Incarceration doesn’t just separate a parent from his or her child, it changes that relationship forever, often leaving wounds that may never heal. We talk with kids who have incarcerated parents, as well as a formerly incarcerated mom of four, and hear why sometimes acceptance is the only way forward.

For our first-annual Ear Hustle Cook Off, four formerly-incarcerated people replicate meals they used to make inside their cells, using only the tools and ingredients they would have had access to in prison.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at  earhustlesq.com.

Six cubic feet. That’s how much stuff each incarcerated person in California is allowed to have in his or her cell. The few personal objects you keep with you in prison are precious. But what’s left behind can be just as meaningful, as relics of a former life.

Now available on our website: Ear Hustle face masks! Bonus: 100% of profits from merch sales through September 30th will go to the Prison University Project.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at  earhustlesq.com.

Being incarcerated doesn’t always mean staying in one place. Ear Hustle kicks off Season Six with stories from inside the vans and buses that carry people to and between prisons.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

The National Suicide Prevention Line can be reached at 800-273-8255.

Aly Tamboura, who appears in this episode, now works for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which financially supports the production of Ear Hustle.

Ear Hustle will be back with new episodes starting September 9. In the meantime, we talk with people experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin and other California prisons, firsthand. Plus, we’re not the only podcast sharing stories and highlighting voices from prison and post-incarceration. Here are a few other shows to check out over the summer:

The Secret Life of Prisons, from the Prison Radio Association in the UK

Featured in this episode: “The Arrival”

Birds Eye View, made by women in the Darwin Correctional Centre in Australia

Featured in this episode: “Making HERstory”

Uncuffed, produced by men incarcerated at Solano and San Quentin state prisons in California for KALW

Featured in this episode: “Sky Boii” and “Maserati-E”

More songs by Remus Sam Langi at the bottom of the page here

Life on the Outside, produced by Lucy Copp

Featured in this episode: “Mother California”

Snap Judgment’s story “The Officer”

Voices of San Quentin on Instagram @VoicesofSanQuentin

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits, and a list of more shows about life inside and post-incarceration, at earhustlesq.com.

Getting out of prison means freedom, but this liberation often comes with caveats. In our final episode of the season, three formerly incarcerated people describe the unwelcome surprises that were waiting for them on the other side of the gates. Plus, Ear Hustlers respond to the murder of George Floyd and recent protests.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Find out how Talib has been doing since this episode originally aired, in the Ear Hustle Plus episode “Where’s Talib Now?” To listen to all EH+ bonus content, sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. 

Hollywood loves stories about fugitives on the run, but in reality that lifestyle is anything but glamorous, especially for those who get pulled in along the way. One woman reflects back on six years spent on the lam in Mexico, after her husband was charged with murder and their family fled south.

We’re nearing the end of our first-ever spring fundraiser, and we need your help. If you can spare a little to support the show, go to earhustlesq.com/donate. Thank you!

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Find out how Talib has been doing since this episode originally aired, in the Ear Hustle Plus episode “Where’s Talib Now?” To listen to all EH+ bonus content, sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. 

Every season we answer questions from listeners in our Catch a Kite episode. This time around, formerly incarcerated people lend their experiences and lessons learned to a group of kids currently incarcerated at a juvenile facility in Madison, Wisconsin.

We’re in the middle of our first-ever spring fundraiser. If you can spare a little to support the show, go to earhustlesq.com/donate. Thank you!

And check out our new, limited-edition T-shirt, featuring an illustration by listener Anna Hicks.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Four women share their stories of loving incarcerated men, and the challenges they face in maintaining their relationships, staying hopeful about an eventual reunion, and carrying on with their lives on the outside.

We just launched a month-long fundraiser. If you can spare a little to support the show, go to earhustlesq.com/donate. Thank you!

And check out our new, limited-edition T-shirt, featuring an illustration by listener Anna Hicks.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support.

One crime is treated differently than all others, both inside and outside prison. People who commit sex crimes against children are often ostracized, abused by fellow inmates, and deemed beyond rehabilitation. On this episode, we talk to victims and perpetrators about the causes for, and impacts of, these crimes.

A note: This episode includes disturbing content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Please use discretion in listening.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support.