Tim King and Ruth Kovacs on KBOO's Prison Pipeline (AUDIO)

Courtesy: Buddhist Relief Mission

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Tim King was the guest this week on KBOO Radio's Prison Pipeline program with Ruth Kovacs. The interview was based on Tim's work researching problems in Oregon prisons and specifically, the experiences of a former African-American corrections officer.

Prison Pipeline has long been favored by Oregon listeners who care about the plight of so many men and women serving time in the state's prison. This program, which you can listen to by hitting the play button on the audio bar below, explores several parts of Coleman's role as a Whistleblower and former guard who tried to bring about change from within the system.

William Coleman tried without success to change serious problems including Civil Rights violations, the tolerance and encouragement of racism, and Hate Crimes.

Salem-News.com has also examined the sagas of African-American inmates who helped Coleman when he was brought up on charges for smuggling cigarettes into the prison. He beat all charges the state brought against him with a unanimous 'Not Guilty' verdict on all counts against him.

About Prison Pipeline

Prison Pipeline serves the Portland community as an outreach to friends, families and loved ones of folks in prison. We also are heard by many prisoners in Oregon as well as elsewhere. As advocates for prison reform, we try to keep our listeners informed about current legislature that is concerned with the criminal judicial system. One of our goals is to see a reduction in recidivism. Also, we present folks from various transitional programs, such as updates from C.U.R.E., Phoenix Rising Transitions, Seventh Step, support groups such as Books for Prisoners, Partnerships for Safety and Justice, and Film Producers and Authors to talk about their recent publications that focus on the prison system here in Oregon and elsewhere.

Hoping to strengthen the connection and community understanding, we frequently invite recently released prisoners to talk about the challenges of re-entering society, the importance of support from friends, families, loved ones and helping agencies. We also invite family members to share their experiences as they “do the time” with their loved one. Not all our guests have stories with happy endings. By sharing some of the challenges, we hope to encourage other felons to be prepared for a struggle, and to know that there is help out here.