Ear Hustle

What do elevators, canned fish, and video games have in common? They're new on the scene at San Quentin. Our inside team — plus interns! — reports with up-to-the-minute updates from SQRC.  Here's CDCR's statement about the cafe:  "CALCITRA has identified a Joint Venture Partner, Love Does Parade, to operate the cafe space within SQRC, and they are enthusiastic about completing the opening process and beginning operations. We continue to make progress toward opening the cafe and are working through the required approvals and clearances."  Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Coming up: conversations with Lynn Novick, director of the four-part documentary <a href="https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/crime-and-punishment-in-america/">Crime and Punishment in America</a>. Sign up at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Dwight Krizman, and Earlonne Woods.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Chanelo, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Inside producers Tam and Sadiq take over the mic to introduce us to a (mostly) new crop of musicians heard out on the yard at San Quentin. And: some big news from an OG friend of the show.  Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Coming up: a never-before-aired interview recorded right after Earlonne was released from prison. Sign up at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, and Joshua Burton.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Chanelo, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women’s Facility, for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Jack spent 35 years in a security housing unit, aka "the hole," and he’s got some stories to tell.  You can hear more about Jack's story on the PBS documentary <a href="https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/the-strike/">The Strike</a>.  Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Last week, Nigel took Ear Plustlers on a mysterious "friend date." On our next Plus episode, Nigel and Earlonne talk to the Drexel University researcher who brought "Little Scandinavia" to a Pennsylvania prison. Sign up at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Tam Nguyen, and Earlonne Woods.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Acting Warden Chanelo and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

E and Nyge would like a quick word.  Sign up for Ear Hustle Plus at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a>.  (Supercast subscribers: Keep an eye on your email for instructions on how to set up your new EH+ feed.) Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

We solicited questions about life in prison from audience members at our live shows. Then, we took those questions into a couple prisons we'd never been to before — Folsom State Prison in California, and SCI Chester in Pennsylvania — and got answers.  Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Next week, Nigel takes EH+ subscribers on a mysterious "friend date." And coming up: a conversation with the Drexel University researcher who brought "Little Scandinavia" to a Pennsylvania prison. Sign up at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Big thanks to the folks at SCI Chester in Pennsylvania, and Folsom State Prison in California, for showing us around and answering Catch a Kite questions for this episode.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Here's a preview from the new season of <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/examined-the-backfire-effect">Examined</a>, a podcast from Pushkin Industries that looks at the realities of incarceration from the perspective of a wrongful conviction. This season: The Backfire Effect. Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Michigan, a 20-year-old student was shot dead in broad daylight. The police quickly found their suspect. But there was a problem: The man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it.  Journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators, and local reporters to unravel a story of judicial apathy and expedience. The Backfire Effect asks whether the system had already made up its mind about the suspect before it ever got to the facts. Find Examined: The Backfire Effect wherever you get podcasts, and hear the entire season, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Examined show page on Apple Podcasts or at <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/plus">pushkin.fm/plus</a>. This is a sponsored feed drop.

Two people are connected by a terrible crime, committed over 30 years ago. What do we owe the people we hurt, and how long does that debt endure?  Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! In the feed this week: Earlonne and Nigel get a reading from San Quentin village's resident Mayan astrologer and clairvoyant. And coming up: Nigel takes EH+ subscribers on a mysterious "friend date." Sign up at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Bruce Wallace, and Earlonne Woods. Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show. Thanks also to R. Hosea Collins at the Calvary Baptist Church of Hawthorne and Commissioner Robert Barton and the California Board of Parole. Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

A psychic. An RV park. A one-room post office. San Quentin's prison gets all the headlines, but just over the wall, there's a whole other world to explore.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Bruce Wallace, and Earlonne Woods.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Rumors of a prison swimming pool, losing cherished memories to new technology, the right to housing in prison, and different ways of looking at a letter: Our first class of storytellers at the California Institution for Women dives deep into these subjects in the inaugural issue of CIW: The Magazine.  This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, Darrell Sadiq Davis, and Earlonne Woods.  Thanks to Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and PIO Avina at the California Institution for Women for supporting <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/workshop-ciw">our work at CIW</a>.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at <a href="https://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

We're sharing an episode from another PRX podcast, <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/series/the_science_of_happiness">The Science of Happiness</a>, which explores what science can tell us about living a happier, more meaningful life.  We think Ear Hustle listeners might be especially interested in this episode, "Why You Can’t Do It Alone," which explores the role that the people around us play in shaping our success. It tells the story of two brothers, Danny and Gilbert Murillo, who have done time in California prisons. The brothers talk about how education, mentorship, and their evolving relationship helped them overcome incarceration and systemic barriers.  <a href="https://undergroundscholars.berkeley.edu/members">Danny Murillo</a> is the co-founder of Underground Scholars, a program that creates pathways to higher education for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and system-impacted people. <a href="https://capolicylab.org/staff/gilbert-murillo/">Gilbert Murillo</a> is a policy advocate and researcher who draws on his own experience with incarceration to reform California's criminal justice system. <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/profile/bob_mckinnon">Bob McKinnon</a> is an author, teacher, and Director of the Social Mobility Lab at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York.

