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How Do First Step Act (FSA) Earned Time Credits Work?, By Fellow Traveler William Livolsi

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What Is The First Step Act?

The First Step Act is a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill signed into law in December 2018. The Act focuses on reducing recidivism by expanding educational and vocational programs and granting inmates early release credits (FSA Time Credits, aka FTC) for participating in these programs. It also includes provisions to ease mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug-related offenses and retroactivity of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010.

There are several benefits tied to the FSA, but for our purposes in this post we will focus on the importance of the FSA Time Credit provision for those prosecuted for a first time, white collar/non-violent offense.

See HERE and HERE for more information and FAQ on the First Step Act directly from the BOP.

What Are FSA Time Credits And Why Are They Important?

For an individual facing prosecution for a first time, white collar/non-violent offense, the First Step Act introduces a significant provision called “Time Credits“, granting individuals in federal prisons the opportunity to reduce their incarceration period. This reduction is achieved by actively engaging in “Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction programming” (EBRR programs) and participating in BOP sanctioned “Productive Activities.”

By participating in these Productive Activities and EBRR programs, incarcerated individuals can earn Time Credits that have the power to shorten their overall prison sentence. Rather than remaining in a BOP facility, participants who accumulate these credits gain the opportunity to transition to home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center (RRC, aka Half-Way House) sooner, and on to Supervised Release sooner, than before the FSA was enacted.

The potential for sentence reduction can be substantial. According to the law, participants can earn up to 15 days in Time Credits for every 30 days of active involvement in the designated programs and activities. This is very good news for an individual facing prosecution for a first time, white collar/non-violent offense who could see their total sentence cut by up to 365 days, which is the maximum allowed under the Act.

Who Is Eligible For FSA Time Credits?

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has a careful selection process when deciding who can benefit from the FSA and its early release provisions. As directly stated from the BOP FSA FAQ Guide:

The FSA provides for eligible inmates to earn Time Credits if they participate in and complete assigned evidence-based recidivism reducing programs or productive activities. An inmate is eligible to earn Time Credits if:

  • He or she was convicted of a U.S. (federal) Code offense; and
  • He or she was not convicted of a disqualifying offense,
  • He or she is at an institution, but not in Disciplinary Segregation.

Therefore, individuals who are serving sentences the FSA identifies as disqualifying cannot earn credit. Those serving life sentences, or sentences relating to terrorism, arson, murder are generally ineligible to participate. Click HERE for a complete list of disqualifying offenses.

If this is your first offense and your crime/conviction isn’t on the list of disqualifying offenses, then you are very likely eligible.

When Can FSA Time Credits Begin To Be Earned?

FSA Time Credits may not be earned until after you begin your sentence. The BOP defines this as the date you arrive, or self-surrender, at the designated facility where your sentence will be served. You are not eligible to earn FSA Time Credits while on pretrial confinement, and you cannot earn FSA Time Credits while in the custody of the US Marshall service. You are also ineligible to receive FSA Time Credits while in disciplinary/administrative segregation.

From the feedback we have received from our Fellow Travelers who are currently incarcerated, many if not all, are receiving their credits within a few months of their arrival.

How Are FSA Time Credits Calculated?

There have been many iterations and much confusion as to this interpretation since the FSA was first rolled out. Now, under the final rule, a ‘day’ means a calendar day on which the individual is participating in whatever assigned programming or productive activity takes place.

For example: If you are assigned to and consistently participate in a program that meets 3 times a week for 8 weeks, you will receive Time Credit for 24 days.

As mentioned above, the maximum amount of Time Credits that can be earned in any one month is 15, and the maximum you can earn is 365 days.

What FSA Programs & Activities Are Available And Are They Available At Every BOP Facility?

The programs and activities offered by the BOP are broken down into two categories: Evidenced Based Recidivism Reduction (EBRR) programs, and Structured, Curriculum-Based Productive Activities.

As you go through the guide you will see that many programs are indicated as available at all institutions, but you should not assume all will be offered at your designated institution while you are there. It is important to note too that some EBRR programs are only offered at higher security level facilities, and some programs are offered only to male or female populations.

While I was at FCI El Reno, after the FSA was signed into law, I was assigned by my Case Manager to the Drug Education program, the Criminal Thinking program, the Parenting From Prison program, and the Threshold program. Three of these are now EBRR programs. There may be other programs at your designated facility that may not be on this list but may still be eligible for FSA Time Credits.You can clarify this with your Case Manager.

The January 2023 FSA Approved Programs Guide is HERE.

Can FSA Time Credits Be Taken Away?

Yes! You will have responsibilities for earning and maintaining FSA Time Credits, and FSA Time Creditscan be taken away. Also you can lose the opportunity to participate in future FSA programs and activities. Please review the following items which are listed in detail on the BOP FSA FAQ Guide:

  • You can lose earned FSA Time Credits, and possibly the ability to participate in future FSA programs and activities, if you engage in any misconduct and/or receive any disciplinary infractions.
  • You can lose the ability to participate in FSA programs and activities if you refuse to participate in the BOP’s Financial Responsibility Program (FRP) for the repayment of court ordered restitution, fines, and fees. There are other non-FSA related consequences for refusing to participate in the FRP.
  • You can lose earned FSA Time Credits, and possibly the ability to participate in future FSA programs and activities, if you violate the requirements or rules of an FSA program or activity.
  • You can lose the ability to participate in FSA programs and activities if you ‘Opt Out’ of a recommended FSA program or activity. If you are eligible for FSA Time Credits and “opt out,” you will not earn the credits until you decide to “opt in” (choose to participate in recommended programming again).
  • Some mandatory programs, such as Drug Education and GED, now count as FSA programs. Refusing participation in mandatory programs results in consequences, such as pay limits, commissary limits, or “poor” responsibility on custody classification. You will not earn FSA Time Credits if you refuse a mandatory program. Other FSA programs are recommended based upon individualized risk and needs assessment; they are not mandatory, but you will be “opted out” and fail to earn FTC if you decline to participate.

FSA Time Credits while on Home Confinement or Halfway House

I cannot find a specific citation on the BOP website that addresses this issue, but the FSA does not differentiate based on an individual’s location within the BOP system. A ‘prisoner’ is an individual in the custody of the BOP, and while you are in HWH, or on Home Confinement, you are still in BOP custody.

