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Samuel Nathaniel Brown, a dedicated advocate and former incarcerated individual, spent 24 years challenging the inhumanity of the current prison system. He champions innovative rehabilitation approaches for successful societal reintegration. Sam's incarceration journey exemplifies reentry success, showcasing his unwavering determination and the vital support networks needed for human rights advocacy.

During his time in prison, Sam initiated the 10P Program, guiding incarcerated persons from anti-social to pro-social mindsets, emphasizing personal growth and transformation.

Samuel is a fervent supporter of The California Abolition Act (ACA 3), a constitutional amendment aimed at ending prisoner slavery, promoting rehabilitation, and stopping forced labor exploitation. The goal is to facilitate the transition of individuals leaving prison into contributing members of society.

In 2014, Sam introduced "The Theory of Emotional Illiteracy-Based Criminality," linking adverse childhood experiences to criminal behaviors as coping mechanisms.

A significant milestone in his journey occurred when, a few months before his release, he became one of the first to graduate with a bachelor's degree in communication studies through Cal State LA's Prison B.A. Graduation Initiative.

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In 1999, at the age of 18, Joey Pagaduan was sentenced to life in prison. Joey was found suitable by the California Board of Parole Hearings in 2020, but his suitability was unilaterally reversed by Governor Gavin Newsome. Two years later, Joey was found suitable again and, after 23 years, was released on June 30, 2022.

Joey is an accomplished actor having played Hamlet, Bottom in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Master Harold in “Master Harold and the Boys,” and many other roles at Shakespeare at Solano. He founded P@S – Performances @ Solano – to give theatre artists and musicians opportunities to write, workshop, and perform their original works. For P@S, he has written and directed several short plays. He was also the editor-in-chief and photographer for the Solano Vision newspaper. Joey is working as a Certified Addiction Counselor, currently enrolled in a coding bootcamp through CSU Eastbay, and a Designing Creative Futures internship with California Lawyers for the Arts and Marin Shakespeare Company.

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This episode is an audio extract of a presentation that took place during the NYU Drama Therapy Research Symposium 2023, hosted by the NYU Program in Drama Therapy and Theatre and Health Lab.

View the full video presentation here.

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Justin Hong was incarcerated for 14 years where he was a part of California’s first in-person BA degree program in communication studies. It was in prison where he discovered his passion for art and acting and where he performed in several theater programs. Since his release he has earned a BA degree in organizational communication. He lives in Los Angeles where he is a working actor and tattoo artist.

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This special episode of drama therapy Collection is on the creative healing work of Spoon Jackson during incarceration. Jackson is a renowned poet and performer serving a life sentence in California. The program is in two parts. Part one is a documentary-presentation by Lynn Baker-Nauman on the healing aspects of Spoon's therapeutic performance in a production of "Waiting for Godot" and his other creative endeavors. This part was presented in 2021 at the annual conference of the European drama therapy association under the theme of "Who is Godot"? Part II, is an interview with Spoon Jackson conducted over the phone in July 2022.

Learn More About Spoon Jackson: https://www.spoonjackson.org/
Uncuffed: https://open.spotify.com/show/1p0cNCUK5h0Df8TcNfC0fh
Book Of Judith: https://nyupress.org/9781613321744/the-book-of-judith/
The Prison Music Project: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZDdVMfkWZK9dYozLiCl6f

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This special episode of drama therapy Collection is on the creative healing work of Spoon Jackson during incarceration. Jackson is a renowned poet and performer serving a life sentence in California. The program is in two parts.
Part one is a documentary-presentation by Lynn Baker-Nauman on the healing aspects of Spoon's therapeutic performance in a production of "Waiting for Godot" and his other creative endeavors. This part was presented in 2021 at the annual conference of the European drama therapy association under the theme of "Who is Godot"?

Stay Tuned For Part 2!

Learn More About Spoon Jackson: https://www.spoonjackson.org/
Uncuffed: https://open.spotify.com/show/1p0cNCUK5h0Df8TcNfC0fh
Book Of Judith: https://nyupress.org/9781613321744/the-book-of-judith/
The Prison Music Project: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZDdVMfkWZK9dYozLiCl6f

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Duncan Martinez was part of the first cohort to participate in Cal State LA’s Prison BA initiative. On October 5th he participated in a historic graduation ceremony in
Lancaster along with 25 others, an event that was covered by major national and local news
media, including LA Times, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and more. Duncan is highly respected and
admired for his achievements by faculty across the department who taught in Lancaster during the past five years.

View more of Duncan's work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltX-ZqB7qF4
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7155653/video/420760560
Journal (volume 3) Cal State LA: www.prisonbajournal.org

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Tue Huynh is a formerly incarcerated person who participated in theater work while in prison.
His interview focuses on his journey from a hesitant participant to someone who gained skills in public speaking and advocacy, defending himself in court and winning his immigration case to stay in the United States upon release. He shares the empathy he experienced for his father while playing the role of a father onstage. He shares, “If I can do acting class, I can do anything else.”(7:50-7:56)
The skills of visualizing a role and the discipline of rehearsal directly helped him take on his own case. You can read more about his work at www.tuehuynh.com

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