Jason Cramer
Encyclopedia
Jason Cramer is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz
played by Robert Bogue
.
Jason Cramer is serving a sentence for decapitating his male lover. In Oz, he represents the Gay
s in the boxing tournament and remains in Oz until a woman who was a juror at his trial delivers him information about a homophobic
jury member. With the help of Kareem Said
, he gets a new trial and is ultimately freed from Oz.
. Ryan O'Reily
, an Irish
inmate who secretly has been fixing the fights, tells Cramer that the Latino
s have planned to rape
his lover if he is to indeed lose the fight. Angrily, he beats Alvarez in the fight not knowing that O'Reilly fixed the fight by drugging Alvarez's water. As O'Reilly was the only one who bet on Cramer, many inmates question O'Reilly being on the winning end of every fight. Cramer's victory gives him a match in the semi-finals and causes the majority of the inmates to insult the Latinos for losing to a gay inmate. Cramer is going to face black inmate Hamid Khan
as the racial tension within Oz intensifies. Vern Schillinger urges Cramer to win and he gets support during the fight from most of the White inmates who are only interested in seeing Khan lose. Khan and Cramer fight three solid rounds with a racially divided crowd and at the end of the fight, Khan only wins by a 2-1 vote as neither fighter is knocked out. After the fight, the tension within Oz gets worse and the prison is ultimately locked down.
Detective Robert Stransky is dying of emphysema
and wishes to clear his conscience before he dies. Stransky knows Cramer was guilty but confesses that he fabricated the evidence, getting a kitchen knife that a friend in Forensics helped him doctor the fingerprints onto. As this development occurs, Said sees that Cramer could go free altogether. Said is opposed to this because he figured Cramer was indeed guilty of murder but needed to be tried and found guilty for his crime, not his sexual orientation. As a result, Said recuses himself as Cramer's attorney. It is too late, however, as Cramer gets tried again and is found not guilty. Cramer thus becomes one of the few inmates during the series run to actually be released from the prison: the vast majority of inmate characters who were "written out" of the show exited via an on-screen death, usually at the hands of a fellow inmate.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
played by Robert Bogue
Robert Bogue
Robert Timothy Bogue is an Americanactor, who played A.C. Mallet on Guiding Light from 2007 until the soap's ending in 2009....
.
Character overview
Prisoner #98C931. Convicted September 6, 1998 - Murder in the first degree, Kidnapping, Assault with a dangerous instrument. Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole. Granted a new trial in 2000, and found not guilty, subsequently released from Oz.Jason Cramer is serving a sentence for decapitating his male lover. In Oz, he represents the Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s in the boxing tournament and remains in Oz until a woman who was a juror at his trial delivers him information about a homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
jury member. With the help of Kareem Said
Kareem Said
Kareem Saïd is a character played by British actor Eamonn Walker on the American television show Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97S444. Convicted June 6, 1997 - Arson in the second degree. Sentence: 18 years, eligible for parole in five...
, he gets a new trial and is ultimately freed from Oz.
Season 3
Cramer arrives in Oz and represents the Gays in the Boxing tournament. Cramer is a relatively skilled Boxer but the odds are stacked against him in the ring as none of the inmates believe a homosexual can be a good fighter. His first fight is against the Latinos represented by Miguel AlvarezMiguel Alvarez
Miguel Alvarez is a fictional character played by American actor Kirk Acevedo on the television show Oz. He is the main Latino inmate in the series. He is a gang member of El Norte and of Cuban descent.-Character overview:...
. Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
, an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
inmate who secretly has been fixing the fights, tells Cramer that the Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
s have planned to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
his lover if he is to indeed lose the fight. Angrily, he beats Alvarez in the fight not knowing that O'Reilly fixed the fight by drugging Alvarez's water. As O'Reilly was the only one who bet on Cramer, many inmates question O'Reilly being on the winning end of every fight. Cramer's victory gives him a match in the semi-finals and causes the majority of the inmates to insult the Latinos for losing to a gay inmate. Cramer is going to face black inmate Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan, played by Ernie Hudson Jr., is a fictional character in the HBO series Oz.- Character overview :Prisoner #99K515. Convicted March 6, 1999 - Aggravated assault. Sentence: 10 years, eligible for parole in five....
as the racial tension within Oz intensifies. Vern Schillinger urges Cramer to win and he gets support during the fight from most of the White inmates who are only interested in seeing Khan lose. Khan and Cramer fight three solid rounds with a racially divided crowd and at the end of the fight, Khan only wins by a 2-1 vote as neither fighter is knocked out. After the fight, the tension within Oz gets worse and the prison is ultimately locked down.
Season 4
When the lockdown is ended, Cramer is approached by a female juror at his trial who states that a jury member was prejudiced against him for being gay. She thinks he is guilty, but informs him of this as she could not live with having him having gone to prison on the basis of his sexual orientation. He convinces Muslim inmate Kareem Said to help him get a new trial, and Said puts aside his moral views about homosexuality as a means of having Cramer receive justice. The judge grants a new trial and then Cramer is given more information from the homicide detective who arrested him.Detective Robert Stransky is dying of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and wishes to clear his conscience before he dies. Stransky knows Cramer was guilty but confesses that he fabricated the evidence, getting a kitchen knife that a friend in Forensics helped him doctor the fingerprints onto. As this development occurs, Said sees that Cramer could go free altogether. Said is opposed to this because he figured Cramer was indeed guilty of murder but needed to be tried and found guilty for his crime, not his sexual orientation. As a result, Said recuses himself as Cramer's attorney. It is too late, however, as Cramer gets tried again and is found not guilty. Cramer thus becomes one of the few inmates during the series run to actually be released from the prison: the vast majority of inmate characters who were "written out" of the show exited via an on-screen death, usually at the hands of a fellow inmate.