The majority of correctional students of English as a second language (ESL) in Maryland come to school with limited formal education in their first language. Education has not been prioritized, and formal writing ability is absent. It then becomes a challenge to motivate students to successful writing, as is required by the state. ESL students at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup have found success as beginning writers by using a product approach to writing, and this article documents the step-by-step instruction used in the ESL class. Included herein are samples of one student's progress and writing ability during his first year. Although the product approach is no longer used in mainstream education classes, it allows low-literacy students to achieve success early in their literacy education. This success is important in a nontraditional environment where students are passive learners, have low self-confidence in the academic environment, and struggle for perfection.