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Archive of Interviews on Prison Activism

We have been conducting interviews on the Fancy Broccoli Show since 2000. Many are archived on tape or CD and will posted here as mp3 files as I can get to them. You can browse the interviews by date below.

[2008] [2007] [2006] [2005] [2004] [2003] [2002] [2001] [2000] [Subscribe to ]

• 17 Aug 2008 - Theresa Huggins, CEO of Shot Caller Press. Shot Caller Press is running a writing contest for formerly and currently incarcerated folks. (audio coming)
• 3 Aug 2008 - Amy Barasch, Executive Director of the NYS Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence. Here is the interview with Amy Barasch; here are the letters.
• 13 Jul 2008 - Restored Hope Services Inc. offers housing for men and women with substance abuse histories. Today we speak with John "Mojo" Flynn, who recently received parole, about his transition out of prison and his current work with Restored Hope Services. Here is the interview with John "Mojo" Flynn; here are the letters.
• 29 Jun 2008 - One of the biggest obstacles for people coming out of prison is finding employment. Today we speak with Sheila Rule, who has recently published an entrepreneur's guide for the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated entitled "Think Outside the Cell." Sheila is founder and publisher of Resilience Multimedia, an independent publishing house specializing in books about African-American and Latino culture, experiences and aspirations . Before founding Resilience Multimedia she was a journalist for The New York Times for more than 30 years. Here is the interview with Sheila Rule; here are the letters.
• 08 Jun 2008 - NYS Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubrey. Unfortunately, Assemblyman Aubrey was unable to join us. We hope to re-schedule him in the future. Here are the letters.
• 01 Jun 2008 - Tina Stanford, Chair of the NYS Crime Victims Board. Here is the interview with Tina Stanford; here are the letters.
• 18 May 2008 - The importance for incarcerated people of maintaining contact with family and community is indisputable. We talk with Shaina Feinberg and Matt Fargo of Insider Audio, who are developing an audio blog for incarcerated people. Here is the interview with Insider Audio; here are the letters, and here are the older letters that we finally had time to read.
• 04 May 2008 - Another interview with Eddie Ellis and Divine Pryor of the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions at Medgar Evers College. Here is the interview with Eddie Ellis and Divine Pryor; here are the letters.
• 20 Apr 2008 - Wanda and Mika'il DeVeaux of Citizens Against Recidivism and the Muslim Re-Entry Initiative. Here is the interview with Mika'il and Wanda DeVeaux; here are the letters.
• 06 Apr 2008 - Linda Hoffman, a volunteer at a medium security prison in Massachusetts. She leads a writing class there, and will read to us from the works of some of her students. (audio coming)
• 16 Mar 2008 - Brian Fischer, commissioner of the NYS Department of Correctional Services (DOCS). Here is the interview with Brian Fischer; here are the letters.
• 02 Mar 2008 - Phyllis Kornfeld, who conducts art classes for people behind bars, whether in county jails or maximum security prisons. Here is the interview with Phyllis Kornfeld; here are the letters.
• 17 Feb 2008 - No interview this week. Here are the letters.
• 03 Feb 2008 - Katie Blackburn, a community organizer from the New York State Defenders Justice Fund. The Justice Fund’s mission is to advocate and lobby for improvement of the quality and scope of publicly supported legal representation to low-income people. (Audio coming)
• 20 Jan 2008 - Cheryl Kates, an attorney who specializes in parole appeals. Here is the interview with Cheryl Kates; here are the letters.
• 06 Jan 2008 - Robert Dennison, former chair of the NYS Division of Parole. Here is the interview with Robert Dennison; here are the letters.
• 16 Dec 2007 - Show cancelled due to bad weather.
• 09 Dec 2007 - Peter Wagner, Executive Director of the Prison Policy Initiative. With a campaign to change the way the census is currently conducted, called Prisoners of the Census, Peter will show you convincingly how using his proposed method will create a fairer system of counting the citizens of our state. Here is the interview with Peter Wagner; here are the letters.
