories show that a person can use crisis to prepare for lives of meaning, relevance, and dignity.
Those books taught Michael to think differently. With help from his family and mentors, he learned to stop dwelling on the lengthy sentence and how to develop a tri-part plan that would prepare him for success upon release. That plan required Michael to focus on earning academic credentials, building a support network, and becoming an authority figure on improving outcomes of America’s prison system.
“Empower transformation and change”
While serving multiple decades in prison, Michael executed his plan. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. He wrote books about America’s prisons and the people they hold; university professors adopted and assigned those books to students as a part of their coursework. Through those efforts, Michael built an extensive support network that opened income opportunities and even led to his getting married in prison.
During his 16th year, on June 24, 2003, Michael and Carole Santos married inside of a prison’s visiting room.
“Be The Change You Want To See”
Michael and Carole Santos seek like-minded people who want to support efforts to transform the prison system from one that incarcerates more people than any other nation. Join our advocacy efforts to:
- Reduce the number of people that prosecutors bring charges against,
- Introduce release mechanisms that provide for federal work-release programs,
- Open social furloughs to help people in federal prison restore family and community ties.
- Create mechanisms that incentivize a pursuit of excellence and open opportunities for people to earn higher levels of liberty through merit.
