bf thames
Uncuffed ProducerBrian “bf” Thames has published five non-fiction books while incarcerated over the last 30 years. A pending 6th book advocating self-reliance and better decision making in potentially dangerous encounters is on the way. Learning languages is an exciting pastime for him. He’s become reasonably fluent in French, conversational in Spanish, and learned ASL during the Covid-19 pandemic. His favorite animals are Great Danes, and any variation of parrots/parakeets. Acquiring general knowledge and education about the world and existence tends to make him giddy.
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Only after coming to prison did Javier Wesson and Tyrone Binkley see their childhood experiences for what they were: sexual abuse at the hands of family members. -
From the series Uncuffed: Sanyika Shakur, formerly known as “Monster” Kody Scott, is getting out of prison. While incarcerated in 1993, he published “Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member,” which made him famous. -
Roderick Hall got a life sentence for killing his brother. He says he only did it to save the life of someone else he loved just as much. -
As a child, Francisco Magaña was afraid of his mother. In this interview, Francisco opens up about his relationship with the woman who raised him. -
Michael Dorrough was sent away for life in 1985 on a murder charge he still disputes. He spent 26 years in a cell with almost no human contact. -
Oscar Grant Jr. is incarcerated at Solano State Prison. Ten years ago, a BART officer killed his son, Oscar Grant III. A new report contradicts that officer’s defense. -
A lot of people are in prison for crimes related to marijuana. But some believe that cannabis could have kept them away from crime, and out of prison. -
As a child, Ivan Kilgore believed in God because that’s what he was told to do. But doubts were always with him. I wondered if those doubt surged or faded when Ivan found himself faced with a lethal injection in Oklahoma. -
I met JulianGlenn “Luke" Padgett on a prison yard in 1999, and upon getting to know one another I came to consider him a friend -
Damon L. Cooke recently attended his thirteenth parole suitability hearing. He’s been incarcerated for 28 years. His fellow Uncuffed reporters, Spoon Jackson, Steve Drown, and me, Brian Thames, anxiously awaited his return to ask him about the process and results.