• 25 Nov 2007 - John Cutro is an authority on Restorative Justice and a proponent of the theory of Parallel Justice, the practice of obtaining justice for both the victim and the offender. We also had a phone call from attorney Peter Sell, updating us on the Graziano v. Pataki class action suit. Here is the interview with John Cutro; here are the letters; here is the phone call with Peter Sell.
• 11 Nov 2007 - We air the keynote address from Family Empowerment Day 3, held on Nov 3rd in Buffalo NY, by George B. Alexander, the Chairman of the State Board of Parole and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Davison of Parole. (audio coming)
• 28 Oct 2007 - NY State Senator Velmanette Montgomery represents the 18th Senatorial District, which covers several neighborhoods in Brooklyn, NY. Given the charge to help improve New York State's criminal justice system, Senator Montgomery was appointed Co-Chair of the NYS Senate Democratic Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform and held public hearings in this capacity. The Senator and other Task Force members heard testimony from criminal justice advocates from across the state, which has served as a basis for legislative proposals to reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws, implement transitional services for prisoners returning to their home communities, end the use of special housing units to discipline prisoners for minor infractions, and other criminal justice reform measures. Here is the interview with Senator Montgomery; here are the letters.
• 14 Oct 2007 - Ernest and Kathy Henry. Ernest was released from prison in September. He and Kathy started an internet business while he was incarcerated. Here is the interview with Ernest and Kathy Henry; here are the letters.
• 30 Sep 2007 - Kirk James and Dwight Stephenson of the College Initiative Program of Lehman College in the Bronx. The College Initiative Program, founded by Benay Rubenstein, provides assistance to formerly incarcerated people making a transition from prison to college. Here is the interview about the College Initiative Program; here are the letters.
• 16 Sep 2007 - Ron Hayes is a very busy speaker, lecturer, teacher, counselor etc. Mr. Hayes is an ex-convict. He served 15 years in the New Jersey prison system for various criminal offenses that were all related to supporting his 33 year substance abuse history and heroin addiction. He is currently a counselor, psychotherapist and social worker, working in the fields of addiction and susbstance abuse. Here is the interview with Ron Hayes; here are the letters.
• 9 Sep 2007 - No interview due to the pledge drive. Thanks to everyone who pledged their support for WVKR and the Fancy Broccoli Show! It's not to late to make a pledge and show your support. Here are the letters, part 1; letters, part 2; letters, part 3.
• 19 Aug 2007 - Vernon Manley, a parole commissioner from 1999 to 2006, now retired. Here is the interview with Vernon Manley; here are the letters.
• 5 Aug 2007 - Felix Rosa, newly appointed Executive Director of the New York State Division of Parole. Here is the interview with Felix Rosa; here are the letters.
• 15 Jul 2007 - Merv Otero. Merv was incarcerated as a teenager for taking the life of another young man. He used his 22 years of incarceration to educate himself, give back to others, and to create much needed programs. Today, he works in social services helping youth, the incarcerated, and those infected with HIV. Here is the interview with Merv Otero; here are the letters.
• 01 Jul 2007 - Roland Acevedo, a formerly incarcerated man who now practices law in NYC. He tells his story, and addresses some legal issues facing incarcerated men and women. Here is the interview with Roland Acevedo; here are the letters.
• 17 Jun 2007 - Bonnie Allen, the facilitator of the Today Program in the Dutchess County Jail and Pam Wright, the Associate Director of Forensic Services at Family Services in Poughkeepsie, NY. (audio coming)
• 3 Jun 2007 - Mary Beth Pfeiffer, author of the newly published book "Crazy in America: the Hidden Tragedy of our Criminalized Mentally Ill". Here is the interview with Mary Beth Pfeiffer; here are the letters.
• 20 May 2007 - Talks from the February symposium at the NYC Bar Association, "Restoring Fairness to Parole". The speakers are:
  • John Caher, Albany Bureau Chief of the New York Law Journal
  • Phil Genty, Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School
  • Vernon Manley, former Commissioner for the Parole Board
  • Al O’Connor, a staff attorney with the New York State Defenders’ Association
  • Eve Rosahn, a supervising attorney with the Legal Aid Society’s Parole Revocation Defense Unit
  • The Honorable Edward Sheridan was a Judge of the Court of Claims and an acting Supreme Court Justice for both criminal and civil terms.
