Season 14
The day before she committed her crime, Linda went to Mass with her mother.
Nigel and Earlonne’s San Quentin memory places.
The final stops on Nigel’s San Quentin mystery tour.
Nigel takes Earlonne on a mystery tour of San Quentin.
SEASON 13
An episode from the vaults makes San Quentin the main character.
Incarcerated people around the country answer listener questions about life in prison.
Nigel surprises Earlonne with a story about one of their long-time colleagues inside San Quentin.
The many things you long for from prison and the compromises you’re willing to make.
Season 12
Nigel and Earlonne look back at their first episode.
Three stories of the paranormal, from San Quentin and the California Institution for Women.
Older residents at a women’s prison grapple with their regrets and dreams for the future.
SEASON 11
While we’re at work on Season 12, we bring you an episode from one of our favorite new shows.
Is there such a thing as a prison uniform? An Ear Hustle collab explores.
Residents of the California Institution for Women answer listeners’ questions about life inside a women’s prison.
A new law shakes things up for trans men and trans women in prison.
SEASON 10
We meet Rahsaan “New York” Thomas at the gates of San Quentin.
Ear Hustle says goodbye to dear friend and “approver” extraordinaire, Lieutenant Sam Robinson.
Postcards from our first-ever international reporting trip.
Sam Brown spent 24 years in prison not just denying his crime, but lying about it, over and over again. Finally, he decided to come clean. Would the parole board believe him?
SEASON 9
In My Mother Made Me, the new series from Radiotopia Presents, a mother and son consider what each has learned from the other.
From a booth at Applebee’s and the corner of Firmona and Marine Avenues in Lawndale, Ryan and Earlonne share memories of their final moments before heading to prison.
Michael’s last memory before coming to San Quentin is set in a parking lot in Bakersfield, California.
What’s it like to go years, even decades, without intimate physical contact with another person?
In a remote part of Northern California, a prison town is losing its oldest prison. Ear Hustle took a road trip to hear how Susanvillers are reacting to the news.
SEASON 8
Our inside colleague Rahsaan “New York” Thomas’ prison sentence has been commuted by California Governor Gavin Newsom. What does that mean for him?
Introducing Written Off, a podcast featuring formerly incarcerated young writers.
The promise of sports starting up post-pandemic brings new people, new possibilities, and new heartbreak onto the fields of San Quentin.
Three stories about surviving the intense isolation and disorientation of imprisonment in a foreign country.
“The definition of bonnaroo is to elevate the evolution of everything in existence.”
Stories about bail, bail bonds, and the strange purgatory of waiting to get locked up.
SEASON 7
Introducing Life Jolt, a new podcast about the experiences of currently and formerly incarcerated women in Ontario, Canada.
How do you live a meaningful life when nearly all of it is spent behind bars?
A small Israeli bakery in San Francisco has become a lifeline for people just out of prison.
Season 6
Introducing “Suave,” a podcast series about the system that sentences juveniles to life in prison, told through one man’s story.
In the wake of a violent crime, a perpetrator and victim ask what accountability and survival really look like.
In the middle of California’s worst fire season on record, we meet a few formerly incarcerated people training to become firefighters.
Nigel and Earlonne sit down with 1A’s Jenn White and WBEZ for one of our favorite on-stage events ever.
Season 5
Ear Hustle isn’t the only podcast out there telling stories of life in prison and post-incarceration.
Ear Hustle answers questions from kids incarcerated at a juvenile facility in Madison, Wisconsin.
As lockdowns loom worldwide, we revisit and update a 2018 episode all about surviving prison lockdowns.
Gator, Razor, Kill Switch, Mother Dearest — Ear Hustle is back with the stories and legends behind prison nicknames.
Season 4
A formerly incarcerated woman tells Earlonne and Nigel about the joys and dangers of being a commercial truck driver.
Surprise! In this season four bonus episode, Earlonne sits down with Ear Hustle co-founder, sound design and music contributor, and episode illustrator Antwan “Banks” Williams
The violent encounter in 1997 between Tom, a cop, and Jason, a teenager in a gang, was inevitable. The decades-long aftermath was anything but.
Receiving a death sentence in California doesn’t always mean you’ve reached the end of the road.
By now an Ear Hustle tradition, this season’s “Catch a Kite” episode tackles questions and shares theme remixes from listeners around the world.
Getting a job post-incarceration, with a criminal record trailing you, is all kinds of challenging.
Believe it or not, there’s more to prison jobs than pounding out license plates and slinging cafeteria food.
I think we can all agree: It’s high time we devoted a full episode to the music of San Quentin.
Everyone in prison dreams about the moment they’ll get out, but it’s the days, weeks and months after that make or break you.
In the Reception Center at San Quentin, guys learn the prison ropes while waiting to find out where they’ll serve time.
Season 3
Bonus episode! Earlonne’s out, and the crew drives to Sacramento to interview the man who made that happen: Governor Jerry Brown.
Earlonne and Nigel got some big news yesterday, from the office of California Governor Jerry Brown.
When you’re incarcerated, falling in love with prison staff or volunteers is prohibited. But… it happens.
Ear Hustle responds to a gang of questions from listeners about daily life in San Quentin.
On the heels of a summer lockdown, season three of Ear Hustle launches with an episode about... lockdowns.
Season 2
Inside San Quentin, if you’re gay you hide it, but if you’re trans you can’t hide it. In this episode, we dive into what it's like to be LGBTQ in prison.
Sex trafficking crimes are hard to talk about. In this episode, Sara and LA share their individual experiences of being “in the life.”
Season 1
Just in time for the holidays! Meet some of the musicians of San Quentin, whose songs were featured in season one of Ear Hustle.
There are only a few ways to leave prison: serve your time, get out early on parole... or escape.
How do inmates with profoundly long sentences cope with their realities, and maintain a sense of hope and well-being as the years pass?
The color of your skin influences your life in prison, from sharing food to celebrating birthdays.
Being married in prison is common. Opportunities to get intimate with your spouse are not.
Earlonne and Nigel answer questions mailed in via postcard, aka "kites," from listeners around the world.
The hole, the box, solitary confinement… stories from four men who spent years by themselves in prison.
Meet Rauch, a man incarcerated at San Quentin who has figured out how to “look out” for dozens of critters around the place.
While the perceived thrill and glamour of gang life are often too strong to resist, the hard consequences of this seduction can last a lifetime.
Finding a roommate can be tough. Finding someone to share a 5' x 10' space with is a whole 'nother story.
Meet the Ear Hustle team, get a taste for what the show sounds like and hear about what's to come in season one.