An addiction to drugs lead to the honorably discharged veteran’s incarceration. While incarcerated, Colbert developed a passion for writing and has contributed to Port of Harlem since the May - October 2000 issue. In Port of Harlem, Colbert focuses on prison issues and provides an eyewitness look at life behind bars. In 2005, he studied journalism at Taylor University via a correspondence course.

His stage play, Skin Deep, won the 2002 WMAR-TV- Baltimore and Arena Players Drama Competition. In 2006, the Baltimore Screenplay Competition awarded him honorable mention for his screenplay, Paranoid.

Colbert is also a member of the Jessup Correctional Institute Incarcerated Veterans Group, which helps organize the prison's annual Walk-A-Thon fundraiser, has published an anthology of writings by veterans and works with the Veterans Against Drugs and Violence program.