Crookd Crown Publishing authors Brandon D. Cox and Jermaine F. Ferguson share a meaningful moment with Minnesota DOC leadership during the first Cuts for Vets event at MCF-Stillwater.
Some milestones are measured in awards, book sales, or public recognition. Others are measured by the conversations that become possible because someone had the courage to tell a story.
On September 14, 2026, Brandon D. Cox and Jermaine F. Ferguson experienced one of those moments.
During the first Cuts for Vets event at Minnesota Correctional Facility–Stillwater, the co-authors of It Just Works: Real Stories & Behavioral Science From the Earned Living Unit had the privilege of participating in a day dedicated to service, community connection, and honoring veterans.
The event welcomed veterans into the facility to receive haircuts from incarcerated barbers, creating an opportunity for men behind the walls to use their skills in service of others.
For Brandon and Jermaine, the day also became an unexpected milestone in their journey as authors, community leaders, and advocates for meaningful rehabilitation.
A Moment Bigger Than the Book
Throughout the event, Brandon and Jermaine had the opportunity to connect with Minnesota Department of Corrections leadership, including Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff Safia Khan, Stillwater Corrections Captain Mercedes L. Salas, and Commissioner Paul Schnell.
They shared copies of It Just Works, autographed books, and engaged in meaningful conversations about leadership, rehabilitation, accountability, and the positive changes taking place within Stillwater’s Earned Living Unit (ELU).
For two men who have spent years working toward personal transformation while helping others do the same, these moments carried significance far beyond a photograph or a signed book.
They represented an opportunity for the experiences of incarcerated men to become part of a larger conversation.
The greatest reward of writing It Just Works isn't seeing our names on its cover. It's watching the men behind its pages finally have their voices heard.
The authors are grateful to DOC leadership for taking the time to engage with their work and recognize the contributions being made within the ELU.
Why It Just Works Was Written
It Just Works was never intended to be simply another book about prison.
It was created to document the lived experiences of men inside the Earned Living Unit at MCF-Stillwater and explore the behavioral science behind the environment they are helping build.
Through firsthand stories, personal accountability, peer leadership, and community responsibility, the book examines what can happen when incarcerated people are given meaningful opportunities to participate in their own growth and contribute to the well-being of others.
Brandon and Jermaine did not set out to become the sole voices of this project.
They became vessels for the men around them—individuals whose experiences, struggles, insights, and transformations deserve to be heard.
The book asks readers to consider an important question:
What becomes possible when rehabilitation is not simply something people are told to pursue, but something they are given the environment and opportunity to practice every day?
The stories within It Just Works offer a firsthand perspective on that question.
From Rehabilitation to Service: The Power of the Earned Living Unit
The Cuts for Vets event demonstrated another dimension of what rehabilitation can look like.
Incarcerated barbers were able to put their skills to work for veterans, creating a meaningful exchange between people inside the facility and members of the outside community.
It was an opportunity to contribute, connect, and be of service.
These experiences matter because rehabilitation involves more than avoiding negative behavior. It also involves developing the skills, relationships, values, and sense of responsibility that help people make positive contributions.
Within the Earned Living Unit, men are working to build a community centered on accountability, respect, personal growth, leadership, and service.
The September 14 event offered another opportunity to put those values into action.
Community is not simply something we hope to return to. It is something we can begin building wherever we are.
Crookd Crown Publishing: Books With Purpose
For Crookd Crown Publishing, this milestone reflects a mission that extends beyond writing and selling books.
Founded on the belief that personal experiences can become tools for education, empowerment, and positive change, the publishing company connects entrepreneurship, personal development, rehabilitation, and community investment through its three books.
Hustle Reimagined: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Beating the Odds explores entrepreneurship, resilience, and the ability to build opportunity despite adversity.
The 8 Laws of Hustle: The New Psychology of Self-Made Success provides a personal development framework rooted in accountability, mindset, discipline, and intentional growth.
It Just Works brings together lived experience and behavioral science to document the work taking place within the Earned Living Unit.
Each project serves a different purpose, but all three share a common mission: turning knowledge and lived experience into opportunities for others.
That mission is reflected in Crookd Crown Publishing’s giving-back commitments.
All net proceeds from Hustle Reimagined and The 8 Laws of Hustle are pledged to Boys & Girls Clubs. Net proceeds from It Just Works are divided equally, with 50% supporting Boys & Girls Clubs and 50% supporting initiatives within the Earned Living Unit.
The goal is to connect rehabilitation inside prison with investment in young people and stronger communities outside.
Carrying the Stories Into Rooms We Cannot Enter
One of the most important goals behind It Just Works is to get the book into the hands of legislators, policymakers, corrections professionals, educators, and community leaders.
Brandon and Jermaine understand that their circumstances limit their ability to participate physically in many of the conversations taking place outside prison.
Their stories, however, do not have to remain confined by those same limitations.
Every book shared creates another opportunity for someone to hear directly from the men living within the ELU and consider what their experiences can contribute to conversations about rehabilitation and community.
The September 14 event was a meaningful example of that mission in action.
What began as a book written behind prison walls became an opportunity to sit with leadership, share firsthand experiences, and discuss the work taking place within the Earned Living Unit.
Some of us cannot enter every room where important conversations happen. Our stories can.
A Moment of Gratitude—and a Reason to Keep Going
Brandon and Jermaine extend their gratitude to the veterans, incarcerated barbers, event organizers, DOC leadership, and everyone who helped make the first Cuts for Vets event possible.
They are especially grateful for the opportunity to share It Just Works with Safia Khan, Mercedes Salas, and Commissioner Paul Schnell, and for the meaningful conversations surrounding leadership, rehabilitation, and positive change.
These moments are humbling reminders that the work being done within the Earned Living Unit has the potential to reach people far beyond the men who experience it firsthand.
For Crookd Crown Publishing, the mission continues: document the stories, amplify the voices, create opportunities, invest in youth, and help bring the conversation about rehabilitation into communities everywhere.
We didn't write It Just Works simply to tell people rehabilitation is possible. We wrote it to show them what it looks like when it's happening.
And with every conversation, every shared story, and every opportunity to serve, that purpose continues to reach beyond the walls.
About the Authors
Brandon D. Cox and Jermaine F. Ferguson are the co-authors of It Just Works: Real Stories & Behavioral Science From the Earned Living Unit, published by Crookd Crown Publishing.
Their work documents the lived experiences of men inside MCF-Stillwater’s Earned Living Unit while exploring accountability, behavioral science, leadership, community, and meaningful rehabilitation.
Learn more about the book and Crookd Crown Publishing:
crookdcrownpublishing.com
Media and partnership inquiries:
Kelly Brace
crookdcrowndirect@gmail.com