A Conversation with Prakash Churaman on His Early Life, Incarceration, and Liberation Movement (feat. Brian Ramcharan)

How does someone organize a campaign to fight for their freedom and overturn wrongful imprisonment while still in jail awaiting a fair trial?

Interviewer Brian Ramcharan sits down with Prakash Churaman at his apartment in New York where the 21-year-old is looking forward to a second, more fair, trial to clear his name. Prakash was arrested in December of 2014 at the age of fifteen, sentenced to 9-years-to-life in prison, and denied bail. Despite all the odds, he launched a movement to advocate for his own justice while still imprisoned, refusing plea deals and maintaining his innocence. This past January he was finally released on bail after spending years at Rikers Island.

While much is known about the circumstances of Prakash's case, little has been said about his life and who he is as a person, as well as his time in jail. This discussion is meant to give some insight into that side of him. Listen to Prakash's memories of growing up in Guyana, moving to Florida, and eventually coming to Queens, his various likes and hobbies, as well as his life after getting arrested. It is necessary to issue a trigger and content warning, as Prakash does detail some of the violence and abuse he encountered. The subject matter can be and is quite disturbing.

Please know that there are so many ways you can support Prakash. He is relying on your help to secure a better future for yourself. Follow him and his campaign @freeprakashalliance on Instagram and Twitter to share his story and build the movement. Prakash is currently surviving off donations so that he can have a place to stay while awaiting his trial and the ability to work. You can access his GoFundMe page through the link in his social media. That link also contains petitions you can sign and ways to contact individuals involved with Prakash's case. You can read more about him and his case via articles in Liberation News, The Indypendent, The West Indian Online, and The City. He has also been featured on an episode of the Working Class Heroes radio show (@workingclassheroesradio).

You can find Brian @bmr_sound and me @cutlasspodcast on Instagram. Brian is an award-winning producer at Penguin Random House Audio as well as a Grammy-nominated engineer and musician. We were both so honoured to have collaborated with Prakash on this project. Thank you to everyone for listening and joining the fight. Thank you to Prakash for sharing his story.

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