  • William Eric "Easy" Waters, Program Director of community-based services for the Osborn Association, and he is on the Executive Board of the Coalition for Parole Restoration.

(audio coming). Here is a transcript of "Restoring Fairness to Parole".

• 06 May 2007 - Sonny Rudert was incarcerated for 23 years. He earned two masters degrees while behind bars, and became politically active. Here is the interview with Sonny Rudert; here are the letters. NEW: Here is a transcript of the interview with Sonny Rudert.
• 22 Apr 2007 - Bill Taylor works for Dutchess County BOCES and will be discussing the highs and lows of helping formerly incarcerated people find employment. (audio coming)
• 8 Apr 2007 - Joshua Price, who teaches at SUNY Binghamton and, among other things, is working to establish a drop in center for formerly incarcerated people in the city of Binghamton. Here is the interview with Joshua Price; here are the letters.
• 1 Apr 2007 - Whitney Bonura, associate director of Crime Victim's Assistance Program, and Valerie Linet, a clinical social worker there. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Here is the interview with Whitney Bonura and Valerie Linet; here are the letters.
• 11 Mar 2007 - Brendan Cochrane, a regular Fancy Broccoli writer who spent ten years behind bars. He was released in January. Here is the interview with Brendan Cochrane; here are the letters.
• 25 Feb 2007 - 'Maria', a woman married to a man with many years behind bars. He was on parole but now has ended up back in prison. Maria will talk about what went wrong for them. Here is the interview with Maria; here are the letters.
• 4 Feb 2007 - No interview, but we had a surprise phone call from Brendan Cochrane, who had been released from prison eleven days earlier. Here is the phone call with Brendan Cochrane; here are the letters.
• 21 Jan 2007 - Filmmaker Melis Birder, who is currently working on a documentary about people riding the bus to visit family behind bars. Here is the interview with Melis Birder; here are the letters.
• 7 Jan 2007 - Story-teller Karima Amin. She is the founder and director of Prisoners are People Too!, a monthly documentary film and speakers series in Buffalo NY. Here is the interview with Karima Amin; here are the letters.
• 17 Dec 2006 - The keynote speeches from the Family Empowerment Day 2. (audio coming)
• 3 Dec 2006 - Attorney Peter Sell discusses the class action law suit, Graziano v. Pataki, claiming that persons with an A1 felony conviction, serving life, are being discriminated against at their parole hearings. Here is the interview with attorney Peter Sell; here are the letters. Here is a transcript of the interview with attorney Peter Sell.
• 12 Nov 2006 - Nicole Hamilton, a formerly incarcerated woman who is currently married to an incarcerated man. Here is the interview with Nicole Hamilton; here are the letters.
• 29 Oct 2006 - Carlos Sabater, a recently released man who is currently acting as a point person for Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD), the mental health project of the Urban Justice Center. Here is the interview with Carlos Sabater; here are the letters.
• 22 Oct 2006 - Two of the candidates running for the 102nd assembly district seat: Democrat Joel Tyner and Conservative Helen Westover. Both are challanging the Republican incumbent Joel Miller, who declined our invitation to participate in the show today. Here is the interview with Joel Tyner and Helen Westover; here are the letters.
• 1 Oct 2006 - No interview. Here are the letters.
• 17 Sep 2006 - Interview with Anthony & Joy. Anthony was behind bars for 25 years. He has been home with his wife Joy for six months now. Joy & Anthony talk about the transition in their lives. Here's the interview with Joy & Anthony; here are the letters.
• 3 Sep 2006 - Interview with George. Out of prison and on parole for over four years now, George will share some of his experiences in his transition from prison to home. Here's the interview with George; here are the letters.
• 20 Aug 2006 - No interview. Here are the letters; here is Dispatches from Death Row.
• 13 Aug 2006 - No interview. Here are the letters.
