Series: Say Brother
Program: Framingham: Who's Gonna Take the Weight?
Episode: 422
Date: 1975-04-17
Subject: Correctional institutions - Massachusetts; Criminals - Rehabilitation; Early release programs; Imprisonment - Psychological aspects; Women prisoners; Charlotte House Pre-Release Center - Dorchester - Massachusetts; Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Framingham - Framingham - Massachusetts; Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Walpole - Walpole - Massachusetts

Clip Description
Program focuses on the Massachusetts corrections system, with a particular emphasis on MCI Framingham. Host Sarah-Ann Shaw leads a discussion between Frank Hall (Corrections Commissioner for the State of Massachusetts), Robert Palmer (Chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Corrections), Lester Richards (an inmate at Framingham who was transferred from Walpole), and Antoinette Lifsey (Public Relations Director for Women, Inc.) about the differences between MCI Framingham and MCI Walpole, the policies of both the Department of Corrections and the Governor's Advisory Committee, work-release programs, the need for improvements in the "everyday" life of inmates, and the lack of progress, as perceived by Shaw, Richards and Lifsey. Additional segments include an on-location interview at Framingham conducted by Barbara Barrow with inmates Shirley Lewis, Lester Richards, Iris Grice, Ruth L. Willis, and Robert G. Owens, "Access" (on the Charlotte House Pre-Release Center in Dorchester), "Information" (on community acceptance of halfway houses), the "Community Calendar," and "Commentary" by Producer Marita Rivero on the 1/2" videotape format (that made the Framingham shoot possible). Produced by Marita Muhammad Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Program Description
Program focuses on the Massachusetts corrections system, with a particular emphasis on MCI Framingham. Host Sarah-Ann Shaw leads a discussion between Frank Hall (Corrections Commissioner for the State of Massachusetts), Robert Palmer (Chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Corrections), Lester Richards (an inmate at Framingham who was transferred from Walpole), and Antoinette Lifsey (Public Relations Director for Women, Inc.) about the differences between MCI Framingham and MCI Walpole, the policies of both the Department of Corrections and the Governor's Advisory Committee, work-release programs, the need for improvements in the "everyday" life of inmates, and the lack of progress, as perceived by Shaw, Richards and Lifsey. Additional segments include an on-location interview at Framingham conducted by Barbara Barrow with inmates Shirley Lewis, Lester Richards, Iris Grice, Ruth L. Willis, and Robert G. Owens, "Access" (on the Charlotte House Pre-Release Center in Dorchester), "Information" (on community acceptance of halfway houses), the "Community Calendar," and "Commentary" by Producer Marita Rivero on the 1/2" videotape format (that made the Framingham shoot possible). Produced by Marita Muhammad Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Series Description
Say Brother is WGBH's longest running public affairs television program by, for and about African Americans, and is now known as Basic Black. Since its inception in 1968, Say Brother has featured the voices of both locally and nationally known African American artists, athletes, performers, politicians, professionals, and writers including: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Thomas Atkins, Amiri Baraka, Doris Bunte, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Nikki Giovanni, Odetta Gordon, Henry Hampton, Benjamin Hooks, Jesse Jackson, Hubie Jones, Mel King, Eartha Kitt, Elma Lewis, Haki Madhubuti, Wallace D. Muhammad, Charles Ogletree, Byron Rushing, Owusu Sadaukai, and Sonia Sanchez.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/saybrother/programs/sb_0422.html