'I'm asking for a chance': First Mainer in prison to enter PhD program again files for clemency

[TexasTowelie]

Brandon Brown is not asking for a reward, he’s requesting an opportunity.

Brown, who has been in the Maine prison system for over a decade, has set a series of firsts while on the inside. Last year, he became the first incarcerated person in Maine to earn a master’s degree, graduating with a stellar grade point average. That came after Brown also earned an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree while in prison.

Brown then became the first person in the state prison system to enroll into a PhD program when he was accepted last year at George Mason University to study restorative justice through the lens of conflict analysis and resolution with an emphasis on how narratives are formed through the criminal justice system. Brown has completed one year of the program.

Pointing to that set of accomplishments and additional contributions — such as mentoring others in prison — supporters earlier this month once again asked Gov. Janet Mills to grant Brown executive clemency. They argued that approving the request would facilitate Brown’s studies at George Mason by allowing him to attend classes in-person and would provide hope to those in the prison system looking to pursue education and other rehabilitative programming.

Brown’s initial request for clemency was denied by Mills last year without any public explanation. His effort has received support from a wide range of people, including the victim of his crime, a state lawmaker, professors at George Mason and many others.

Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/im-asking-for-a-chance-first-mainer-in-prison-to-enter-phd-program-again-files-for-clemency/