“Unshackled Ambition: GRIT in Federal Prison”
The ultimate challenge in life is finding a career doing something you love. Here I am at 48, just finishing 11 months in Federal prison at
top of page
My name is Scott Carper, and I created this website and COOPS Weekly (BLOG) to be transparent about my behavior and my experience with the American justice system. The purpose is to share insights from what has been the most terrifying, challenging, and surprisingly rewarding experience of my life. Sharing my journey aligns with my new mission of advocating for justice-impacted individuals.
On February 3rd, 2020—a day I will never forget—I came up with the brilliant idea to cross the Mexican border to buy painkillers. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t my best idea, and things went downhill fast. I was arrested, went to trial, and eventually pled guilty to “lying to a federal officer.” I ended up spending 11 months in Leavenworth prison camp in Kansas, 1,406 miles from my home in California. That’s the short version of a long and complicated story. But if you want to know more (and I hope you do) I’ve shared every part of my experience in the blog section with an article titled “Arrest Story.”
This is going to sound crazy….. but as humiliating and terrible as this experience was, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me. Sometimes, we get lost in life and need help finding our way back. I was lost. Don’t stop now, my journey has just begun
Get to Know Me
Have you ever heard the expression
"smartest dumb guy"?
As brilliant as I am, my friends often wonder how I manage to get myself into some remarkably baffling predicaments. There’s no better example than my trip to the border. Rolling back from Rosarito, Mexico, I faced routine questioning by a border agent. I declared pain medication, but when asked who it was for, I said it was for my mom—not me. That lie led to a guilty plea of "lying to a federal officer." Glamorous, right?
Let me be absolutely clear—there’s a whole saga behind this, a very long story (if you’re interested, you can read about it in the blog "Arrest Story").
But what’s equally important is this: I messed up, big time. I had no business going to Mexico for painkillers; this was entirely my fault.
No matter what anyone thinks about my situation, I’ve taken responsibility, served my time, and completed my sentence.
It took a while after sentencing, but I decided that if I was going to fail this spectacularly, I would use it as an opportunity for growth. I knew my flaws—laziness, entitlement, arrogance, and selfishness. The promise of delivering on commitments, something once paramount to me, had faded. I vowed to turn things around. I vowed that prison would not beat me.
So, I got to work. I rolled up my sleeves and took a job most people in prison avoided—working in the kitchen, cleaning tables, and serving inmates. In under six months, I blitzed through a year-long paralegal program, earning a 95% GPA. I enrolled in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), was elected the RDAP leader (for inmates), graduated, and even gave the commencement speech. I also wrote a weekly newsletter that began as a way to share my experiences with a small group of family and friends and grew into something read by thousands of people across the country. It’s even opened doors to some incredible opportunities.
My journey took me from Leavenworth to a halfway house in Fresno, California, and home confinement with a bulky ankle monitor in Sacramento, California. On January 12, 2024, my ankle monitor was removed, and I am working hard to rebuild the relationships I damaged. I’m beyond grateful for the unwavering support of friends and family every step of the way. I’m not “fixed,” but I’ve made incredible strides, and I’ve found a renewed sense of purpose and happiness. I’ve reminded myself what I’m capable of.
I will once again be the friend and son I aspire to be. I will once again be a force to be reckoned with. I know it will be hard—after all, I now bear the lifetime scarlet letter of a federal felon. But I’m excited to have my life back, and I’m excited to move forward.
In total I ended up spending 11 months at the Leavenworth prison camp in Kansas.
EVERY WEEK since I was incarcerated (up until I was off Home Confinement) I have written a newsletter (They are ALL below in my blog section). Through my newsletter, I have described my experience in prison with brutal honesty. Writing has become a way for me to process my experiences and emotions, and it also gave me a sense of purpose. I realized that I wanted to continue writing and sharing my thoughts with others, even after I left prison (Halfway House & Home Confinement). I want people to know what it is truly like to go through this experience (the good & bad). If you are curious about what your experience will be like in prison....READ THIS.
