01/30/2026
I’d like to clarify the purpose of Prison Paralegal. And because all of Prison Paralegal’s viewers and followers are important, I’d like your feedback.
Logistics makes it difficult to effectively assist all the prisoners that need assistance. There are already many excellent organizations and attorneys that are capable of helping more prisoners than I can, and better too. So, I want to explain how I came up with the concept of Prison Paralegal.
While I was in prison I did all my own legal work and became an excellent paralegal. But I was enabled by others outside prison whom I could call upon and have look something up online, or who’d copy, serve, and file documents and pleadings for me. Most of the many others who assisted me were lay people, and not well versed in the law. And then when those others grew older, died, or dropped off, I was severely hindered in my own ability as a paralegal. “If only I had someone that can help me help myself,” I often thought.
After being released from prison, I did not lose sight of my former plight as a prisoner-paralegal, or the many prisoners I left behind. That’s how I came up with the name, “Prison Paralegal.” I wanted to help all the prisoners I left behind, and I still want to assist every prisoner that reaches out to me. In fact, I still directly assist many prisoners with their legal research and writing. But being a so-called “jailhouse lawyer,” “writ-writer,” “legal beagle” or “legal eagle” in prison is different than being a paralegal outside prison. Different laws, rules, jurisdictions, and, logistics.
Accordingly, I believe Prison Paralegal should return to its defining purpose, which was to assist other prisoner-paralegals to better and more effectively help themselves and other prisoners. Prison Paralegal will focus more on providing reliable, relevant, up-to-date prisoner-related legal news, information, resources, and support to prison-paralegals themselves. This does not mean other prisoners can’t use or benefit from Prison Paralegal, but rather will give any prisoner or prisoner-paralegal the tools they need.
Here’s an example of a good tool from our friends at American Bar Association https://bit.ly/4b4CYmT Legal writing is an art that any self-respecting paralegal should learn.
In the second semester of law school, your legal writing course will likely shift from predictive to persuasive writing. You’ll learn how to marshal the strongest arguments in your client’s favor and address opposing arguments.