• 23 Jul 2006 - Danielle Coscia and Sandra Thomas of the Women's Prison Association. Danielle is Director of Program Operations for Re-entry Services; Sandra was formerly incarcerated and now works at WPA in the Women and AIDS Prevention Project. Here is the interview with Danielle Coscia and Sandra Thomas; here are the letters.
• 16 Jul 2006 - No interview. Here are the letters.
• 2 Jul 2006 - No interview. Here are the letters: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
• 18 Jun 2006 - Emilio Noble of Trees without Roots, a support group for people who have convictions who are having trouble finding employment. Here is the interview with Emilio Noble; here are the letters.
• 4 Jun 2006 - No interview, but lots of letters: here is Letters segment 1; here is Letters segment 2.
• 7 May 2006 - Joel Tyner, Dutchess County legislator and radio host on WVKR, who joins us to discuss how local politics translates into influencing policy on not just a local level, but actually translates into state, national and international changes. Here is the interview with Joel Tyner; here are the letters. Here's Joel Tyner's blog.
• 30 Apr 2006 - Ms. Frances, who was the librarian at Green Haven prison for 20 years and is currently the head of the Dutchess County chapter of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty. Here is the conversation with Ms. Frances; here are the letters.
• 16 Apr 2006 - Rima Vesely-Flad, teacher at Sing Sing and director of the Interfaith Coalition of Advocates for Reentry and Employment (ICARE). Here is the interview with Rima Vesely-Flad; here are the letters.
• 02 Apr 2006 - Sarah From, who was a participant in the Vassar/Greenhaven program. Sarah is now the deputy director of the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, a new project of the Women's Prison Association. Here is the interview with Sarah From; here are the letters.
• 19 Mar 2006 - Rob Martin, a formerly incarcerated man, who is a long time Alternatives to Violence Project facilitator and currently works with at-risk youth. Here is the interview with Rob Martin; here are the letters.
• 12 Mar 2006 - Debbie, the mother of an incarcerated man serving 20 to life. She is a co-founder of Citizens for Restorative Justice; also Kathy, a co-founder of Coalition of Families of New York Lifers.
• 19 Feb 2006 - No interview, but letters from both the last show and this one. Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of the letters.
• 05 Feb 2006 - Dr. Divine Pryor and Eddie Ellis, both of The NuLeadership Policy Group. The NuLPG is the first public policy group comprised exclusively of formerly incarcerated persons. Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview.
• 22 Jan 2006 - Vinny, a man who spent 30 years behind bars and has just recently been paroled. Listen to the interview with Vinny or the letters.
• 08 Jan 2006 - Amy Goodman, award-winning journalist and host of the Democracy Now! radio show. Listen to the interview with Amy Goodman or the letters.
• 11 Dec 2005 - Memorial for Lateef Islam, founder and former director of the Family Partnership Center and Poughkeepsie's "go-to man." Most, but not all of this show was recorded. Listen to the Lateef Islam Memorial show, part 1, part 2, part 3.
• 4 Dec 2005 - No interview, but you can listen to some letters.
• 13 Nov 2005 - Harvey Brown, who was incarcerated from 27 years. He has written an autobiography, due to be published in February, entitled "Freedom at Last." Listen to the interview with Harvey Brown.
• 30 Oct 2005 - Janine Pommy Vega, poet & writer who facilitates a writing workshop at Eastern Correctional Facility. Her new collection of poems is entitled "The Green Piano." Listen to the interview with Janine Pommy Vega, or to the letters.
• 16 Oct 2005 - Members of Dutchess Justice, an activist group that originally organized around opposition to the proposed expansion of the Dutchess County Jail. Listen to the interview with Dutchess Justice.
• 2 Oct 2005 - Helen, formerly a volunteer who went into prisons with the Alternatives to Violence Project, currently engaged to a man who is behind bars. Listen to the interview with Helen, and the letters.
• 18 Sep 2005 - Judith, founding member of Prison Action Network. Listen to the interview with Judith.
• 28 Aug 2005 - Safiya Bandele, to discuss use of the ion scanner in screening visitors to the prisons. Listen to the interview with Safiya Bandele.