I have spoken to several individuals in this situation. Some have received their Time Credits, and othershave not. And for the ones that have, it’s not entirely clear how these Time Credits were being calculated.

Examples Of How FSA Time Credits Can Help You?

In the federal prison system, if an individual has no disciplinary infractions, they will receive 54 days per year of Good Conduct Time (GCT). In percentage terms this means that every man or woman will serve 85% (85.21%) of the term imposed by the judge at sentencing.

For an individual sentenced to 36 months, this equates to 30.6 months until they are released (36 x .85).

If this individual then takes full advantage of the EBRR programs and Productive Activity programs at their institution and accumulates 15 days per month for the next 18 months they will accumulate 270days (9 months) of FSA Time Credits, and their time at their institution will be cut to 21.6 months (30.6 minus 9).

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Bill is Deputy Director of Progressive Prison Ministries and has been a member of the Ministry’s White Collar Support Group since 2016. Bill served 13 months at FCI El Reno, returning home in 2020. Bill is also a volunteer with Evolution Reentry Services and is their weekly Family Support Group facilitator. Bill is a certified Life Coach and owner of White Collar Coaching, working exclusively with men and women impacted by the criminal justice system. Bill can be reached at info@prisonist.org or blivolsi@whitecollarcoaching.com.

Blog: Friends: Expectations & Disappointments, by Fellow Traveler Bill Livolsi, Edited by Fellow Traveler Jeff Krantz

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Bill Livolsi is a member of our White Collar Support Group that meets on Zoom on Monday evenings.

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My journey in the criminal justice system has been going for over 10 years now. My former spouse was charged in 2010. I was charged in 2014, I pled guilty, and sentenced in 2015. I served my time in 2019 and 2020. Later this year, in December, I’ll be done with Supervised Release. 

While the most difficult portions of the journey are behind me, a recent event has served as a reminder that it’s never really gone for good (even if it’s just lingering in my head). Recent events have also challenged my concept of friendship and caused me to rethink how I am perceived by others.

For starters, I suppose my definition of friendship can be summed up as ‘a mutual bond or relationship based on shared experience’.

There are so many different circumstances under which people form these bonds: someone you grew up with, a former HS or university classmate, a close work colleague, former lovers, former spouses, and yes, even those who you serve time with.

A few weeks ago I was reading my google alerts and read that my old boss, Matthew, had passed away. He had been the president of the ad agency where I worked as CFO for 15 years (I left in 2005). He and his partner Nancy, the CEO, had been the ones to hire me.

Over the years since I left the agency I made attempts to reconnect with him. I truly liked him. I admired his accomplishments and believed he liked and trusted me. Ultimately, we did not stay in touch.

I was pretty shocked and saddened by the news of his death at age 79. I still picture him in my mind’s eye as young and vibrant. Perhaps his passing got me thinking about my own mortality?

I decided to reach out via text to two friends/former colleagues who I worked with at the agency. Both were with the Company when I left in 2005, but are no longer there now. The three of us have kept in touch over the years.

In my text, I said my hellos, and asked how they were doing. It had been a bit over a year since we last talked so I shared a few recent life events about the kids and me. Then I communicated the sad news of Matthew’s passing.

I was expecting that news of his death would give us the opportunity to check in with each other once again, to reconnect over a time and experience we had all shared together. 

It didn’t quite work out that way.

From one, I got no response at all. Absolutely nothing. 

From the other I got, ‘Sorry to hear he died. Hope you are well.’ That’s it. No Hi Bill; no how are you and the kids, nothing. No hint of a desire to share anything. It was not a response one might expect from a friend I thought.

These were some of the very few people, outside of family and our White Collar Support Group, with whom I had shared my criminal justice issues. As many with similar experience know, it’s a deeply personal issue, but I felt safe sharing it with them, and they always seemed supportive. 

I get it, it’s not all about me. People are at different points in their day, and in their lives. There are things going on in their lives about which I have no idea. Perhaps our old boss’ passing didn’t touch them like it did me, I don’t know. I do know It’s not necessarily a reflection on me, but still, I felt… rejected, and definitely confused.

Unable to just let this go and focus on other things, I decided to take a look back on our earlier texts and emails. I was surprised to find in just about every instance I was the one who initiated a conversation. 

I had communicated with them off and on during my prosecution. I called periodically after I was sentenced and while home with the kids. And I spoke to each shortly before I reported to prison. I wrote while I was away (I did not hear anything back, which is not surprising or unusual). And once I was released I texted or call now and again. 

I had initiated all these interactions, but I didn’t pay that fact any mind. After all, isn’t that what friends do, reach out when the opportunity presents itself? Don’t Friends find ways to keep in contact? I wasn’t asking them for anything special, I didn’t need anything. Just friendship.

One thing I’m really very good at is ‘over thinking’. And this experience has me working overtime and my thoughts are running rampant:

Was I ever their friend, or merely an acquaintance?

Did I over-invest in the friendship because I confided in them my shameful secret? Did I have expectations that they would recognize how difficult that was for me?

Should I consider them friends at all?

I’m left with more questions than answers.

Like most everyone who will read this, once my legal issues became public many, many friends and colleagues cut me off. I was very bitter about the ostracism then, but time has given me an opportunity to rethink my bitterness and now, truthfully, I can’t blame them. But I had hoped this was different.

So maybe this is how the world is today – so many ways to be ‘connected’ on the surface, but few deep and personal connections.

And maybe, just maybe, I have been hanging on to this vestige of my normal past – and life has been telling me for quite some time to just let it go and move on.

Bill is Deputy Director of Progressive Prison Ministries and has been a member of the Ministry’s White Collar Support Group since 2016. Bill served 13 months at FCI El Reno, returning home in 2020. Bill is also a volunteer with Evolution Reentry Services and is their weekly Family Support Group facilitator. Bill is a certified Life Coach and owner of White Collar Coaching, working exclusively with men and women impacted by the criminal justice system. Bill can be reached at info@prisonist.org or blivolsi@whitecollarcoaching.com.

