Charles Carbone, Esq.
Charles Carbone, Esq., is a distinguished prisoner rights lawyer with an unwavering commitment to advancing the rights and dignity of incarcerated individuals. As a former Board Member of California Prison Focus (www.prisons.org), a respected human rights organization, he has played a pivotal role in defending and promoting the rights of prisoners across California for nearly two decades. Additionally, Charles co-hosted and co-produced "Uncuffed," the nation’s longest-running radio program dedicated to prisoner issues, airing weekly on 89.5 FM KPOO in San Francisco (www.kpoo.com) every Thursday from 11 AM to noon.
A founding member of the Prisoner Assistance Scholastic Service (PASS), Charles established the only nationwide school of rehabilitation for prisoners, reflecting his dedication to transformative justice. His career as a public interest attorney is marked by a profound passion for securing the release of hundreds of prisoners—a source of immense pride and joy both professionally and personally.
Charles’s journey as a prisoner rights advocate began during law school, where he taught and directed a legal research and writing program for inmates in maximum and medium-security prisons across New York State, including Attica, Clinton, and Wyoming. Witnessing firsthand the systemic disregard for the rights of the accused and convicted, he co-authored a published law review article with Professor George Kannar titled "Federalizing Death," which analyzed the implications of the 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill and the reinstatement of the federal death penalty.
After graduating cum laude from law school, Charles achieved a landmark victory by bringing the first successful lawsuit in the U.S. against MCI/Worldcom, challenging the exorbitant costs of prison collect calls. The case settled for half a million dollars and spurred legislative efforts in California to reform prison call rate structures, though the resulting bill was ultimately vetoed by Governor Gray Davis. Early in his career, he served as Special Assistant to Professor Robert Fellmeth at the University of San Diego School of Law and the Economic Fraud Unit of the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, focusing on antitrust enforcement and medical fraud. During the summer of 1995, Charles worked directly with Ralph Nader as a Research Analyst, tackling complex issues ranging from government agriculture programs to sentencing guidelines for white-collar crime.
In the early 2000s, Charles honed his litigation skills as an associate attorney at Girard & Green, LLP, a respected plaintiffs’ firm. There, he handled intensive research and brief-writing for federal court cases, contributing to successful outcomes in some of the nation’s largest consumer class actions against Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, as Associate Director of the nonprofit consumer advocacy group UCAN in San Diego, he represented 40,000 residential consumers in litigation involving public utilities, broadband technologies, and telecommunications, securing some of the largest judgments ever awarded against utility companies by the California Public Utilities Commission.
As Director of the Litigation In Prison (LIP) Project for California Prison Focus in the 2000s, Charles supervised legal investigative visits to security housing units (SHUs) at prisons such as Pelican Bay, Corcoran, and Tehachapi, as well as numerous other facilities across the state, including San Quentin and Folsom. His extensive prison visits—more than any other attorney in California, by his estimation—underscored his hands-on commitment to understanding and addressing the challenges faced by inmates. A frequent expert on prisoner rights in media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, and various television news programs, Charles has litigated numerous state and federal lawsuits tackling issues like excessive force, parole violations, medical neglect, and solitary confinement policies. Notably, he served as lead attorney in two groundbreaking cases that effectively ended long-term solitary confinement in California, and he takes pride in having secured the release of countless "lifer" inmates who have successfully reintegrated into society without recidivism.
Charles’s legal philosophy is rooted in a deep commitment to fairness, justice, and equality, forged through his experiences confronting abuses of power and inequality in both economic and criminal justice contexts. Facing off against some of California’s most formidable law firms, he has demonstrated exceptional oral advocacy skills and an uncompromising dedication to his clients. His career reflects a steadfast pursuit of the highest standards of legal practice, driven by a mission to serve the needs of prisoners with integrity and love.
