Richard Stratton

Richard Stratton was arrested in 1982 and convicted under the kingpin statute for importation of marijuana and hashish. Originally sentenced to twenty-five years without parole, Stratton became a jailhouse lawyer and had his sentence vacated. He was released in 1990 after serving eight years in federal prison. His novel, Smack Goddess, written while he was in prison, was published in 1990. Stratton is now an acclaimed filmmaker and screenwriter whose films have won prizes at Cannes and the Berlin Film Festival. A writer and consultant for HBO’s Oz, he was the creator, writer, and executive producer of Showtime’s Street Time. He is the founder of Prison Life, the former editor and publisher of High Times, and a contributor to Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Details, Newsweek, and Playboy.

Book(s):

Past Shows:

  • Private Prisons/ Angelic ETs

    Richard Stratton discussed issues of drug legalization. Joan of Angels told of her work with angelic beings.More »
  • Prison & War on Drugs/ Paranormal Tales

    In the first half, filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer Richard Stratton detailed how he came to spend 8 years in prison, what he learned about America's prison industrial complex, and how the prohibition on plants aka the War on Drugs is destroying our communities. In the...More »

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