White Collar Support Group Blog: “Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There” by Fellow Traveler Bill Livolsi

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Bill Livolsi is a Member of our White Collar Support Group that meets online on Zoom on Monday evenings. Bill has been a member of our ministry and support group since 2014. – Jeff

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I had the privilege of being topic leader at our May 16, 2020 White Collar Support Group meeting. This is text of that presentation:

We have a normal desire to solve our problems. And for my Fellow Travelers, once you add into the mix the anxiety, stress and the feelings of helplessness that accompany a criminal prosecution, the desire to repair the damage can be overwhelming, often to our detriment. 

In many occupations being a take charge individual is how you advance your career. When issues arose, you dove in and you solved them. That’s how you proved your value to the organization, to your clients, to yourself. 

My dad was a problem solver. Professionally he worked his way up from the mailroom, going to Wharton (undergrad) at night to be an international VP in the pharmaceutical business. My family, his friends, and his professional colleagues, looked to him for advice and solutions. I look to him still, even though he has been gone almost 13 years. He is the best man I have ever known. All I wanted, as an adult, was to be like my Father. 

My willingness to take on the problems and challenges no one else wanted was very beneficial for my career too. I worked my way up the ladder to a CFO position by the latter part of the 1990’s. And as many of you know, this is where most of the problems, and difficult issues, organizations face end up. I was pretty good (and pretty lucky) at getting things right. It felt good to be the ‘go-to’ guy for my Company.

Unfortunately, there was a huge downside. My ‘fix it’ mentality also dominated my personal life and that didn’t work out so well. 

“The skills that served you well in the advancement of your career aren’t necessarily the ones that will serve you now.” – Jeff Grant

In 2015 I was sentenced to 24 months incarceration after pleading guilty, in 2014, to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. I had been added as a defendant on a superseding indictment earlier that year. Many years prior, in 2007, I made the disastrous decision to inject myself into my spouse’s legal mess.

She and I met in early 2002 and became a couple a few months later. She was a private money manager. We married and had children. Our early years together were wonderful. I also invested significantly in the funds she managed, as did my family.

In 2004 we relocated to Oklahoma. At about the same time I left my CFO position in New York. I believed my finances and investments were in great shape, so I decided to retire early and spend time raising our two youngest children. 

Life had other plans.

By 2006, things started to crumble. It started with strange calls to our home from one of her investors. Then, others starting showing up unannounced at our home. I had no idea why this was happening, and I was given several different explanations. There were civil lawsuits from investors including a court ordered freeze on her personal & business accounts. 

Things were getting progressively worse into 2007. By late that year I was at my wits end. I was getting calls from family wanting an explanation. Instead of telling them the truth, that I didn’t know for sure what was going on and handing it off, I stayed in the middle. I passed along the information I was given. I assumed the information was accurate.

“An accurate understanding of reality is the essential foundation for any good outcome”. – Ray Dalio. 

She let me know she secured another investor. This new investment would cover most of the redemptions that were due. This fact alone should have set off my alarm bells. It didn’t.

The on-going civil suits made it impossible for her to receive these funds, so I volunteered. I used my personal accounts to receive the investment on her behalf and to issue the pending redemptions.

There it was. Game Over. I just didn’t know it for another 6 years.

I have no doubt that you’re saying to yourself, how could you have been so stupid? Your actions were the textbook definition of a Ponzi scheme. What made you think this would solve your problem? Why didn’t you just walk away?

Good questions all.

I have done a lot of reading, research and reflection trying to get a better understanding of what was driving my decisions back then. There was overwhelming evidence that something was wrong, yet I was unmoved, even increasing my commitment. The passage of time brought clarity, and I understand why my decisions were so horrendously stupid and self-destructive.

  • Greed. My priorities were horribly misplaced. Money and the acquisition of things took on an unhealthy importance.
  • I Didn’t Grasp The Real Problem. The investment funds in question were nothing more than a Ponzi scheme (#1). The account freezes brought it all to a head. 
  • Sunk Cost. By 2007 I had invested 5 years in this relationship, and we had two children. I had vowed that this time around I would be a better husband, and a better father. Deep down I had to have realized that I did not know the full story, but I convinced myself that things would get better. They didn’t.

There’s more.

“The more invested we become in a decision, the more likely we are to rationalize or justify that decision, even if mounting evidence demonstrates it was the wrong one.”

“Escalation of commitment can happen in any aspect of our life. Think about the times when you over-invested in a failing project, stuck around in a miserable job, or when you’ve poured your heart and soul into a personal relationship that clearly wasn’t working.”

“Escalation is where people make errors because of their ego and their emotions. It’s not just a cold calculation of the loss of money or time. It’s the pain of threats to our sense of self. We’re afraid to admit a mistake and end up justifying a decision to ourselves.” (#2)

How did escalation manifest itself in my situation?

  • Ego.
    • My career experience convinced me I could solve this problem. I was supremely overconfident.
  • Emotional Commitment.
    • My family could be directly affected if this problem were not successfully resolved. I felt responsible to fix what was broken, but I was ashamed, and afraid, to talk with them.
    • I would have been less emotionally attached to the outcome, and certainly could not have gotten directly involved, had the main actor been a stranger.
    • I believed the survival of my marriage was dependent upon a successful outcome.
    • I also believed, erroneously, that the future of my family relationships hinged me fixing this. 
  • Isolation.
    • I disregarded the concerns of family and friends when they reached out to me.
    • I ignored the important relationships that had been my reality checks in the past.
    • By sequestering myself away from family and friends I had no one in whom I could confide and seek advice.

Did these emotional elements drive my decisions? Absolutely and unequivocally, yes. And it is clear to me these factors influenced my decisions far more than the money involved. 

It wasn’t until I found my White Collar Support Group, and also served time in prison with other men like me, that I learned that emotional factors such as the ones I encountered are very common indeed. At one time or another almost all of us fell into the same trap, pouring more and more resources and ourselves into a bad decision, even when all the evidence was shouting ‘STOP’.

There are decades of research showing that the most powerful forces in our decision-making aren’t economic — they’re emotional. Had I done nothing in 2007, just sat there and let everything come crashing down, it’s almost a certainty I would not have ended up in prison.

It’s some consolation knowing that I’m not alone in the chronicles of disastrous decisions, and perhaps the only way for us to learn is by dealing with the consequences that follow them. I am hopeful that by sharing this I can help others avoid a similar fate. 

