
Ask HN: Any advice for someone getting out of prison after 18 years? - syedkarim
I met this person when I was in high school. He made a huge mistake in his early twenties and has almost finished paying for it (bank robber). He gets out of prison next week. I've kept in touch with him through letters and have been telling him that his only chance of financial independence is through writing code.<p>He's very familiar with business logic, as he was the MS Access dba for the prison factory. And about six months ago I sent him a few conceptual programming books that you all suggested he read. He paid for his own master's degree (distance learning program in organizational dynamics), and even started a phd--though prison officials would not let him conduct the necessary research to complete it (and he ran out of money).<p>He's about 40, has no family, and virtually no friends (outside of prison). Army veteran, so he has health insurance covered. I think he has about $1000 saved. I'll be giving him a laptop, smartphone, and mobile hotspot. He won't be able to leave Indiana for a few years (terms of supervised release).<p>Would really appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice. I'll compile all of it and make a list for him. Thanks.
======
SwellJoe
I'm seeing a lot of "he got what he deserved" and "he's gonna have to wash
dishes, nobody will hire him" kinds of comments here. This is one of the
really broken elements of US culture. We have a culture of revenge and
shaming, rather than healing and allowing reparations. This is why we have the
highest prison population per-capita in the world; higher than China, higher
than Russia, higher than Iran, higher than Cuba, higher than any other place
you might think of as "repressive" or a "prison state"
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarcerat...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate)).

People change. Prisons make some folks worse, this is true. But, many people
come out of prison with no desire other than to lead an honest life. One of my
best friends over the past year or so is a felon; spent several years in
prison on a drug-related crime (a serious drug-related crime, not a little
weed in his pocket). When I went to Mexico for a month, he's the person I
trusted the keys to my storage unit (with tens of thousands of dollars in
gear) to. Why hold a mistake made in someone's youth over their head for the
rest of their lives? How does that make a better, safer, more peaceful
society?

~~~
fearless
I still don't think nonviolent drug crimes are the same as bank robbery. When
you commit a bank robbery with a loaded firearm, you're telling society you
have no problem taking a person's life for a little money. If people change,
why is the recidivism rate for felons over 50%? And those are just the ones
who get caught. Again, I'm speaking strictly to violent crimes here.
Nonviolent/drug offenders should be treated very differently.

~~~
jowiar
> Why is the recidivism rate for felons over 50%?

Because it's damn near impossible to make an honest living with a felony
conviction on your record in the current economy. The mentality of "Why should
you get the same as honest men like me" is one that has societal costs, but it
is a third rail of politics, as no congressman is going to make an argument
for lighter sentencing, or easier integration of felons. In reality, all
felony sentences are life sentences, and this is something we need to fix.

------
oz
Firstly, thank you for your humanity.

There's a guy on Quora named Michael Santos that spent 25 years in prison for
drug dealing. He was released last August. While incarcerated, he got his
degree, got married, and wrote a book. He has written extensively on the
prison experience, and how one can come out on top. He's also quite willing to
answer any questions:

<http://www.quora.com/Michael-Santos-4>

You may have to sign up to Quora to read his answers, but it's totally worth
it, if just for his perspectives alone.

Once again, I salute you for what you're doing. I don't know if you've seen
the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption', but there's something very "Andy
Dufresne" about what you're doing. Through your humanity, you're giving this
man dignity. Salaam.

~~~
codezero
Wow, thanks for posting about Michael here, I've met him and he's an awesome
guy, and he's a very driven and intelligent person.

If you don't want to create a Quora account, you can probably contact Michael
on his website as well: <http://michaelsantos.com/>

I haven't checked recently, but he had been including some of his Quora
content on his blog as well.

------
alt2319
I'm a convicted federal felon. To top it off, it's a computer fraud conviction
involving a former employer.

I used to think I'd never even be able to flip burgers for pay. I'm actually
probably right - McDonalds would never hire me. But since my conviction I've
worked a decent string of IT jobs.

First, he needs to understand that there are a _lot_ of people with a criminal
record. I've met plenty of people with criminal records (mostly DUI, fraud,
and drug charges) that have been able to find normal work, raise kids,
volunteer, etc. Every time I tell someone my story, they tell me that their
gainfully employed brother / uncle / co-worker / etc. has a criminal record
that I used to think would force someone into washing dishes for the rest of
their career.

Second, he needs to make a clean break with _anyone_ shady. I've had tempting
inquiries and offers from friends-of-friends. He needs to find new friends.
Take up a hobby, join a church, go to user groups and meetups, go back to
school, etc. Something to find a new set of friends that will occupy his time
with things that won't land him in trouble.

He should be able to leave Indiana, especially if he has work lined up. I'm a
little unclear on that since I wasn't in the state system, but I think he can
be somehow transferred to another jurisdiction's probation office or remotely
report in.

I don't agree that his only chance is writing code, but it's certainly not a
bad approach. I'd particularly suggest mobile apps. It's not steady work, but
jobs on Fiverr.com could bring in some cash while he looks. There's also
affiliate blogging / Pinterest Pinning. I could probably sit in a public
library, pinning Amazon links a few hours a day and earn enough to get by.