• 14 Aug 2005 - Ray Agard, formerly incarcerated person that is now working with a job creations agency, Abilities. One of their projects is working with businesses to help them hire formerly incarcerated people.
• 24 Jul 2005 - Eddie Pacheco, who spent 18 years behind bars, and has been out for 14 years.
• 26 Jun 2005 - Bobby Gardella, who has been home six years after serving 25. His specialty is Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome for veterans and prisoners.
• 12 Jun 2005 - Carolee Brooks on reinstating Victims Awareness programs.
• 29 May 2005 - Robert Sims, who was recently released on his first board after serving 15 years. He works with Eddie Ellis on 'On The Count' on WBAI.
• 1 May 2005 - The New York Campaign for Telephone Justice.
• 3 April 2005 - Jason B. Nicholas, a free-lance writer and the founder of the Government Education Organization - an inmate organization inside of Mid-Orange Correctional Facility that focuses on communication between inmates, politicians and the media.
• 13 March 2005 - Frances Sandiford of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty
• 16 January 2005 - Scott Christianson, author of "Innocent: Inside Wrongful Conviction Cases" and other books.
• 31 October 2004 - Listen to the Letters.
• 19 September 2004 - Listen to the Letters.
• 22 February 2004 - Max Kenner, director of the Bard Prison Initiative.
• 4 January 2004 - Anne Pyburn, reporter and member of PrisonTalk.com.
• 5 October 2003 - Mark Grossjung, an attorney who specializes in parole violations.
• 21 September 2003 - Denise Barnes-Hill to discuss the Stop MCI Campaign.
• 24 August 2003 - Edward Hammock. He is a former NYS parole commissioner and currently an attorney.
• 6 July 2003 - Claudette Nurse of Coalition for Parole Restoration will talk about her husband's release from prison and her move to Trinidad.
• 22 June 2003 - Anthony Papa, who was convicted under the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and was given clemency by Governor Pataki in 1997.
• 8 June 2003 - Larry Fauntleroy of Dutchess County BOCES, who heads a transitional program at the Dutchess County Jail and is a long time member of the Dutchess County Human Rights Commission.
• 1 June 2003 - Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, producer of the WBAI radio prison show "On the Count," and the lead plaintiff in a challenge to the felon voter disenfranchisement statutes of New York, along with his attorneys, Juan Cartegena of the Community Service Society and Janai Nelson of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
• 18 May 2003 - Eric "Easy" Waters, award winning poet, was behind bars for 24 years. He currently works to help people getting out of prison in their transition back to society.
• 6 April 2003 - Sister Helen Prejean, anti-death penalty activist and author of "Dead Man Walking."
• 19 January 2003 - Alison Coleman, Executive Director of Prison Families of New York.
• 15 December 2002 - Carolee Brooks, whose son was murdered in 1991. She is active in Parents of Murdered Children, victim's awareness groups and New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty.
• 17 November 2002 - A man who was released from prison early this year, after 27 years behind bars.
• 20 October 2002 - Roberta Petrone & Larry Fauntleroy of Dutchess County BOCES. They both run various programs in the Dutchess County Jail.
• 5 May 2002 - Claudette Spencer Nurse, president of the Coalition for Parole Restoration (CPR)
• 7 Apr 2002 - Jack, a man paroled last October after 23 years in prison and several parole hearings.
• 24 Feb 2002 - Tom LeBel, ex-offender and currently a doctoral student in Criminal Justice at SUNY Albany.
• 10 Feb 2002 - Judah Schept, recent Vassar graduate and currently employed at the Vera Institute of Justice.
• 16 Dec 2001 - Robert Gauntt, founder and director of Jacob's Well Aftercare Services which offers a holistic approach to transitional services for ex-offenders.
• 9 Dec 2001 - Safiya Bandele, director of the Center for Women's Development at Medgar Evers College of CUNY. For the September 11 segment, a discussion with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei, a teacher at Zen Mountain Monastery, on adjusting to life after the attacks.