Decision Making 101

  1. Is this really a problem?
  2. Breathe. There are very few problems in life that require immediate action.
  3. You likely don’t know as much about a situation as you think. Question what you think you know about any particular situation. There are things you know you don’t know (known unknowns), but there are things you don’t know you don’t know (unknown unknowns).
  4. Issues sometimes resolve themselves. Not suggesting you should put your head in the sand but recognize some issues self-correct.
  5. Why is this a problem? What is your desired outcome?
  6. Identify the right problem.
  7. Clearly define it and clearly define your goal(s).
  8. What is driving your urge/desire to fix/take control? Are you emotionally attached to the issue, or the outcome? It’s never wise to make a decision that is rooted emotions.
  9. What is the cause of the problem?
  10. Were events precipitated by your actions, or by the actions of others?
  11. Is this a problem you can realistically solve?
  12. If you didn’t cause the problem, it might be hard for you to resolve it without cooperation from others.
  13. You cannot control how others will perceive or react to your involvement.
  14. Do you need additional information or additional resources?
  15. Identify possible solutions. What could be:
  16. The easiest solution?
  17. The quickest solution?
  18. The best temporary solution?
  19. The best long-term solution?
  20. Set realistic parameters for success and failure so you know if/when to continue or abandon your effort.
  21. For example, what are the values and principles you don’t want to abandon or compromise?
  22. Vet your thinking with a knowledgeable and absolutely objective friend, colleague or mentor. Someone who will give you their unvarnished opinion. “An accurate understanding of reality is the essential foundation for any good outcome”.

Bill Livolsi is a Life Coach supporting the white collar justice community and a volunteer with Progressive Prison Ministries. He helps men and women facing prosecution for white collar and non-violent crimes navigate their journey – including rebuilding their lives after prison. He was prosecuted for a white collar crime and spent 13 months in Federal prison. Bill can be reached at whitecollarcoaching.com.

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  1.  Review of the discovery documents with my defense attorney.
  2. Worklife With Adam Grant. How To Rethink A Bad Decision. March 29, 2021.

White Collar Support Group Blog: When is the Right Time? by Bill Livolsi

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Bill Livolsi is a Member of our White Collar Support Group that meets online on Zoom on Monday evenings.

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When Is The ‘Right’ Time?

Anyone who has been involved with the criminal justice system asks these questions:

What’s the right time to tell my family?
What is the right time to tell my employer?
What’s the right time to tell my friends and colleagues? What’s the right time in a social setting?
Is there ever a right time? How do I tell anyone?

I have come to believe that these conversations need to happen, sooner rather than later. The topic needs to be broached, otherwise it’s a sack of bricks we silently carry everywhere we go. And it gets heavier and heavier with the passage of time.

Keeping secrets is corrosive, but these are hard conversations to have.

We are reluctant to have the difficult conversations surrounding our criminal justice issues. We’re afraid of rejection, we’re afraid of judgment and we’re afraid of being ostracized. All pretty normal fears.

Anyone who knows me knows that I believe in disclosing our situation to our employer, or prospective employer, sooner rather than later. I feel that keeping it a secret is in the long run counter-productive to our employment prospects. When they find out, and they will find out, having kept it hidden only reinforces the notion that we are, among other things, untrustworthy.

What about the numerous other situations we’ll encounter in our lives? Let me share a story from this past week at work.

I was paired for a day-long task with another one of my coworkers. We had never worked together before. The task at hand gave us ample opportunity to have a conversation while we were working.

As we were comparing our relative experience with our employer they told me how grateful they were to have this job because it was so difficult to find work as they were on federal probation.

BOOM, there it was!

Here I was thinking of ways I was going to broach the topic with them (at some yet to be determined ‘right time’) and they got there first. I felt good that they were comfortable sharing this part of their life with me. Then I felt a sense of relief as I shared my situation. As we continued our conversation throughout the afternoon we found that we had so much in common irrespective of the differences in our convictions. It was a really good day.

I’ve been thinking about this experience and here are some thoughts I’ve come away with.

Prior to that moment did I have any inkling they had a felony conviction? No! And the same is true for them about me, they had no idea. Did we have large F’s stamped on our foreheads? Obviously not. Yet we both were silently keeping the same secret, until we weren’t.

It felt very good to be able to talk openly about our experience free of judgment and not having to hide something so impactful in our lives.

Too often I forget that there are hundreds of thousands of men and women in our society carrying around the same guilt, shame and fear of judgement that I am. They are the checkout person at the grocery store, they cut my hair, they’re my plumber, they’re my electrician, they are the men and women I work with.

I am very mindful of the fact that not every experience that I will have, or you will have, is going to be pleasant. I have had plenty of unpleasant ones in the past. Sometimes my worst fears will be realized; I will be judged, or rejected.

So, is there ever a right time? And with whom do I share? I don’t really know for sure, but I do know this much – the more I hold it inside, the more energy I expend keeping my secret, my sense of isolation will never truly end.

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Bill Livolsi is a Life Coach supporting the white collar justice community and a volunteer with Progressive Prison Ministries. He helps men and women facing prosecution for white collar and non-violent crimes navigate their journey – including rebuilding their lives after prison. He was prosecuted for a white collar crime and spent 13 months in Federal prison. Bill can be reached at whitecollarcoaching.com.

White Collar Support Group Blog: Small Things. Strange Place. by Bill Livolsi

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Bill Livolsi is a Member of our White Collar Support Group that meets online on Zoom on Monday evenings.

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Spending an extended period of time alone can be a good thing. In my case, the forced solitude of federal prison provided me an opportunity to confront the many personal issues I had neglected for years.

FCI El Reno was to be my ‘home’ for 20 months. I self-surrendered in late March 2019. Not surprisingly, I didn’t want to be there, but there was nothing to be done about that. I was at the Camp. It was not a physically threatening environment but I didn’t press my luck. That said, prison was an extremely difficult experience. For me, and for many of the men I served time with, the worst aspect of our prison sentence was the isolation from children, family and close friends (those who remained).

I think about my time at El Reno almost daily. I’m very grateful it’s behind me. Yet strangely, there are things I miss, namely the unspoken bond that forms between those who share a common hardship. I was in the company of other men struggling with issues similar to my own. We shared these burdens with each other within our small group.