~~~
syedkarim
"I could probably sit in a public library, pinning Amazon links a few hours a
day and earn enough to get by."

\--Really? I would have assumed that mTurk would have dropped the floor on
this type of work.

~~~
alt2319
Well, I don't pin a lot of Amazon links, but I make a bit from the ones I have
pinned. I grind out about $200 a month now mostly from other affiliate
programs and I'm not really trying. It's a side income that I keep thinking
about expanding since it's working. I need to teach my kids to do it...

It takes forever to get paid though - maybe 3-4 month lag time.

------
qes
Long time lurker, created an account just to add a comment here. Your friend's
situation hits close to home as I spent most of my 20's in prison and am a
software developer.

He can move forward and be reasonably successful despite his felony record.
There are plenty of people in the world who will be willing to look past that
and give him a chance, but to be balanced, on the flip side there are equally
many who will not. It saddens me to hear he has little family, it is hard to
underestimate the value of personal support to a recent ex-con.

Job hunting can be difficult. Many organizations will flat out not consider
you because of the felony record. I had good luck with smaller companies,
where you met the boss and had the chance to make a personal impression, where
I was given the opportunity to explain why I was sent to prison and why the
employer should take what is admittedly a bigger chance on hiring me.

But here's the kicker with software development. I was already good at it
before prison. It was no challenge to demonstrate some level of skill that
outweighed the uncertainty of hiring a felon. In your friend's case, this may
or may not work as well.

It's great that he had the chance to work with computers and Access in prison.
I had similar opportunities and in fact learned .Net during my stay, letting
me come back into the job market with relevant, polished skills.

My first job out of prison was the type that gives you plenty of fodder for
The Daily WTF, but it was a job and it was much easier to get the second job
than the first. If your friend can get his foot in the door - at any job -
he'll have the opportunity to prove himself and may find that the disadvantage
of a felonious past fades quickly into the background. My experience has been
that if you can actually do useful work as a programmer and show this to
potential employers, you will quickly get past the felony tag. A programmer
that can produce is still a hot commodity at least in my area (and Indiana is
likely no different).

~~~
hndude
You said you were a good software developer before prison - was your crime a
white collar one? Do you mind sharing what you were convicted for?

~~~
qes
Drugs, I had a brief encounter with methamphetamine in my late teens that
landed me a hefty sentence for selling small amounts to support my habit (12
year sentence, though between normal parole time and early release via prison
boot camp for drug offenders I served about half that).

~~~
BrandonBradley
I have a friend who is in a halfway house after finishing a two year sentence
for manufacture. He's lucky, and I hope to get him working soon. He's made
emulators since he was 12 (now 28). Good luck and god bless.

------
eduardordm
First, a rant: I always get shocked about how the US justice system works,
where punishing (and revenge) is obviously more important than protecting
humans. He should have been released as soon as he posed no threat to others.
If the US keeps its current course there will be more people inside prisons
than outside of them in the future.

He certainly has a lot of expectations. I can only imagine the pressure he is
putting upon himself right now. My only advice is for him to find the first
regular job he can. That will give him more time to learn programming (if he
wants to do that) and release a bit of the pressure to succeed fast.

~~~
kjackson2012
He shouldn't have committed the crime in the first place. End of story. If he
knew that bank robbing was a crime and he committed it anyway, he deserves
whatever punishment was meted out to him. People could (or may) have been
killed over his greed for money.

That being said, I have no problems with the notion of helping ex-cons try to
turn their lives around, after they've paid their debt to society. I am a
supporter of Delancey Street organization in SF, which helps ex-cons
reintegrate with society by giving them jobs in the moving industry, cooking,
selling Christmas trees, etc.

