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Economist
Larry Levine
Prison News Stories
How not to get stuck in jail.
Apr 23rd 2009 | WASHINGTON, DC
From the Economist Print edition
A service for some of our readers?
fraud of Bernard Madoff to books-fiddling at Satyam. But what is bad news for most
people means more business for Larry Levine, the founder of Wall Street Prison
Consultants, which teaches white-collar criminals how to survive prison.
Mr Levine, a former private investigator,
knows whereof he speaks: he spent ten years
shuttling between 11 federal prisons on
charges related to narcotics, obstruction of
justice and securities fraud. He remains
under supervised parole, which means he
must conduct all of his business by telephone
(passing time in the company of other
convicted felons is a parole violation, and
would result in his returning to jail). He calls
himself a jailhouse litigator (“jailhouse
lawyer”, he explains, “sounds cheap”)
Long stretches in his prisons’ law libraries left
him more familiar with the Byzantine rules of
America’s federal prison system than most
wardens.
He first made something of that knowledge towards the end of his sentence, in 2005,
when he sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of about 100 terrified white-collar
prisoners who were transferred en masse from a minimum-security prison (the type
derisively called “Club Fed”) to a low-security prison where they shared space with gang
members and other violent criminals.
Hundreds of terrified fraudsters later, Mr Levine’s business is thriving. Starting at $999
per consultation, he advises criminals on all aspects of prison life. How can you advance
your release date? Many prisoners suddenly discover, post-conviction, that they had a
drinking problem (participating in rehab shaves time off sentences). Where should you
look for friends? Do not cross racial lines—many federal prisons are so segregated that
they have “black” telephones and “white” telephones—and do not make friends with a
“rat”, or known informant. What about prison etiquette? Do not sit on another inmate’s
bunk without being invited to do so, do not change the television channel when someone
else is watching and do not jump in line. Show respect to everyone (Mr Levine cautions
that reaching across someone’s tray at the dining hall is a good way to get yourself
“stuck”, or stabbed).
leaving prison alive. Thieves rank low in prison hierarchy, and he reckons that other
inmates whose families have been hurt by the downturn will blame Mr Madoff. “You rob a
bank, that’s cool,” he explains. “Someone defrauded an insurance company, and he’s
cool. The worst thing you can be in prison is a thief who steals from people, and Bernie
stole from people.”