My first month at ‘The El Reno Resort and Spa’ (it was none of those things) flew by. There was so much to get accustomed to and to learn. It was as if I was dropped into a strange world where the language, customs and culture I knew no longer applied. Every day brought something new.

By the time summer came, I was pretty well acclimated and I found myself in the middle of a very real identity crisis. I was at one of the lowest points I had ever been. I felt trapped in my own head, and was trapped behind bars. My days were consumed with existential questions: How did I get here? Why did I get here? Who am I, really? Do I have any redeeming value to my children, my family, to anyone?

An unspoken fear of many who are incarcerated is that ‘people and events’ will conspire and you will never be allowed to leave. The prison rumor mill (inmate.com) was full of these tales. Such fears are silly and irrational to those looking in from the outside, but when you’re inside they feel very real. When I finally understood the truth, that my incarceration was not indefinite, and it would come to an end by December 2020, I began working though the issues and choices that brought me to that place. Slowly I began rebuilding my self-esteem, my self-worth, who I was, and who I will be.

Wayne Dyer said “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” As my rebuilding process unfolded I began to pay close attention to the good in my life and in the small things that previously went unnoticed. I found gratitude, a sense of normalcy and a little peace of mind.

Across highway 66 from the prison there is a huge wind farm. For a time I barely gave it a second look but it became an unending source of fascination for me. There are hundreds of turbines as far as the eye can see. The blades on all the turbines move in unison. Hundreds of blades moving together like gigantic swiss watches, keeping perfect time. When I focused on it, as I often did, I was mesmerized. I also realized that the direction of the turbines depends upon which way the wind is blowing (common sense, I know). Their directional movements were a mystery to me. One minute they were facing north, 10 minutes later they were facing west. So cool. And each structure is built in near perfect alignment with each other, one behind the next, and the next and the next, like a giant chess board. And depending on the time of day and the weather conditions, the visual effects could be stunning. When a storm would move in from the west or the north, which they often did, I would watch the structures slowly disappear, one by one by one, into the heavy cloud cover. It seemed like each day brought me a new revelation.

El Reno also has its own municipal airport, which isn’t unusual for Oklahoma. All sorts of planes would fly in and out. Small, single prop planes were the most frequent. They are a useful tool oil companies use for visual inspections of pipelines and drilling sites. These planes, and others, are easy to identify by sight but what I found fun was listening to the different engine sounds. High pitch or low, high revs/low revs, prop or jet. Sometimes I would sit on one of the outside benches, or lay on the warm cement of the abandoned tennis court, eyes closed, as the sound of the engine would soothe whatever was on my mind. Occasionally a certain engine sound would remind me of the many times I was on the beach in Sea Isle City, New Jersey and I would visualize a bi-plane flying by with it’s banner tow. All that was missing was the sound of the sea gulls and the waves, which my imagination gladly supplied.

Some mornings, if the breeze was just right, I knew they were cooking bacon behind the fence at the medium security facility. I love bacon. It wasn’t served to us lowly Campers. It made me think of home.

I learned to identify certain people’s footfalls on the walking track, sight unseen.

I enjoyed watching the feral cats hunting in the nearby field.

The smell of diesel fumes would let me know the back-up generators were running.

I knew it was noon when the town would test it’s tornado sirens.

I could tell by smell if there was a nearby brush fire (and the Camp fire crew would soon be called out).

And at all times of the day I would catch a whiff of burning tobacco coming from behind the out-buildings near the walking track.

I became strangely attached to these small things. They were all part of my ‘new normal’ existence.

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Lately I have been thinking about the things that bring joy and gratitude to my life right now. There is the most obvious – being home. Now I am able to be truly present for my children, grandchildren, and family. There is more: helping fellow travelers during their CJ journey, a job that helps to support our household, receiving a phone call, cooking, food shopping, fabric softener (if you’ve been to prison you’ll understand), or watching my garden grow.

In the years I was dealing with my prosecution and the run up to prison I often lost sight, perhaps understandably, of what I should be grateful for. My prison journey gave me the chance to find peace and gratitude in small things, in a very strange place. Perhaps I could have learned this lesson without going to prison, but I’ll never know for sure. Regardless, I have a deep sense of gratitude that I am able to recognize them and enjoy them now.

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Bill Livolsi is a Life Coach supporting the white collar justice community and a volunteer with Progressive Prison Ministries. He helps men and women facing prosecution for white collar and non-violent crimes navigate their journey – including rebuilding their lives after prison. He was prosecuted for a white collar crime and spent 13 months in Federal prison. Bill can be reached at whitecollarcoaching.com.

White Collar Support Group 250th Meeting Reflections: Fellow Traveler Bill Livolsi, Oklahoma

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Bill Livolsi is a member of our White Collar Support Group that meets online on Zoom on Monday evenings. We will celebrate our 250th weekly meeting on Monday, March 29, 2021, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT; all Fellow Travelers are invited.

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Many reading this know the fear of seeing their name on a federal  indictment. Many also know the fear and anxiety of standing before a US magistrate judge having to answer the question “How do you plead?” I crossed these thresholds in Dec 2013 and Jan 2014. It was then that I began to understand that the world as I knew it would be forever changed. Thankfully I found Jeff Grant and his ministry soon after.

Many have shared their gratitude for Jeff and the community he has created for men and women like us. I’ve written previously, here and here, about meeting Jeff and how he has helped me countless times to navigate this journey. 

The first White Collar Support Group meeting I attended was in May, 2016 (the WCSG’s 2nd meeting!). Having previously been sentenced to 24 months incarceration in April 2015, I was on deferred reporting status while my co-defendant was serving their time. I don’t remember much of the details of what we discussed that night, but I do remember feeling relieved at the openness of those in attendance and their willingness to welcome me to the community. And as I reflect back on the weeks, months and years since that first meeting I have become more at ease, more willing to share my experiences, made some wonderful friendships, and I have learned the skills to be of help those who need it.  

This time last year, I was 12 months into my sentence. One morning I received an email (Federal prison camps have email systems called Corrlinks) from Jeff letting me know that in a few weeks our group would be celebrating its 200th meeting. And while we both knew that I wouldn’t be able to attend, I wasn’t sad, quite the opposite. Jeff’s email was a wonderful reminder that our community was still there for me.