~~~
scarmig
He "deserves whatever punishment was meted out to him"? What if the law
dictated life in prison, or the death penalty, or for him to be drawn and
quartered?

People, particularly young men in their early 20s, mess up. He certainly
needed to be put in prison for years, but decades? The person someone is when
they're 30 is wildly different from who they were when they were 20,
biologically.

Even if his crime actually ended in someone being injured or killed.

~~~
kjackson2012
We're not talking about Jean Valjean who stole a loaf of bread to feed his
family. It's someone who committed a violent crime of robbing a bank because
they wanted someone else's money, and they didn't want to earn it the slow,
hard way. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They need to accept the
consequences of their actions, including 18 years in jail. I'm sure the person
in question has done this, and that's why I have problems with any efforts in
rehabilitating him now that he has served his time.

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. It's as simple as that. If the
punishment were death for robbing a bank were death, and you still went ahead
and did it, whose fault is that? People need to take responsibility for their
own actions. They didn't accidentally rob a bank, or they weren't somehow
tricked into robbing a bank. They knowingly decided to do it. If the sentence
was 18 years, then I'm satisfied that justice was served.

~~~
scarmig
So, suppose the crime were downloading academic articles, and the punishment
was to be up to 35 years in prison...

What you're arguing for is the inherent rightness of State violence. But the
government can be wrong, and it often is wrong. If it's wrong, it's not moral
to say, "Well, the government said it would do [wrong thing] to him, who am I
to question it?" Instead, you question it and call it into doubt, not try to
make a descriptive consequence into a prescriptive consequence.

------
tesmar2
First off, great job in being involved in this guy's life. He really needs
people like you to help him get on his feet and recover.

I'd say introduce him to a recruiter who has a lot of connections and can get
something going for him. If that doesn't pan out, perhaps some biz owner here
on HN might hire him.

~~~
newbie12
Wow this is naive. Nobody is going to hire a felon parolee for anything other
than menial work. I don't think there are recruiters for washing dishes.

The only hope, as the OP says, is to figure out a way to market a tech skill
directly, or to start something on his own.

~~~
mindcrime
_Nobody is going to hire a felon parolee for anything other than menial work._

I disagree. The _number_ of people willing to take a chance on a felon parolee
might be small, but I know it's non-zero.

------
pbj
"and have been telling him that his only chance of financial independence is
through writing code"

There are tons of trade skills that he could learn quickly at a local
community college. Plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, hvac repair, etc..
can make seriously good money and his felony would likely not be as big of a
factor either. Especially if he went into business himself.

~~~
Irregardless
His felony wouldn't be a big deal for employers who would potentially be
sending him _into people's homes_ on a regular basis?

I have to strongly disagree with that one.

~~~
JL2010
There are tons of trades that do not require you to ever leave a machine shop
or electronics lab. If said person is very capable of coding then I would also
strongly encourage them to pursue it, but to convince them that it's their
_only_ chance? That statement seemed to be a bit of a stretch. Whatever
endeavor though, I wish them luck.

------
tworats
Unfortunately getting a "job" will be difficult with a prison record, but
consulting could be a good path. If you can find someone to sub-contract jobs
to him he can get started (he might have to take a low rate to start with),
and once he establishes himself he'll be able to win new deals himself.

As he establishes himself it'll probably be worthwhile to create a company
that he can build a reputation around - that way his personal background
becomes less visible.

------
jcurbo
Since he's a vet, have him talk to the VA. They have this
<http://vetsuccess.gov/> and especially this <http://www.benefits.va.gov/vow/>
Also see if he has service-related disability and thus can use VA Vocational
Rehab. <http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/> Even if he doesn't have a disability
rating now, if he can trace something back to his time in the military he can
still get a rating and be eligible. With the skillset he has they ought to be
able to help him out somehow. I'm not sure how the prison service will tie in,
but it's worth a shot.

Along a similar vein he might try his local American Legion or VFW chapter for
assistance.

------
illektr1k
Step 1) Get a laptop

Step 2) Start a GitHub account

Step 3) Write code

I care a lot more about what people have created than what they have done in
their past lives.

~~~
dsego
... profit?

------
impostervt
Perhaps a freelancing site, such as oDesk? He can build up some basic
references doing trivial technical work. He won't make much money as there
will be a lot of competition, but many recruiters would rather hire from
within the US if the cost made sense.

