Episode 29. Reginald part 2
conversations of conviction
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The Tennessee story
conversations of conviction
Four years ago, Ricky, AKA Tennessee, was released from prison. He was free for only a few months. His parole officer threw him back in prison for some negligible parole violations. While in prison, the staff have beaten him down (they waited until he was handcuffed and several guards jumped him) they made certain he would not be released, and every year he see's parole, and every year parole denies him. Four years, and he committed no crime. What's more crazy, is that he is one of thousands. There are thousands in jail and prison for simple violations. People are serving years for showing up...
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Episode 28. Could you survive our story
conversations of conviction
Every time someone learns that I've been in prison for most of my life, And I've been addicted to drugs, and I have a criminal record to large too print, they give me a look of disdain or disgust. People will treat me as though I'm in their way and I don't belong, as if I could never change or become anything beyond what I was. I wear long sleeves and pants to hide my tattoos and scars just to feel like I could belong, and if only for a moment. Everything I have and everything I have learned has been a battle, and not just a mental battle, but a physical one. Before you judge me or...
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Episode 27. Raque. A story of innocence.
conversations of conviction
Twenty years ago, Philadelphia Pa. was at its pinnacle of corruption. Only recently did we learn of the "do not call to testify" list that the courts had of their corrupt detectives, whose job it was to close caes by any means necessary. A few of those detectives have been arrested, and a few of the wrongfully convicted have been released from prison. But not all. There are still several corrupt officers, District Attorneys, and even judges, hiding behind their cloaks of immunity, and there are still several wrongfully convicted still stuck in prison with a sentence for forever because their...
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Episode 25. Law 101 Vol. III
conversations of conviction
If we don't let the courts and our government know that we are watching them, they will continue to ignore our Constitutional rights. No one is safe from their abuse or being thrown into a prison cell to generate them more wealth, until we stand together. Here are some examples of why we need to unite that my friend and I talk about during a prison visit.
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Episode 24. Reginald
conversations of conviction
Two days after Tupac was murdered, in 1996, Reginald and a friend of his were arrested and charged with the robbery of a Seiko watch and 8 dollars. He was sentenced to 37 and 1/2 years to 75 years in a Pennsylvania State prison. He has maintained that he is innocent, but the courts have refused to even listen to his appeals because he did not file in time. This is such a common issue in Pennsylvania and because they don't come from an affluent or famous family, their Constitutional rights are ignored, and their lives don't seem to matter. We can fix this broken and corrupt system and bring...
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Episode 23. MOMs of the INCARCERATED Vol. I
conversations of conviction
Regardless of the crimes we commit, regardless of the sentence we receive, our Moms tend to remain by our side. I've read so many heartbreaking questions from moms after their child has been thrown in prison. I hope this helps you, moms. Jay's mom has done more than the average mom. She has made prison and sentence reform her mission because her son was forced to take Life Without Parole as opposed to a sentence of Death at the age of 19, after he was told he would never get to hug his mom again.
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Episode 22. He didn’t make it.
conversations of conviction
Bashir and I did 10 years in prison together. He was released before me, and when I got out, I couldn't find him. I learned that he was trying to get home from the hospital when 2 Pottstown police officers approached and tried to apprehend him based on a person's description. He was put into a fight-or-flight situation, and after the things we have been through, flight isn't an option. The police lied and said he had "reached for their gun" to justify the arrest. He was out of prison for 7 months before they robbed him of his freedom, again.
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Episode 21. Never giving up
conversations of conviction
Matthew Garcia has Life without the possibility of parole despite not ever having hurt anyone. He was a child, and he was with someone who had got into an altercation with someone else - they wrestled over a gun - it went off - a life lost - then Matthew's life lost to the Pennsylvania depatment of correction. In Pa that's the law, it's called felony murder. Matt has 27 years in prison and has accomplished more than most people in the world. He deserves a sceond chance, but he's not going to get one if we don't raise our voices for him. see his accomplishments on instagram at: Matthew_1980
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Episode 20. The Jason Perez Story
conversations of conviction
This is a story of actual innocence - 21 years later, Jason Perez is still in a Pennsylvania state prison - and after all of the witnesses came forward to say that they were forced to lie at trial by the Philadelphia police. His case has been reopened, and he needs our help to make sure that he is not left or forgotten in prison. Jason Perez # GE-6365 (he can receive emails through ConnectNetwork.com - add the Pa Department of Corrections, then search for Jason Perez) . All it takes is the right person to hear this - let's do our part to bring him home.
info_outlineMark Rokita Jr. was recently released from prison after serving more than a decade in Pennsylvanias toughest prisons. He struggled to adjust back into society and his only friends are those that remain in prison for the rest of their lives for murder, some of whom he believes did not commit the murder but was charged with murder because of a Pennsylvania law that state when a person is near the event and friends with the person who killed another they too get charged with murder. And in Pennsylvania, murder equates to a life without the possibility of parole. Rokita was apart of a group of log-time and lifers in prison who have dedicated their time to fighting for reform. These conversations may have details of a murder unknown to the public and even the deceased family and loved ones. Rokita recorded his conversations in the hopes to get these stories out to the public and after learning about podcasting he decided to turn these recordings into epidodes and continued to create new ones. Allowing those behind bars to have a voice and to tell the world what is truly going on behind the walls that have been built by corruption and greed. This is episode one and though not the first recorded conversation, a taste of what's to come. Rokita talks with long time friend Stephen Poaches, who is serving life without parole for the alleged murder of his preganant friend who happened to be a relative of a political figure in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. His story had been featured on television stations and the reenactments you'll learn got it all wrong. For more than twenty years people believed that Poaches was caught red-handed, standing over the dead body with a shovel in one hand and a body bag in another. But you will learn that the arresting papers tell a different story. Sit back and learn what it's like to become a prisoner and fight for your life and freedom, by people who had spent a vast majority of their lives in prison, because it could certainly happen to anyone. "you find our lives so entertaining, so here it is, from us."