I look forward to celebrating our 250th meeting with everyone on March 29, 2021. Congratulations all!

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White Collar Week Podcast: An Evening with Our White Collar Support Group. The support group meeting on this podcast is different than most, because all of the 16 group members appearing have agreed to share their names, faces and very personal stories in an effort to reach out to individuals and families suffering in silence. All on the podcast are post-sentencing or back from prison. Watch on YouTube, Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud, link here.

 

USA Today: Ex-offenders Struggle to Find Jobs Amid Pandemic, feat. Our Friends Bill Livolsi & Richard Bronson

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Congratulations to our friends Bill Livolsi and Richard Bronson on being featured in this article in USA Today. Bill is a member of our White Collar Support Group that meets on Monday evenings. Richard was a recent guest on our podcast, White Collar Week. PS Nice “mug shot” Bill! – Jeff

 

 

USA Today: Ex-offenders Struggle to Find Jobs Amid Pandemic, feat. Our Friends Bill Livolsi & Richard Bronson

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Congratulations to our friends Bill Livolsi and Richard Bronson on being featured in this article in USA Today. Bill is a member of our White Collar Support Group that meets on Monday evenings. Richard was a recent guest on our podcast, White Collar Week. PS Nice “mug shot” Bill! – Jeff

 
 

White Collar Week with Jeff Grant, Podcast Episode 01: 16 Members of Our White Collar Support Group Tell Their Stories

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White Collar Week with Jeff Grant

It’s the Isolation that Destroys Us. The Solution is in Community.

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Podcast Ep. 01: An Evening with Our White Collar Support Group

This is a very special podcast – we have on 16 members of our White Collar Support Group that meets on Zoom on Monday nights, 7 pm Eastern, 4 pm Pacific. We have held over 200 weekly meetings and they get better each week as we come out of isolation and into a supportive community that truly cares about one another. We have welcomed over 200 support group members along the way!

But the support group meeting on this podcast is a little different than most, because everyone appearing has agreed to share their names, faces and very personal stories in an effort to reach out to individuals and families suffering in silence. We’ve never done anything like this before as a group, but we feel the cause is so important that it was worth the risk.

I know you will learn to love and respect every member you see or hear on this podcast as much as I do. – Jeff

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

Listen on Spotify:

Listen on SoundCloud:

 

 Watch on YouTube:

 

Guests on this Episode Include:

Jacqueline Polverari, MBA, MSW was a Social Worker for over 10 years and a partner in a large Title Company for over 15 years.  As an entrepreneur, Jacqueline had reached new limits of her career as an experienced professional with proven success in business and mentoring environments when a series of poor choices led her to a federal indictment and a sentence of almost a year in Danbury Federal Prison Camp for Women. After her release, Jacqueline entered a new phase of her life researching in depth about Mental Health, Crime and Criminal Justice while correlating it to reentry services.  This clearly grew into her passion after she had faced the many challenges of reentry.  It is clear to her that there is a lack of resources for reentry and there is a need for change.  She is working and advocating to be part of a change to come by dedicating herself to help fix this broken criminal justice system. Jacqueline is currently an integral part in helping women prepare for entry and reentry of the Federal Prison System both psychologically and spiritually through mental health services and education of the system.  She has founded Evolution Family Reentry Services and is currently building resources by establishing nurturing partnerships with professionals in the mental health fields as well as employers and career placement agencies to help women and their families who face career barriers as they re-enter into society.  You can reach Jacqueline at: http://www.evolutionreentry.com/.


Jeffrey Abramowitz, J.D. is the Executive Director of Reentry Services for JEVS Human Services and Program Director of Looking Forward Philadelphia. Jeff was a 2018 Fellow for Justleadership USA, and has most recently served as the Director of Student Services & Workforce Development for Community Learning Center. Jeff was a trial lawyer in Philadelphia before poor choices in life and his professional career resulted in acceptance of responsibility and a five-year sentence in the federal prison system. Entering the criminal justice system allowed Jeff the opportunity to see the world with a new pair of glasses and find his passion for education and workforce development. In the short 4.5 years since Jeff has been home he has worked with over 4,000 individuals, spoken and lectured across the country to educators, administrators, communities, and those touched by our criminal justice system. Jeff  proudly sits on the Executive Board of the Coalition on Basic Adult Education, COABE, where he serves as the chair of the Literacy Behind and Beyond the Walls Committee, was appointed to the Pennsylvania Reentry Council and serves as Chairman of the Employment Committee and Co-chairs the Reentry Committee for the PA Workforce Development Board. Jeff is active in the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition. Jeff serves on the board of directors of Community Forgiveness & Restoration, a member of NationSwell Council, and Advisory Board Member of Philadelphia Petey Greene Program. Jeff  is presently a LINCS Reviewer, Literacy Information & Communication System, Resource Collection, for the Department of Education, and serves on the National Association of State Directors of Education, Barbara Bush Foundation Criminal Justice Work Group. Jeff is the producer and host of the award-winning weekly radio show “Looking Forward” on Philly Cam Radio WPPM 106.5FM.  Jeffrey is a writer, keynote speaker and lecturer around the country on issues of adult education, workforce development and criminal justice. Jeff can be reached at: jeffrey.abramowitz@jevs.org.
  

Joseph Grmovsek is the subject of the educational-documentary film Collared and is the first and still ONLY person in Canadian history to serve a Federal sentence of imprisonment for insider trading. He is currently the Program Director for Restorative Justice Housing Ontario, a charity that finds safe homes for elderly ex-prisoners, as well as a public speaker on issues of restorative justice and white-collar crime prevention. He can be contacted through his website CollaredConsulting.com.

