This Side of Freedom Life After Clemency

Anthony Papa is an artist, writer, noted advocate against the war on drugs. He currently is manager of media and artist relations for the Drug Policy Alliance, the leading advocacy organization against the drug war in the United States. He is a frequent public speaker and college lecturer on his art and criminal justice issues. Papa is the author of 15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom (2004), a memoir about his experience of being sentenced to state prison for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense under New York's draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws. He has been interviewed by a wide range of national print and broadcast media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, National Public Radio, "Democracy Now," Court TV and "Extra," among others. Since being granted executive clemency by New York Governor George Pataki in 1997, then a pardon by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2016, Papa has become an articulate and sought-after advocate on drug law reform and criminal justice issues. Papa has a syndicated blog on the Huffington Post and his stinging editorial pieces have appeared in news sources across the country, resulting in a strong following for his commentary. He is also a gifted painter and installation artist whose work has been exhibited at top venues like the Whitney Museum of American Art and leading contemporary galleries.