Nigel reexamines the fourth episode in our Last Memory series, from December of 2024. Linda’s mom brought her to a Catholic Mass because she had a sense her daughter was on the verge of something, and needed help. Thirty-seven years into her prison sentence, Linda wonders what would have happened if she had listened to her mom, and Nigel and Earlonne visit the same chapel to see the place through Linda’s memory.  <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/episodes/2022/5/25/last-memory-michael">Last Memory: Michael </a><a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/episodes/2022/6/8/last-memory-ryan-and-earlonne">Last Memory: Ryan and Earlonne </a><a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/episodes/2024/11/27/last-memory-leisha">Last Memory: Leisha</a> This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, David Jassy, Bruce Wallace, and Earlonne Woods. Big thanks to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at <a href="https://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Could telling Sadiq and Demarion’s story actually make things worse between them? And were we right to be concerned that SQ's public information officer wouldn't sign off on a story about penis modification? For our latest editorial roundtable, the outside team sits down to discuss two recent episodes: “<a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/episodes/2026/5/14/bag-of-skittles">Bag of Skittles</a>” and “<a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/episodes/2026/6/10/over-and-over-and-over-and-over">Over and Over and Over and Over</a>.”  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Earlonne relistens to the final episode of Ear Hustle’s first season, about one official and one unofficial way to get out of prison.  Steve, Danny, Phillip, and Ron are all trying to make their way out of prison. In our final episode of the season, these men share their stories of going through the parole hearing process, and contemplate life on the outside after being incarcerated for decades. Big thanks to Steve Wilson for telling his story, and to Danny Plunket, Phillip Melendez, and Ron Self for sharing their parole board experiences. In revisiting this episode, we tried to reach Steve, but the phone number we have for him doesn’t work. Steve, if you’re out there, <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/contact-us">let us hear from you</a>!  Music used in this episode was contributed by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, E. “Phil” Phillips, and Earlonne Woods. Support our work and help us reach 1,000 donors! <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/donate">Make your gift today</a>. Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Even though they share a difficult past, Sadiq and Demarion had never met in person, and it was probably best that it stayed that way. When an event at San Quentin brought them together, Demarion faced an agonizing choice.  This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Demarion English, David Jassy, and Antwan Williams.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; and Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women for their support of the show.  Help us reach 1,000 donors by June 30. Make your gift today at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/donate">earhustlesq.com/donate</a>. Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

At North Kern State Prison, incarcerated people are being trained to do what staff cannot: provide peer support, whether it’s with addiction, cellie drama, or just adjusting to prison life. Nigel and Earlonne pay a couple visits, and hit some walls along the way.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Dwight Krisman, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.  Big thanks to PIO Lt. Huckleberry and Warden Hixon at North Kern State Prison, as well as PIO Lt. Vogel and Warden De La Cruz at the Central California Women’s Facility, for allowing us to spend time with their peer-support programs.  Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is on the East Coast! Get your tickets at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/tour">earhustlesq.com/tour</a>.  Help us reach 1,000 donors by June 30. Make your gift today at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/donate">earhustlesq.com/donate</a>.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

From obsessive body-building to extreme tattoos and other transformations: stories about the ways people in prison think about and try to change their bodies. Plus: “the California body,” explained.  This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Dwight Krisman, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.  Big thanks to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is coming to the East Coast! Get your tickets at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/tour">earhustlesq.com/tour</a>.  Help us reach 1,000 donors by June 30. Make your gift today at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/donate">earhustlesq.com/donate</a>.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

Nigel says no matter where you are, everyone has a story to tell about a hug: good, bad, or awkward. Earlonne isn’t buying it.  Thanks to Alonzo, Deonza, Harmon, Maurice, Ralph, Carlos, Michael, and Rocky for speaking to us on the yard at San Quentin.  This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, Earlonne Woods, Derell Sadiq Davis, and Bruce Wallace. Big thanks to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is coming to the East Coast! Get your tickets at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/tour">earhustlesq.com/tour</a>.  Help us reach 1,000 donors by June 30. Make your gift today at earhustlesq.com/donate. Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

For our latest installment in the ”revisiting” series, Nigel and Earlonne time-travel back to Season 4 and the uncertain futures of men who were living on San Quentin’s now-shuttered death row.   Big thanks to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode: Al aka Watson Allison, Abu Qadir Al-Amin, Lt. Sam Robinson, and Lonnie Morris. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, and Rhashiyd Zinnamon, and a remix of our theme music from listener Ingibjörg Friðriksdóttir. Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Davis for their support of this episode. Big thanks to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.  Ear Hustle is coming to the East Coast! Get your tickets at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/tour">earhustlesq.com/tour</a>.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at <a href="https://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

The last time Domonica saw her dad, he was behind prison glass and she was just six years old. Now, more than two decades later, they’re trying to rebuild their relationship. But a few things stand in the way.  This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, and Bruce Wallace. Big thanks to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is coming to the East Coast! Get your tickets at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/tour">earhustlesq.com/tour</a>.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at <a href="https://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.

The letters come from all over: incarcerated men and women listening to Ear Hustle on their tablets, fans tuning in from as far as Australia and the Philippines. Most of the time, the feedback is positive — but not always. On this first-ever letters episode, we follow up with a few of those listeners.  Thank you to Caroline, Gabby, and Jennifer, for talking to us for this episode.  This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, Dwight Krizman, and Bruce Wallace.  Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.  Don’t miss Ear Hustle Live on tour! Get the scoop at <a href="http://earhustlesq.com/tour">earhustlesq.com/tour</a>.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at <a href="https://earhustlesq.com/plus">earhustlesq.com/plus</a> or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX.