Crime & Enlightenment by Andrew D. Kaufman, Ph.D.

Welcome to Crime and Enlightenment™—a newsletter that begins in jail, but doesn’t stay there. Drawn from my time teaching behind bars, these stories reach outward: toward human connection, the slow work of transformation and the light we find.

By Andrew D. Kaufman

I Was Scammed. My Father's Response Freed Me.

What he gave me was better than advice—and better than money

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Recent posts

I Took a Risk in My Jail Classroom

What it taught me about vulnerability
Apr 2•Andrew D. Kaufman

The Risk That Saved Dostoyevsky

How Anna Dostoyevskaya’s quiet courage reclaimed her husband’s life’s work
Mar 5•Andrew D. Kaufman

Can We Still See the Good?

What a Literature Class in Jail Revealed About Facing Truth Without Turning Away
Jan 28•Andrew D. Kaufman

How Mandela and One Remarkable Prosecutor Proved Redemption Is Possible

Moral courage, radical compassion, and imagining a new way forward
Dec 18, 2025•Andrew D. Kaufman

Staying Human in a Hardening World Matters Now More Than Ever

What a 19th-century marriage and a 21st century jail classroom taught me about courage
Nov 14, 2025•Andrew D. Kaufman

Perspective Shift: Notes from Africa on What Matters Most

Reclaiming joy, wonder, and love
Aug 25, 2025•Andrew D. Kaufman