James Tramel
James Tramel (born c. 1967) is an Episcopal priest who was ordained while serving prison time for murder, and is the first person ever ordained in the Episcopal Church while still in prison.[1] Soon after being paroled from prison in 2006, he became rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco. He has been a public spokesman for prisoners' rights, testifying in favor of parole for juvenile offenders[2] and supporting prisoner-victim reconciliation programs.[3]
Tramel was 17 years old and attending Northwestern Preparatory School, a private military preparatory academy in Santa Barbara. He had been nominated to the United States Air Force Academy by Senator Barry Goldwater. On August 3, 1985, Tramel was present during the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old homeless man in a park in Santa Barbara by David Kurtzman, who claimed he had mistaken his identity for that of a gang member who had attacked a fellow student.[4] Tramel and his then-roommate were both sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for second-degree murder.[5] While in prison he took correspondence courses, earning an undergraduate degree in business and a master's degree in theology.[6] He was ordained in 2005, while still an inmate at Solano State Prison, by Bishop William E. Swing.[7]
Swing harshly criticized Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 when the governor denied Tramel's parole, calling Schwarzenegger "a 90-pound moral weakling". In March 2006, Schwarzenegger reversed his decision and paroled Tramel.[8] Eighteen years into his sentence it came to light that his co-defendant's confession, which gave direct evidence that Tramel did not participate in the murder nor have knowledge that Kurtzman was going to attack anyone, had been suppressed and not made available to the jury. Tramel was subsequently paroled with the support of the Santa Barbara District Attorney's office, numerous California State Senators and Representatives, scores of prison staff, and hundreds of members of the community. His conviction is now in the process of being vacated pursuant to SB 1437.
Immediately upon his parole, Tramel began serving as an assistant pastor at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Berkeley, California.[6] In July 2006 he was named Interim Rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Albany, CA, and in October of 2006 he was elected as Rector of the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco, CA.[9]
In November 2007, he was suspended for two years from his ministry for having a five week extra-marital affair with a woman who lived next door to his parish while he was in the process of a divorce. When Tramel ended the relationship, the woman then claimed she was seeking counseling and threatened to sue the Episcopal Church. The church did not initially contest the accusation because Tramel acknowledged the relationship but it subsequently modified the church discipline to adultery when the woman admitted that the relationship was consensual and she was not a member of his parish as initially claimed. [10]
Tramel is the founder of the Entheos Community, a global collective of makers, healers, artists, curators, scientists, and leaders on six continents from more than 43 different countries. Members of the Entheos Community also organize a Burning Man camp, Entheos, that also attends regional events with large-scale art and interactivity.
References[edit]
- ^ "The Witness: Who Will Speak Up For Them?". Archived from the original on August 16, 2007.
- ^ "James Tramel: Statement before the Public Safety Committee of the California State Senate". Archived from the original on April 16, 2013.
- ^ Oakland Tribune: Prison program aims at rape prevention
- ^ A Teenage Game of War and Revenge Ends in the Stabbing Death of An Innocent Drifter, People, July 21, 1986 Vol. 26 No. 3
- ^ "Called Forth from Jail: A Prison Seminarian Hopes for Ordination and Freedom". Archived from the original on July 20, 2008.
- ^ a b "San Francisco Chronicle: From the prison cell to the pulpit".
- ^ "Grace Cathedral Dispatch: Inmate ordained to priesthood in Solano State Prison". Archived from the original on September 14, 2008.
- ^ "Inmate Who Became a Priest Is Paroled by Gov". Los Angeles Times. March 10, 2006.
- ^ "EB Daily News | East Bay Daily News". www.ebdailynews.com.
- ^ Kuruvila, Matthai (July 18, 2008). "Episcopal Church under fire for parolee priest". SFGate.
External links[edit]
- Interview with James Tramel, Street Spirit, June 2006
- A convicted murderer's journey takes him from a prison cell to the pulpit and parenting, Ventura County Star, May 2007
- CNN Transcript, CNN, March 13, 2006
- A statement from Tramel, discusses his case before the Public Safety Committee of the California State Senate, April 27, 2007