A self-help book, Board Preparation: With New Perspectives Comes New Insight is written by Brad Kohler, Ph.D., a former lifer. This book is a tool to be used in conjunction with other aspects of preparing an inmate to go before the Board of Parole Hearings to be found suitable to parole. Kohler includes his personal experience as well as introspection activities and advice.

This book is designed to assist individuals who are serious in changing their lives to become the contributing member of society they should have been prior to the commitment offense. The Board has an outline that it goes by to conduct the hearing. The information provided herein is an aggregation of input and experience from lifers who made the life decision to actively participate in recovery in preparation of a free life in the future.

About the Author

During his 15 years to life sentence, Dr. Brad Kohler participated in and taught a plethora of self-help classes while he pursued his education and freedom. In those classes he was fortunate to interact with and befriend many like-minded lifers whose goal was not to just be found suitable, but to genuinely change to become pro-social contributors to society. This book is for inmates still yearning to be found suitable for release, as he was in 2016 after serving less than 14.5 years on a 15 to life sentence.

During his time, he continued his schooling by utilizing both the generosity of his mother and the programs available to California inmates such as the Board of Governor’s (BOG) waiver and other programs at his specific facilities. He entered prison at the age of 20 with a single Associate’s Degree and when he paroled at the age of 34, he had earned a total of 9 college degrees including his Ph.D., and in so doing, became the first doctor in his family.

“I congratulate Brad Kohler for his comprehensive, and yet down to earth language, step by step process into guiding inmates through INSIGHT for readiness into their BPH hearing. I engaged in each paragraph, looking forward to reading on, leading me visually through examples of explanation until each part became very clear to me. Mr. Kohler’s BOARD PREPARATION is delightfully refreshing, simple in language and gives inspiring insight.”

- Sister Mary Sean Hodges, Director Partnership for Re-Entry Program (PREP)

“Board Preparation by Brad Kohler, Ph.D. is a how-to for inmates who will be facing a Board of Parole Hearing in order to be released from prison. Dr. Kohler has been there. His detailed advice is like having a good friend who has always had your back, sit you down and tell you the way it is and exactly what steps you need to take to acquire your freedom. The inmate who reads this needs to just trust Dr. Kohler and follow his instructions.”

- Dr. Chaz Austin, Ed.D., Training People To Self-Market For The Gig Economy