Courtesy of Michael Braham

In 1996, 21-year-old Michael Braham was arrested and charged with the murder of a childhood family friend. Braham described the incident as a “big mistake,” asserting that he did not intend to kill the victim. He said that same year, he pled guilty to murder at the suggestion of his attorney. 

Now, after being incarcerated for 25 years, Braham will begin his law degree this fall.  

It was during his incarceration that Braham’s interest in the law began. In 1999, Braham suffered an attack by a fellow inmate, even though prison officials were aware of previous threats the inmate had made. Braham filed a civil rights lawsuit against the prison under the Eighth Amendment and represented himself in court. 

After this experience, Braham began to realize his skill in legal matters. Observing what he said were frequent violations of constitutional rights within prisons, he continued to not only teach himself the law but also aided fellow inmates in filing lawsuits for their rights violations.

“I knew the law and I understood the role of correctional officers,” Braham told the News. “It became clear after a while that upon my release, there were two paths I could pursue. I could either become a prison guard, which was out of the question, or I could pursue a career in the legal field.”

In his civil lawsuit against the prison, Braham initially represented himself due to limited attorney availability. This, he said, was the result of the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1996 which caps an attorney’s fees at 150 percent of the dollar amount awarded to the plaintiff in civil rights cases. Braham said he was thus forced to prosecute his case while relying on a self-help litigation manual. Despite encountering setbacks, including an initial loss at the district court level, he persisted, eventually appealing to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and ultimately securing a settlement. 

Braham then worked toward earning an undergraduate degree. He told the News he believed that education would provide him with the necessary skills to secure employment and ensure a successful reintegration back into society.

He earned his associate’s degree from the Middlesex Community College Center via the Center for Prison Education, a partnership between Wesleyan University and Middlesex Community College. Later, he pursued his bachelor’s degree at Charter Oak State College, concentrating on philosophy, critical race theory and law courses. He transferred his community college credits to Charter Oak, culminating in the completion of a capstone project for his bachelor’s degree. Braham earned another bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wesleyan University while incarcerated.

“I set out to do everything to earn a degree so that I could reenter society,” Braham said. “When certain opportunities came my way, I took advantage of them.”

Braham highlighted a course that he took during his undergraduate studies called “Thresholds,”  which he said left a significant impact on him. Thresholds was a decision-making course structured around five steps: seeing the situation clearly, knowing what you want, expanding possibilities, evaluating and deciding. This framework, he said, helped him navigate conflicts and assess situations so he could avoid trouble, prevent misunderstandings from escalating unnecessarily and potentially have his sentence shortened.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, while still incarcerated, Braham was introduced to Jeannia Fu, a New Haven activist. During the pandemic, Fu worked on securing the release of incarcerated individuals to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.  Through Fu’s connections, Braham was introduced to New Haven civil rights attorney Alex Taubes LAW ’15 who worked on Braham’s case free of charge. Taubes’ investigation revealed potential bias in Braham’s sentence, leading to a reduction of seven years from his initial 32-year sentence.

Following his release from prison, Braham relocated to New Haven and secured employment at Taubes’ law firm as a paralegal just a month after his release. Braham highlighted the importance of this opportunity, underscoring the rarity of attorneys hiring individuals with a history of incarceration, particularly those with lengthy sentences. But Taubes affirmed that Braham’s background made him a strong match for the law firm.

“He brought lawsuits, successfully won those lawsuits and those experiences in addition to all the other things that he had accomplished, such as getting two college degrees while incarcerated. Those are the reasons why he got such extraordinary relief from the court,” Taubes told the News. “And that’s also why he made a good fit to work with me.”

During his time at Taubes’ law firm, Braham applied to and was later accepted into the second cohort of Yale Law School’s Access to Law School Program. The program, headed by law professor James Forman Jr. LAW ’92, actively involves and guides New Haven-area students and adults aspiring to pursue a career in law.

Braham said that he discovered the program during the final days of his sentence through Dan McGloin, who served as the Academic Development and Planning Manager for the Wesleyan-Middlesex Center for Prison Education at the time. In the first year, Braham concentrated on LSAT prep, engaging in group tutoring sessions and receiving personalized coaching to address their specific needs. In the next year, he shifted his focus to the application process, ultimately submitting applications to nine different schools.

Michael Merli, another paralegal at Taubes’ law firm, told the News that Braham’s journey holds a significant impact, especially as he now assists individuals who are also seeking sentence reductions. Merli remarked that Braham serves as an inspiration to him.

He added that Braham puts his all into everything he does, whether it’s assisting the law firm on a case or studying for the LSAT. He said Braham dedicates himself wholeheartedly to every task he undertakes.

“I’m just really grateful and honored to know Mike Braham,” Merli told the News. “He really brings his full self to work every day and his journey inspires me so much.”

Braham told the News that he has already received acceptance letters from three law schools and is awaiting a decision from one more. He said that he hasn’t made a final decision on which law school to attend this fall, but he will be part of the class of 2027.

When asked about the area of law he hopes to practice post-law school, Braham said that he is contemplating either becoming a general practitioner or specializing in civil rights. But Braham said he remains open-minded and anticipates that his interests may change at the beginning of law school. 

Braham said that one of his long-standing goals since his time in incarceration has been to establish a full-service community center where “children can simply be children.” He said his experiences have taught him the importance of providing a safe space for kids to grow and learn, away from the influences that may lead them astray and make bad choices. By focusing on education and providing positive opportunities, he said he hopes to break the cycle that often plagues underserved communities. 

“I want to provide more education and create a center that fosters that for kids,” he said. “I hope to use my law degree to pursue that goal or help others accomplish a similar kind of mission.”

The Access to Law School Program is run by the Law and Racial Justice Center at Yale Law School.