Clinical expertise meets lived experience. Dr. Patrick Fisher founded Dr. Prison. Ken Gaughan lived it.
Dr. Prison was founded on a simple idea: the people navigating the federal prison system deserve guidance from a team that combines professional credentials with firsthand experience. That's what we deliver.
Dr. Patrick Fisher is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of clinical experience practicing in Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University, an M.S. in Psychology & Counseling, and is the founder of TheraPetic® Healthcare Provider Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has helped more than 50,000 families.
Dr. Fisher founded Dr. Prison to bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and the real-world experience of navigating the BOP. His professional background in counseling, psychological assessment, and human-animal interaction informs the consulting framework—bringing clinical rigor to a space that desperately needs it.
Ken Gaughan spent 102 months in the federal system: 55 months under pre-sentence supervision, 35 months incarcerated in BOP custody (including time in the Special Housing Unit), and 12 months on home confinement with GPS monitoring. Before his federal case, he served as Director of Counseling Services overseeing mental health support across 95 schools. He is the author of Navigating the Federal Prison System: What I Wish I Knew Before Prison — From Cuffs to Freedom.
Ken experienced every phase of the federal system firsthand—designation anxiety, self-surrender, intake, the daily rhythms of institutional life, disciplinary proceedings, the grievance process, the halfway house, home confinement restrictions, and supervised release. He documented it all in real time on kengaughan.com and turned that experience into the book Navigating the Federal Prison System: What I Wish I Knew Before Prison — From Cuffs to Freedom.
When Ken was preparing to surrender, he couldn't find guidance from anyone who had actually been through it. Plenty of lawyers who knew the legal system. No one who knew what it was really like inside. Dr. Fisher saw the same gap from the clinical side—families in crisis with nowhere to turn for practical, honest guidance.
Together, they provide what neither could alone: clinically informed consulting grounded in real BOP experience.
We believe in complete transparency about what we offer:
What we offer is honest guidance from a team that combines clinical expertise with lived experience. Practical strategies. A willingness to tell you the truth, even when it's hard to hear.
Both written and unwritten. Understanding them—really understanding them, not just reading the handbook—makes the difference between surviving and struggling.
Your family relationships will be tested. How you maintain them during incarceration often determines whether they survive. Communication takes effort and strategy.
Ken earned his DOL electrician certification (6,000+ hours) during incarceration. The time will pass regardless—what you do with it is up to you.
The people who struggle most are often those who walked in unprepared. Knowing what to expect—realistic expectations, not false hope—makes everything more manageable.
Every interaction, every issue, every request should be documented. The grievance system (BP-8/9/10/11) requires it. Protecting yourself requires it.
The transition home—RRC, home confinement, supervised release—is often more difficult than incarceration itself. Most people don't prepare for it adequately.
Free 30-minute consultation to discuss your situation. No obligation.
From clinical authority to lived experience — the books our team has written about navigating federal incarceration.
What I Wish I Knew Before Prison — From Cuffs to Freedom
A practical, plain-language guide for anyone facing federal charges, currently incarcerated, or supporting a loved one through the federal system. Written from 102 months inside.
Part of The Invisible Series
A clinical exploration of the psychological dimensions of incarceration — what families and clinicians need to understand about the unseen weight that incarceration places on a person and the people who love them.