~~~
newbie12
Or, he might be able to use freelancing online to establish a working
relationship with a company that would hire him directly. It is just tough,
the money is terrible and I think this guy is going to need more structure
than working from home will provide. Self-starting is hard for anyone and our
friend has had every minute regulated for the past 18 years.

------
rpfennin
I represent one of the largest venture capital funds in the state of Indiana
with a substantial number of investments in tech-focused companies. I would be
more than happy to speak with you and your friend and see if we might be able
to help him.

~~~
syedkarim
That's very kind of you. How can I contact you? My email address is on my
profile page.

~~~
rpfennin
I'm not seeing it in the profile page. Can you double check?

~~~
syedkarim
Odd. Maybe it's hiding it from you due to low karma. Looks like we just
connected on LinkedIn. Thanks.

------
jack-r-abbit
Even with a masters degree, he's certainly going to have a smaller pool of job
opportunities than a non-felon just by the fact he is a felon. But that
doesn't mean there is not a bunch of opportunities for him. I've worked with
several felons at different places. Programmers and IT. Not every company
cares about that. Just like not every company cares to have you pass a drug
test. But he should probably forget about any jobs in the financial sector as
they tend to be pretty strict on hiring felons (and being a bank robber is
probably a double whammy). My only advice would be to be totally up front
about his past and don't let the "no thank yous" get him down.

However, I would say that he might be facing almost as much trouble getting
over the fact that he is 40 with very little industry experience. Honestly,
this might actually be worse to some companies. I have no idea what he had to
work with in prison, but 18 years away from real world tech might have him
slightly behind the curve. Maybe my perception of technology in prison is not
accurate.

~~~
syedkarim
His technology-paradigm is definitely not a modern one. For example, he
doesn't really understand open source software; just the concept of it--and
how good it can be.

------
d0m
I would tell him congrats for going through all this with a positive attitude
and I wish him the best of luck in his programming career. As for financial
independence, may I suggest that he start on elance with a very cheap price to
get experience and build a reputation. A beautiful portfolio website really
help (At first there would no "past project"; Just a beautiful splash page
offering services with X years of experience; then best projects could be
added as they are finished.) Also, it's easier to get paid more and be taken
if you get specialized in marketing/SEO/business strategy. It's very hard to
compete on elance with a psd->html 8$/hours. Lastly, may I suggest that he
assist some weekly tech event in his city.. if you say he's got few friends,
that would be a good way to meet people sharing his own passion.

------
mindcrime
There was a recent discussion[1] on Reddit, about how a guy with a criminal
record could get a job and what-not. It was a somewhat different situation,
but I expect _some_ of the discussion there might be applicable here as well.

[1]:
[http://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/16jqz3/i_have_a_crimin...](http://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/16jqz3/i_have_a_criminal_record_its_not_terrible_but_i/)

My own comment included the sentiment that having a criminal background
doesn't mean you'll _never_ get a job (even a good job), but that it
definitely makes it harder, so you have to find ways to compensate for that. I
mean, for at least certain classes of crimes, I'd hire someone with a criminal
record, and I know there are other people out there who feel the same way.

------
rdl
He's going to have a lot of employment difficulties due to a felony record.

I'd probably suggest stuff like online task markets or contracting,
particularly on low-sensitivity stuff. The other thing that might work would
be creating software/services for sale directly.

------
dfansteel
He seems like a real self starter. If he has an aptitude for programming I'd
recommend getting into mobile development as an independent contractor.

I'm not saying it would be easy. I started teaching myself iOS at the end of
my sophomore year (4 years ago). In six months I felt comfortable accepting
contracts off of elance. By the time I graduated I was employed full time as a
contractor. It's just gotten better from there.

Mobile is one place where your past doesn't really matter. You either can or
you can't. And your past doesn't matter much.

~~~
syedkarim
Why/how is mobile any different from regular web development?

~~~
dfansteel
A few reasons... 1) Mobile is hot right now and skilled developers are still
hard to come by. Employers who _need_ a mobile developer are in a sellers
market. 2) High quality apps can be built with a single skill set, if you know
your SDK. The good web guys I know need to be experts at multiple languages,
architectures, and services. I have one skill that I'm good at, but because no
one else has it my career has gotten a nice jump to it compared to my
classmates. 3) There is room to be disruptive. The web is 20 years old. iOS
development is 4 years old and Android is three. There's a lot less baggage in
mobile and a lot more room for a small team of developers to impact the
platform. 4) It's cheap to get started with. For under $750 you can put
together a serviceable lab to work in.