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You can find all episodes of our podcast “White Collar Week with Jeff Grant” on our website prisonist.org, our Facebook page, Podbean, YouTube (video), SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

 

Details and Links for this Podcast…

Information About our White Collar Support Group…

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All Episodes:

Link here to Podcast Ep. 29, Guests: The Entrepreneurs, David Israel & Spencer Oberg

Link here to Podcast Ep. 28, Guests: The Investigators, Kelly Paxton & Brian Willingham

Link here to Podcast Ep. 27, The Addicted Lawyer, Guest: Brian Cuban

Link here to Podcast Ep. 26, Oppression & Identity, Guests: Jaco & Leslie Theron

Link here to Podcast Ep. 25, Ex-Philadelphia D.A., Seth Williams, Part Two

Link here to Podcast Ep. 24, Ex-Philadelphia D.A., Seth Williams, Part One

Link here to Podcast Ep. 23, The Vanishing Trial, Robert Katzberg

Link here to Podcast Ep. 22: The Goddess, with Guest: Babz Rawls Ivy

Link here to Podcast Ep. 21: All Things SBA, PPP & EIDL, with Guest: Hannah Smolinski, CPA, Virtual CFO

Link here to Podcast Ep. 20: Glenn E. Martin & Richard Bronson: Reinventing Yourself After Prison

Link here to Podcast Ep. 19: Insider Trading Charges Dismissed, with Guest Richard Lee

Link here to Podcast Ep. 18: Is Your Life a Movie? The Producers, with Guests: Lydia B. Smith, Bethany Jones & Will Nix

Link here to Podcast Ep. 17: #TruthHeals: Systemic Abuse & Institutional Reform with Vanessa Osage, feat. Guest Co-Host Chloe Coppola

Link here to Podcast Ep. 16: Politicians, Prison & Penitence, with Guest: Bridgeport, CT Mayor Joseph Ganim

Link here to Podcast Ep. 15: A Brave Talk About Suicide, with Guests Bob Flanagan, Elizabeth Kelley, & Meredith Atwood

Link here to Podcast Ep. 14: Recovery & Neighborhood, with Guest: TNP’s Tom Scott

Link here to Podcast Ep. 13: Everything but Bridgegate, with Guest: Bill Baroni

Link here to Podcast Ep. 12: The Truth Tellers, with Guests: Holli Coulman & Larry Levine

Link here to Podcast Ep. 11: The Blank Canvas, with Guest: Craig Stanland

Link here to Podcast Ep. 10: The Ministers, with Guests: Father Joe Ciccone & Father Rix Thorsell

Link here to Podcast Ep. 09: Small Business Edition, with Guest: Taxgirl Kelly Phillips Erb

Link here to Podcast Ep. 08: The Academics, with Guests: Cathryn Lavery, Jessica Henry, Jay Kennedy & Erin Harbinson

Link here to Podcast Ep. 07: White Collar Wives. with Guests: Lynn Springer, Cassie Monaco & Julie Bennett. Special Guest: Skylar Cluett

Link here to Podcast Ep. 06: Madoff Talks, with Guest: Jim Campbell

Link here to Podcast Ep. 05: Trauma and Healing when Mom goes to Prison, with Guests: Jacqueline Polverari and Her Daughters, Alexa & Maria

Link here to Podcast Ep. 04: One-on-One with Tipper X: Tom Hardin

Link here to Podcast Ep. 03: Compassionate Lawyering: Guests, Chris Poulos, Corey Brinson, Bob Herbst & George Hritz

Link here to Podcast Ep. 02: Substance Abuse & Recovery During COVID-19: Guests, Trevor Shevin & Joshua Cagney

Link here to Podcast Ep. 01: An Evening with Our White Collar Support Group: 16 of Our Support Group Members Tell Their Stories

Link here to Podcast Ep. 00: White Collar Week with Jeff Grant: What is White Collar Week?

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What is the White Collar Justice Community?

Welcome to White Collar Week with Jeff Grant, a podcast serving the white collar justice community. It’s the isolation that destroys us. The solution is in community.

If you are interested in this podcast, then you are probably already a member of the white collar justice community – even if you don’t quite know it yet.  Our community is certainly made up of people being prosecuted, or who have already been prosecuted, for white collar crimes. But it is also made up of the spouses, children and families of those prosecuted for white collar crimes – these are the first victims of white collar crime. And the community also consists of the other victims, both direct and indirect, and those in the wider white collar ecosystem like friends, colleagues, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, law enforcement, academics, researchers. Investigators, mitigation experts, corrections officers, reentry professionals, mental health care professionals, drug and alcohol counselors, – and ministers, chaplains and advocates for criminal and social justice reform. The list goes on and on…

Our mission is to introduce you to other members of the white collar justice community, to hear their very personal stories, and hopefully gain a broader perspective of what this is really all about. Maybe this will inspire some deeper thoughts and introspection? Maybe it will inspire some empathy and compassion for people you might otherwise resent or dismiss? And maybe it will help lift us all out of our own isolation and into community, so we can learn to live again in the sunshine of the spirit.

Along the way, I’ll share with you some of the things I’ve learned in my own journey from successful lawyer, to prescription opioid addict, white collar crime, suicide attempt, disbarment, destruction of my marriage, and the almost 14 months I served in a Federal prison. And also my recovery, love story I share with my wife Lynn Springer, after prison earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, pastoring in an inner city church in Bridgeport CT, and then co-founding with Lynn in Greenwich CT, Progressive Prison Ministries, the world’s first ministry serving the white collar justice community. It’s been quite a ride, but I firmly believe that the best is yet to come.

So I invite you to come along with me as we experience something new, and bold, and different – a podcast that serves the entire white collar justice community. I hope you will join me.

Blessings, לשלום

Jeff

Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div. (he, him, his) 
Co-founder, Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., Greenwich CT & Nationwide
Host, White Collar Week
Mailing: P.O. Box 1, Woodbury, CT 06798
Website: prisonist.org
Email: jgrant@prisonist.org

Office: 203-405-6249
Donations (501c3): http://bit.ly/donate35T9kMZ

Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/jeff-grant-woodbury-ct/731344

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/revjeffgrant

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Thank you for listening to White Collar Week.

Please subscribe, rate and review the podcast if you loved it – it helps others suffering in silence find us if they need us!

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Follow White Collar Week on Social:

Web: https://prisonist.org/white-collar-week

Facebook: https://facebook.com/whitecollarweek

Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitecollarweek

Instagram: https://instagram.com/whitecollarweek

LinkedIn: https://linkedin/whitecollarweek

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Follow Jeff Grant on Social:

Web: https://prisonist.org

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/revjeffgrant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/revjeffgrant

Instagram: https://instagram.com/revjeffgrant

LinkedIn: https://linkedin/revjeffgrant

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Want to be a guest on the Show? Have a connection you’d like to make?

Email us! info@prisonist.org

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Credits:

Host: Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div.

