Thank you for sharing your story. I sometimes write prison inmates serving long sentences. A few do not take advantage of me and do not ask me to bend rules or send money. Some do.

I am writing a young man with seven years to go on a twenty-year sentence. He never asks for favors and advised me against taking a job teaching in prison. He was a troubled kid who made a truly horrible mistake. He is not a sociopath.

Thanks to your article, I will know not to expect anything after his release. In fact, I think he would be better off severing contact because he won't need the reminder of his prison life, which is what I would be.