29 Apr Leaving Boise for Yankton Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota
My name is Sentencing Impact, and I am writing to you from Boise, ID. It sounds surreal to acknowledge and accept, but I will soon embark on a new chapter in life as inmate 20090-023 residing at Yankton Federal Prison Camp in South Dakota. That last sentence is something I never thought I would write. Going to prison was not part of my life plan. My formative years were ones with ample opportunities, privilege, and chances to succeed.
Now I am working through how a series of decisions over the last six years has led me to this moment in time. Try as I may, I cannot change the past and need to live in the world as it exists. Whenever we make choices that lead us to an undesirable point in our lives, no amount of yearning, longing, or desire will bring us back to our old life – it is has passed. However, we can create a new story where legal troubles are behind us, freedom is in front, and we are even better versions of ourselves.
I plan to recalibrate and set a new course. This website will hold me accountable for that goal and help me come out of the experience stronger – mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. While no one would choose a prison experience of their own volition, I am looking at the experience as if I did. What can I do to get the absolute most out of time away, and how can I help others going through this same hardship? Because while we may be on similar paths, my boat might be ahead of yours.
The advantage for you is that you can learn from the mistakes I made, what I could have done differently, and calm your fears through the insights I share. Now that I have been through much of this process and am soon embarking on the experience resulting from the first portion, I plan to provide information that helps you and your loved ones on your journey – where ever you may be.
This website and blog will be a resource for the whole lot, from beginning to end. I will write about not just time in prison but the sum of the journey: from receiving an investigation letter, going through the discovery process, choosing between a plea deal or trial, preparing for sentencing, reporting to prison, thriving while in prison, and rebuilding.
There is a first time for everything in life, and we all make mistakes our first time around. Unfortunately, mistakes in this arena are incredibly consequential. My ignorance of the legal process negatively affected my passage through the experience. Follow along, feel free to write me, and learn what you can from my situation to help guide you on yours.