Audio Engineering: George Antonios: https://georgeantonios.com

Video Engineering:

Webmaster: GreySkye Marketing, Inc.

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It’s the Isolation that Destroys Us. The Solution is in Community.

Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is the world’s first ministry supporting the white collar justice community. Founded by husband and wife, Jeff Grant and Lynn Springer in Greenwich CT in 2012, we incorporated as a nonprofit in Connecticut in 2014, and received 501(c)(3) status in 2015.  Jeff has over three decades of experience in crisis management, business, law (former), reentry, recovery (clean & sober 17+ years), and executive and religious leadership. As Jeff was incarcerated for a white-collar crime he committed in 2001, he and Lynn have a first-hand perspective on the trials and tribulations that white-collar families have to endure as they navigate the criminal justice system and life beyond.

Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is nonsectarian, serving those of all faiths, or no faith whatsoever. To date we have helped over three hundred fifty (350) individuals, and their families, to accept responsibility for their actions and to acknowledge the pain they have caused to others.  In accordance with our commitment to restorative justice, we counsel our members to make amends as a first step in changing their lives and moving towards a new spiritual way of living centered on hope, care, compassion, tolerance, empathy and service to others. Our team has grown to over ten people, most with advanced degrees, all of whom are currently volunteering their time and resources.

Progressive Prison Ministries’ goal is to provide spiritual solutions and emotional support to those who are feeling alone, isolated, and hopeless. We have found that these individuals are suffering from a void but are stuck, and don’t know what to do about it. Our objective is to help them find a path to a healthy, spirit-filled place on the other side of what may seem like insurmountable problems. Many of those we counsel are in a place where their previous lives have come to an end due to their transgressions. In many cases their legal problems have led to divorce, estrangement from their children, families, friends and support communities, and loss of a career. The toll this takes on individuals and families is emotionally devastating. White-collar crimes are often precipitated by other issues in the offenders’ lives such as alcohol or drug abuse, and/or a physical or mental illness that lead to financial issues that overwhelms their ability to be present for themselves and their families and cause poor decision making. We recognize that life often presents us with such circumstances, sometimes which lead us to make mistakes in violation of the law.

All conversations and communications between our ordained ministry, and licensed clinical relationships, and those we serve fall under state privilege laws. This is one reason that attorneys often allow and encourage their clients to maintain relationships with us while in active prosecution or litigation situations.I

f you, a friend, family member, colleague or client are suffering from a white collar criminal justice issue or are experiencing some other traumatic or life-altering event, and would like to find a path to a healthy, spirit-filled place on the other side of what seems like insurmountable problems, please contact us to schedule an initial call or appointment.

Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved, Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.,

An Invitation to Join a Growing Community of Men and Women who have Faced, or are Facing, Prosecution for White Collar Crimes, by Bill Livolsi, Oklahoma

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Bill Livolsi was recently released from a Federal prison to home confinement due to COVID-19. He is a member of our White Collar Support Group that meets online on Zoom on Monday evenings, 7:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm CT, 5:00 pm MT, 4:00 pm PT. We celebrated our 200th consecutive weekly online meeting on Monday, April 13, 2020.

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Dear Friends:

This is an invitation to join a growing community of men and women who have faced, or are facing, prosecution for white collar crimes. 

Every Monday evening, I attend a White Collar Support Group on ZOOM. We are a very diverse group, all sharing a common bond, in varying stages of our journey. We share the good and the bad, our struggles and our successes, and what we have learned, all with a focus on compassion and accountability, in a supportive and spiritual setting.

Although the lens is spiritual, we get real in a hurry as we are all in the midst of the most difficult challenges of our lives. Most of us have lost our careers, our friends and our families, some of us were subjected to relentless press coverage, and we were all ostracized from our communities.

Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D, M.Div. mentors our group. He has traveled the road we are on. I encourage you to read Jeff’s story.

I met Jeff in 2013, a few months into dealing with a federal indictment for wire fraud. I was confused at what I was facing, and scared at the thought of what this would do to my family, especially my youngest children who were 9 and 11 years old at the time. My children were soon likely to lose both their parents to federal prison. 

The first time Jeff and I spoke, I had just dropped off the kids at school and was sitting in my car in the Wal-Mart parking lot where I wouldn’t be disturbed. Jeff answered my call and I nervously introduced myself. I realized fairly quickly that Jeff was someone who could help me find some of the answers I was seeking. We talked for at least 90 minutes that morning.

Whether it was discussing how best to talk to the children about our situation; setting up a support system for them in school and in private counseling; talking thru the various aspects of dealing with the criminal justice system and what to expect before, during and after; never once did he rush me off or make me feel that my issues were unimportant. Jeff has helped me in so many ways since that first call. In fact, it was Jeff who suggested that my attorney request staggered sentences for my wife and me (which the judge approved).

Since that first call we’ve talked about life in prison and starting over afterwards, maintaining a marriage while incarcerated, and the importance of forgiveness, just to name a few. I value Jeff’s advice because he always gives a straight answer and I can always count on it being true to his experience.

Eventually, in 2015, I was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. My report date was deferred until 2019, while my wife served her time. This time was invaluable; as I was able to raise my children from early childhood to the wonderful teenagers they are today. The most difficult thing I ever faced was saying goodbye to my children and family and walking into R&D at El Reno. Even as I took those steps, and began serving my sentence, Jeff and his ministry were there for me.

Six weeks ago, a little over one year into my sentence, I gained early release as a result of the CARES Act. I’m back home in Tulsa now, living with my children and loving every moment. That’s not to say I don’t face significant challenges. We all do. I am rebuilding extended family relationships, kick-starting a second career, adjusting to the social stigma of being a convicted felon, and doing what I can to reestablish ties to my community.

I was eager to rejoin Jeff and the support group that he has built. After clearing participation with my P.O., I was on the ZOOM call the very next Monday evening. Each week I am reminded that I am not alone, that through my participation I can help, and learn, from others, and that despite all the hardships I have so much to be grateful for.

I encourage you contact Jeff. He will send you a link to join us this Monday night @ 7pm eastern (4pm pacific). If you put in the work it will change your life. It might save it too.

I hope to see you there. 

Sincerely, 

Bill Livolsi, Tulsa, Oklahoma