• 18 Nov 2001 - David Kaczynski, executive director of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty. He is the brother of Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber. For the September 11 segment, a phone call with Reuven Firestone, professor of Islamic Studies, on how one can reconcile suicide bombings and the teachings of Islam.
• 4 Nov 2001 - Kate Rhee and Dana Kaplan of the Prison Moratorium Project. The Prison Moratorium Project is a multiracial grassroots organization of young activists working to strategize, resist and fight the Prison Industrial Complex through political education, community based partnerships, youth organizing, prison activist trainings, campaigns and direct action. No September 11 segment.
• 28 Oct 2001 - Clare Danielsson from the Ulster-Sullivan Mediation Center, on Restorative Justice. No September 11 segment.
• 14 Oct 2001 - No prison interview. For the September 11 segment, Imam Abdullah from Beacon NY talking to us about Islam and his community in Beacon.
• 30 Sep 2001 - New York State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, an advocate of prison reform. Also, a representative of the Quaker community will speak with us about ways to cope with and respond to the horrific events of September 11th.
• 23 Sep 2001 - Mary Barr, director of Conextions, an activist who speaks around the country and abroad on women in prison and related topics. Also, in an attempt to broaden our knowledge about the events surrounding the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Sharaz Hajiani, a Muslim resident of the Hudson Valley, will speak with us about Islam.
• 9 Sep 2001 - Joan Crawford, director of the Dutchess County Crime Victim's Assistance Program. Today is the 30th anniversary of the start of the prisoner uprising at Attica.
• 19 Aug 2001 - Sue T., whose son has been in prison for murder since he was 15 years old.
• 12 Aug 2001 - Rebroadcast of the 2001 PEN Prison Writing Awards Ceremony, originally broadcast on WBAI in April 2001. Thanks to Miss Joan Marie Moossy for the tape.
• 29 July 2001 - Gary Riley of the Alternatives to Violence Program.
• 15 July 2001 - Terrence Stevens, granted clemency by Gov. Pataki this year. Terrence had been sentenced to 15 years to life on a minor drug charge under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. He has muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheel chair.
• 8 July 2001 - Rudy and Betty Cypser, co-directors of CURE-NY (Citizens United for Rehabilitatation of Errants, NY Chapter).
• 24 June 2001 - Donald Roth, a former Prison Legal Services attorney. He has seven years experience in the Chicago Public Defenders Office and is currently in private practice in Poughkeepsie.
• 3 Jun 2001 - Chris Farrell of the Parolee's Rights Project.
• 27 May 2001 - Miss Frances, the retired librarian from Green Haven Prison. She is currently writing about her experiences in the NYS prison system and is active in the New Yorkers against the death penalty movement.
• 13 May 2001 - Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei, a teacher at Zen Mountain Monastery and director of the National Buddhist Prison Sangha.
• 29 Apr 2001 - Eddie Ellis and George Prendess. Eddie is a former Black Panther spent 25 years in prison. He is president of the Community Justice Center in Harlem and spends his time advocating for prison reform.
  
  George was imprisoned for over 15 years under the Rockefeller Drug laws. He is vice-president of the Community Justice Center and works for the Department of Corrections on an oversight committee that goes into prisons and investigates prisoners' complaints.
• 15 Apr 2001 - Teenaged children of incarcerated men.
• 1 Apr 2001 - Lateef Islam, director of the Poughkeepsie Family Partnership Center.
• 18 Mar 2001 - Recent parolee Randy, who spent 25 years in prisons all over New York State. He was released after his second meeting with the parole board.
• 4 Mar 2001 - Recent parolees Ricardo and Richard of Exodus Transitional Community.
• 18 Feb 2001 - Janine Pommy Vega, poet & writer & member of PEN, who has run writing workshops in New York State prisons for 25 years. She currently runs a workshop at Eastern Correctional Facility.
• 3 Dec 2000 - Vicki, member of C.P.R. and wife of a man imprisoned 20 years ago on a murder charge for a drunk driving accident.  The usual charge for drunk driving with a fatality is manslaughter or negligent homicide, not murder.
• 17 Sep 2000 - Harold Walker, survivor of the 1971 Attica uprising.