James Tramel

Who is James Tramel?

James Tramel is an Episcopal priest who was ordained while serving prison time for murder, and the first convict ever ordained in the Episcopal Church while still in prison. 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 and supporting prisoner-victim reconciliation programs.

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 participated in the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old transient in a park in Santa Barbara, mistaking his identity for that of a rival gang member. Tramel and his then-roommate were both sentenced to a mimimum of 15 years in prison for second-degree murder. While in prison he took correspondence courses, earning an undergraduate degree in business and a master's degree in theology. He was ordained in 2005, while still an inmate at Solano State Prison, by Bishop William E.Swing.