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Jesse Jackson Jr. Is Making Good Use of His Time in Prison

Former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has written two books while behind bars.

Jesse Jackson Jr. has been keeping busy while serving his two-and-a-half year prison sentence. Currently finishing his term at the Maxwell Air Force Base federal prison, the former congressman has written two books: The Last Campaign: A Memoir and The Tao of Jesus Christ.

And, AL.com reports, Jackson also has crafted a plan for prison reform and is calling for presidential pardons to all offenders who have served their time. He reportedly was transferred to the Alabama facility from the Butner Federal Prison in North Carolina after a guard took issue with his informing his fellow prisoners of their rights.

Jackson told AL.com that "the work he did with those inmates" was an important part of his "social experiments with the truth regarding the system."

Jackson, who pleaded guilty of misusing $750,000 in campaign funds, also has reached a deal to pay $550,000 in restitution by refinancing one of his homes, the Chicago Tribune reports.  He and his wife, Sandi, a former Chicago alderman who pleaded guilty to filing false tax reforms, own homes in Chicago and Washington, D.C. The couple already has repaid $200,000 of the money they spent on items ranging from dry cleaning and groceries to luxury goods, including a Rolex watch and furs.

Soon after Jackson is released on Dec. 31, 2015, Sandi Jackson will begin serving her one-year sentence.

Follow Joyce Jones on Twitter: @BETpolitichick.

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(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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