The bottom line is there are low barriers to entry and a high rate of return.

------
mileszs
If he is near Indianapolis, it could help to get involved in the local hacker
scene. We have a pretty decent number of meetings and the like he could
attend. See the calendar at <http://indyhackers.org>.

I like to think we're pretty merit-based here, but it is a largely
conservative state (though this city can be pretty "blue" compared to its
surroundings), so I could be wrong. Knowing people is a significant portion of
the battle, and just showing up to events can go a long way.

~~~
syedkarim
Unfortunately, he will be starting out in Michigan City at a halfway house.
But maybe Indianapolis is someplace he can transfer to? Are there any other
hacker hubs in Indiana? West Lafayette? Valparaiso?

------
retroafroman
Just a thought I had, and maybe someone can help me, but if a convicted felon
has a hard time getting an apartment, can they start an LLC (or any other
business entity) and then have the business rent the apt? I'm assuming the
management would still like to see see financial history, so probably an aged
LLC or corp would be best?

------
andrewdubinsky
If his offense was because of drugs/alcohol abuse (which is likely as
something like 80% of crimes are), he should seek out Alcoholics
Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous. His incarceration experience there would be
commonplace.

Many people in those groups have "run-ins" with law enforcement and a large
percentage are themselves felons (DUI/Drug possession) and are on probation.

I would also recommend he focus his energy (initially) on trades which have a
rougher edge, like construction & oil services, metalworking, etc...They are
tough jobs, no doubt.

However, these fields have plenty of opportunity, a chance to make a decent
living, get paid weekly (sometimes in cash), and the people are less subjected
to background checks.

Once he is off probation and can explain his "gap" with real work history, he
will be more likely to be accepted in society. He can then focus on education
and re-training.

------
ExpiredLink
> _and have been telling him that his only chance of financial independence is
> through writing code_

I don't get this. Neither will "writing code" make him more "independent" than
other jobs nor is it likely that he will get a job in this field.

~~~
syedkarim
I see a career in code as being one based on merit, versus others that are
based on credentials or politics. I believe that if he can make things that
people appreciate, then the money will follow. In theory, right?

------
CyberFonic
You are indeed the genuine loyal friend that he needs to get re-established.
Some of the comments here are good suggestions.

Assuming that you are also involved in IT (well you do read HN) are you able
to help him get some consulting gigs? If he is motivated and able to get some
basic support, then doing small, well priced jobs for local businesses is a
great way to ramp up.

Being a consultant avoids the employer background checks and helps him avoid
the low pay trap of menial jobs. You may need to monitor his manners and
speech as after 18 years, he may have picked up some habits that are uncool in
our current society.

Best of luck to you both.

------
jeremyarussell
I commend you for doing the right things. The system inherently goes against
it's only goal, by sending people out that are almost guaranteed to commit
another crime and unleashing even more upset people onto the population.
Instead of keeping us safe it makes progressively more savage criminals,
people that have to hurt or kill in order to survive in prison don't generally
come out better for it.

I think the fact that you are even doing all this will keep your friend on the
right track, that he has a friend to talk to may be the thing that keeps him
from a depression that will send him towards a life of crime.

------
evolve2k
I would focus on helping him build community, the more community he has around
him the better he'll cope, integrate and thrive.

So say your getting him in on ruby or python or mobile dev, start taking him
along to as many meetups as you can find. A bar camp or RailsCamp would be
great to.

The hackerspace movement is very open and accepting and beginner friendly
IMHO, I'd get him in on that too.

If he can build up a community in tech around him then the code part has a
good foundation to thrive in. Think of his needs in terms of 'structures for
success'.

~~~
syedkarim
This was excellent, thanks. I wish he was not required to be in Indiana. I'll
be moving to Chicago soon and that is a much more conducive environment to
growing this kind of community (compared to northwest Indiana).

------
melvinmt
Saying "nobody's going to hire an ex-felon, wash dishes" is very encouraging
guys. :S

This is someone who already has paid his debt to society. Why continue to damn
him after he's trying to work his way up again. I'd rather be naive and give
someone like him a second chance. Unfortunately I don't have a lot to offer at
the moment but I can seem to remember from the "Help HN, I'm homeless" thread
that there are many people on HN who are willing (and able) to help someone
out in need.

------
hackingla
#1: Learn Rails - i would suggest a few rails cast a day

#2: Make a few sites; I will help w/ this as much as he needs

#3: As you make sites blog daily about your progress learning

Once you feel comfortable post on job sites, ODesk etc... and start building
up your reputation.

my email is on profile he can email me or you (OP) can

