# Prison consultant

A prison consultant provides newly convicted criminals with advice on how to cope and survive in the unfamiliar surroundings of prison. Prison consultants may also provide a client's attorney with advice on how to lobby the sentencing judge for a shorter sentence, and how to get a client sentenced to a lower security level prison (the higher a prison's security level, the more violent and dangerous). They may advise white-collar and celebrity criminals, high-level drug dealers and disgraced politicians to help them navigate the society of prison and make the most of their stay.
Consultants charge anywhere from several hundred to many thousands of dollars, with no promises made. Among their past clients have been Lori Loughlin, Bernard Madoff, Michael Milken, Ivan Boesky, Mike Tyson, Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Martha Stewart, Peter Navarro, Steve Bannon, Harvey Weinstein, and Leona Helmsley.

## Practitioners

Becoming a prison consultant requires no formal training or certification, and no agency tracks those in the business. Certifications for prison consultants exist, but none are issued by an accredited entity. Most people who hold themselves out as prison consultants are ex-convicts who, by the nature of their background, are considered to be disreputable. Most prison consultants are sole-practitioners, giving cause for further skepticism.
Despite skepticism, the industry is changing; what first was a service accessed only by the rich and famous, services are increasingly being accepted by middle-class convicts. As the field of practitioners grows, consultants with non-traditional incarceration experience have entered the industry to offer services to those skeptical of solo-practitioners and convicts without verifiable success in custody, including undercover inmates and reality television celebrities from A&E Networks program 60 Days In.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons takes no position on consulting.

## Additional advice

In general, consultants will advise prison-bound clients to keep a low profile and avoid offending other inmates. Offenses can include joining a conversation without an invitation, asking personal questions without a proper cue, and taking liberties with the television (most fights take place in the TV room).
Consultants can help navigate early-release programs and will recommend entry into a drug or alcohol rehab program. Federal prison consultants often educate clients regarding the Residential Drug Abuse Program, a 500-hour program which can reduce a federal sentence up to 12 months.
Clients are warned to expect strip searches and to accept a complete loss of personal control to the guards.
Consultants may also offer advice on other practical matters like how to manage important relationships while incarcerated, like those with your spouse or children.

## Commentary on infamous inmates

Much news and discussion of prison consultants has centered on Bernard Madoff. Herbert J. Hoelter, who advised Madoff, said that Madoff's sentencing to the medium-security Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina was appropriate because the facility is next door to a medical center, and if Madoff became eligible for transfer to a low-security prison, there would be one within the same complex. Hoelter expected that his other clients in Butner would take Madoff under their wing, saying "It's like a buddy system." He thinks Madoff's lengthy term would "give him credibility with other inmates." His advice to Madoff was "It’s a matter of keeping your space and having respect for other people".
A similar story played out for high-profile inmates Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro. Ahead of Navarro reporting to Federal Correctional Institution, Miami, federal prison consultant Sam Mangel, while acknowledging Navarro was "nervous," saying "Anybody, regardless of the length of their sentence, is going into an unknown world," had other currently-incarcerated clients help Navarro "acclimate" to reality behind bars. Along similar lines, Mangel helped Steve Bannon secure special housing for military veterans when he served his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury.