Thanh Tran
Uncuffed Co-host, Advisory Board MemberThanh Tran is a media-maker and journalist, raised in South Sacramento. He is a singer/songwriter whose lyrics are a direct reflection of his life experiences. Thanh is also an activist whose aim is to empower the broken communities he was raised in and change the criminal justice system as we know it. While incarcerated, he was the first Ella Baker Center Inside/Outside Fellow, writing about issues of mass incarceration. Thanh went home in 2022, is a Senior Policy and Communications Fellow with the Ella Baker Center, and an Advisory Board member for Uncuffed.
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Formerly incarcerated co-hosts of the podcast Uncuffed visited a prison radio program in Norway. They asked residents of Oslo Prison if Norwegian prisons live up to the hype. -
In our previous episode, a team of formerly incarcerated producers visited a prison from another planet. Or at least that's how it seemed. Norway's progressive and unique prison system is wildly different from anything in the United States, and it serves as a model for folks trying to make a change here. So now we’re heading back to another Norwegian prison with horses, a marathon, and little cottages—and asking what California can learn from Norway's example. -
In this season of gratitude, two founding co-hosts of Uncuffed, Tommy "Shakur" Ross and Thanh Tran, give a special update on the program.
Thank you to everyone who supported Uncuffed during our emergency fundraiser!
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
Growing up, Uncuffed Producer Thanh Tran never truly felt like he had a home. He was raised in the foster care system, was in and out of juvenile hall as a teenager. And then, shortly after his 18th birthday, he went to prison. Just over a decade later, he got what he had been working toward for years — his freedom.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
We joyfully request the honor of your presence at an extra special wedding. Our Uncuffed producer, Edmond Richardson is marrying the love of his life. And you’ll bear witness to his marriage in an unlikely place: San Quentin State Prison.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
California's prison population is aging. Between 2000 and 2017, the share of incarcerated people over 50 has more than quintupled. For those with long or life sentences, watching friends aging and getting sick behind bars is a harsh reminder of what a life sentence can really mean.
On this episode of Uncuffed, we hear the story of someone who deals with his many ailments with a good dose of humor, and the help of a compassionate caretaker–his cellie.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
Letter writing is an art, and the Uncuffed producers at San Quentin State Prison know that very well. At the height of the pandemic, after weeks of constant lockdowns, one of the only thing to do was write letters to friends and family.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
In June 2020, San Quentin had one of the biggest COVID-19 outbreaks in a California prison. 2,000 incarcerated people were infected, and 29 died. Two cellmates recount what it was like during that devastating time.
Thanks to Mourning Our Losses for the names of those who died of COVID at San Quentin. www.mourningourlosses.org.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
Tommy "Shakur" Ross has been incarcerated for over 36 years. In those decades, he's experienced a lifetime of transformation. He discovered Islam, helped found a radio program, got a college degree, and embraced restorative justice. And a few months ago he was found suitable for parole. But getting to this moment has also been a roller coaster ride. And it's not quite over yet. On the newest Uncuffed episode, we'll hear about the twists and turns of Shakur's long parole journey and how his change has influenced others around him.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed. -
After over 20 years of incarceration, Uncuffed producer Nate McKinney is going home. Like other lifers in the system, he could have been incarcerated for life. But recently, the Board of Parole Hearings found him suitable to re-enter society. In today's episode, stories of facing the board — and wishes for a friend heading back into the big wide world.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