~~~
syedkarim
Do you have any thoughts on this remote Rails class:
<http://www.gotealeaf.com/>

I'd be willing to pay the tuition if it's really useful for someone who has
still not ever seen/used a web browser.

~~~
hackingla
It would take more information to properly determine what the best starting
poing would be for him; but if he has not used a web browser I suggests
starting w/

1\. email setup 2\. google 3\. facebook

etc... basically as much basic computer usage as possible; IMO rails classes
like that and pretty much everyone else is going to assume their audience is
comfortable w/ computers and other modern day technologies.

~~~
syedkarim
So this is one of things I was specifically looking for: Exactly what does he
need to learn immediately? What is the best set of tools he should experience
and submerge himself with to really understand the internet, both as a
consumer and as a potential creator?

------
cdvonstinkpot
Help him setup an account on Facebook (if he doesn't have one already) so he
can log on to Codecademy & start learning Python there in his spare time with
his laptop & mobile hotspot.

------
grimgrin
I'm happy that it sounds like he'll be fine, thanks to his own drive and of
course the help you're offering (a laptop, smartphone, and a mobile hotspot
are pretty helpful, really).

Best of luck to him.

------
check33
Obviously an 18 year felony is much more serious but I wonder how tech
companies view misdemeanors such as DUI, Possession of Marijuana, Domestic
Battery, etc?

~~~
rdl
Tech companies in the bay area would probably wonder WTF you got arrested for
marijuana or other minor drug offenses.

DUI I think would be a more serious issue, depending on the area. In the Bay
Area, DUIs are pretty frowned upon, since there are other transportation
options. I think they're much more accepted in rural areas.

I know plenty of tech people who have convictions for assault (bar fights),
drugs, computer crime (particularly as kids), etc.

------
Nonea
Sounds like Les Miserables...

------
segmond
don't go back! don't do anything that will cause you to go back!

------
ahoyhere
My #1 bit of advice would be for him to read How to Win Friends and Influence
People.

Yes, really. If you need to brush up on your social skills, it's the go-to
guide. You can practice it even without having close personal or business
relationships… on anybody you meet on the street, in a shop, online, etc. It's
a little bit cheesy, but not at all scummy… the basic advice is something
everyone should follow, and yet most do not. Following the advice is something
that can set anyone apart from the crowd (in a positive way)... ESPECIALLY in
the tech world.

#2 With those social skills, and what he's learning technically, my second bit
of advice would be to tackle it on. Be up front about the mistake. When he
applies for a job or talks to someone, he should tell them. Not Scarlet
Letter-style, but in a way like this:

"I came by xyz lessons the hard way. I was really stupid at jkl age… it's hard
to believe how stupid! But there's nobody more than me who knows the value of
abc."

Help him figure out how this experience has made him BETTER. Sometimes the
hard way is the best way to learn something.

It sounds like he's learned a lot in his time behind bars… dedication, for
one. Most people never complete a master's much less in such adverse
circumstances. Maybe he learned the lesson about making decisions in emotional
circumstances. Maybe now he's a calm, cool, cautious individual… or maybe he's
just not going to jump the gun. Maybe he learned something about surviving in
tough social situations. How to befriend difficult people. Or something else,
equally powerful.

One thing: If he hides his past, it'll only come back to bite him, when people
find out about it via background checks. If he owns it, and sounds mature, and
honest, then that'll be a feather in his cap. He didn't murder anyone; he made
a crime against property. You can recover from that, socially.

#3 He should write about it. He should write about learning programming (or
whatever he decides to tackle), doing his master's program in prison, will he
finish his PhD, etc. People trust a person who is honest about his flaws
(maybe more than they should, sometimes!), and they love a person who can
communicate. They also love somebody who they can learn from. Plus writing is
a very valuable skill, and it could do a lot to rehabilitate a person's image.

Best of luck to your friend.

------
ucee054
I heard there was a military bootcamp program you could go through and get
your criminal record scratched. Is this applicable, or am I confusing things?

