Kenneth Hogan is moments away from enjoying his first slice of New York City pizza in nearly 25 years. But before he can savor the moment, he has a long to-do list — starting with registering with the New York State Board of Parole.
Staying focused is imperative, Hogan said over the phone from prison days before being placed on supervised release for the remainder of his 25 years-to-life sentence for felony murder, robbery, and gun charges. He said that once he leaves the parole office with his wife by his side, he would “hit the ground running” and avoid becoming “another statistic.”
“Finally,” Hogan told Capital B on the phone moments after his release and on his way to the parole office. “It’s been a long road, but finally, I’m out. Thank you for your blessings. Give me more.”
For Hogan, staying on track is more than just a goal. Now an older Black father, he returns home with a felony conviction, a decades-long employment gap, and the current challenges of an unstable political and economic landscape — leaving his future uncertain.
Hogan expressed remorse to the family of the victim, who was killed in 2000 during a botched robbery in Nassau County. Prosecutors say it was Hogan’s 19-year-old cousin who pulled the trigger, while Hogan robbed the victim. Felony murder laws impose the same punishment on all participants in a crime that results in a death, regardless of their level of involvement. These laws have disproportionately led to Black people receiving decades-long prison sentences without having directly caused a death. There are at least two bills to reform the law currently pending in New York state’s Senate committee.
Two reports by the Prison Policy Initiative this month revealed that reoffense rates, or recidivism, for people accused of violent crimes, such as rape, murder, and assault, have been misrepresented. The report highlights that many studies count arrests rather than convictions as evidence of recidivism, inflating figures. Additionally, these studies often include broad definitions of violent crimes. As a result, the recidivism rate for violent crime appears to be “a whopping 48 percentage points higher when rearrest, rather than imprisonment, is used to define recidivism.”
A 2024 report also found that the risk of violent behavior typically peaks in adolescence or early adulthood, and declines with age. However, people are often incarcerated long after this risk has diminished.
Hogan was 20 when he was arrested. He’s now 45.
Given his personal accomplishments in higher education during his incarceration, along with his well-structured plans that include getting a job during his first couple of years after release — recidivism may not be a major concern for Hogan. He plans to pursue his passion for theater and film, his advocates said.
“We are relieved that Kenneth Hogan is finally free. Mr. Hogan has our support in his effort to make a new life for himself as he makes solid contributions to his community,” said Malik Z. Shabazz, Hogan’s attorney.
Shabazz, who filed a clemency petition to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Hogan’s behalf in 2023, added, “We wish him well.”
Jermaine Archer, executive director of Rehabilitation Through the Arts — a nonprofit providing arts programming in correctional facilities — offered Hogan advice during a Capital B interview, encouraging him to give himself time to adjust to life after prison.
“To make Google and YouTube your university. To take time to heal and just be with your family,” said Archer, who was released on parole in 2021. Archer spent 22 years in New York prisons, including Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where he is also an alumnus of the RTA program featured in the Oscar-nominated film Sing Sing.
Hogan discovered his passion for entertainment while writing and directing stage productions at Eastern New York Correctional Facility in Napanoch.
Along with securing full-time employment — a parole board requirement for release — Hogan intends to prioritize reconnecting with his children and making up for lost time with his aging mother. Crime victim advocates have emphasized, and Hogan has acknowledged in previous interviews with Capital B, that this opportunity is a privilege — one that families of gun violence victims don’t have.
“Surround yourself with like-minded people”
Hogan petitioned for clemency twice before his release on Thursday. After then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo rejected his first petition to have his sentence commuted, Hogan enrolled in personal and professional development courses. He completed over 100 hours of self-development courses, became certified in safety and health training by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and developed the craft of writing for the performing arts.
Archer said Hogan equipped himself with the educational and professional training resources available during his incarceration to ensure a successful parole hearing.
Hogan, who learned of his parole release date in November 2024, included Capital B’s coverage of his case in his parole package. A GoFundMe has been launched.
As Hogan counted down the days to his parole release on March 13, he continued his master’s degree program at Bard College in New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the college in 2023 and plans to stay in touch with and advocate for his classmates.
“You’ve got to surround yourself with like minded-people in order to be successful,” Archer said. We come home and think we got to bring everybody with us, and it doesn’t work like that.
“So I think he really has to understand, don’t feel guilty,” Archer continued. “Don’t feel like you can swim and carry luggage at the same time. It’s not going to work — at least not right now.”
Once Hogan establishes himself in his career, he hopes to advocate for reforming the post-release prison process to ensure formerly incarcerated individuals without family or resources have guaranteed housing. A lack of housing can be a key factor contributing to reincarceration.
“Most people end up in a shelter, and a shelter is like another prison,” Hogan said. “I want them to come home to an environment and into a space of where they could thrive and do things positively, so they won’t even have a chance to get into a mindset to recidivate or go back to jail or reoffend.”
Hogan has a job interview lined up, he said. He plans to have his cornrows — braided by himself for many years — washed, conditioned, and styled by a celebrity hairstylist at Ursula Stephen’s salon in Brooklyn. He’s also scheduling a photoshoot to get professional pictures for an acting portfolio.
As Hogan’s 30-minute call neared its end, an automated voice interrupted him mid-sentence, reminding everyone that it was being recorded and was from an “incarcerated individual.”
“I’ve been counting down,” Tahia Hogan, his wife, said. “I don’t want to hear that [automated] voice no more.”