Over at San Quentin, a new preacher has started drawing crowds on the yard. He’s charismatic, soft-spoken, and devout. He says he’s a different man than he was when he committed the crimes that put him in prison. But how can he, or anyone else, really know?

Big thanks to Guim'Mara Berry and Acting Warden Oak Smith 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.

Donate today to help us explore more stories from beyond San Quentin: on.prx.org/EH.

Imagine you’re an archaeologist tasked with going through someone’s garbage. What will you learn about their habits and desires, their values, and how they spend their resources? For seven days, the entire Ear Hustle team, both inside and outside San Quentin, stashed our trash, revealing some new and surprising things about each other.

Big thanks to Guim'Mara Berry and Acting Warden Oak Smith 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.

Donate today to help us explore more stories from beyond San Quentin: on.prx.org/EH.

Can incarcerated women dye their hair? Do they have enough tampons and pads? What makes them happy, and how realistic is “Orange Is the New Black”? Ear Hustle listeners have questions about life inside a women’s prison, so we head to the California Institution for Women for answers.

To learn more about donating books to the library at the California Institution for Women, contact Ricky Dela Cruz or Ashleigh Lewis at CIW. To learn more about donating books to San Quentin, visit the Friends of the San Quentin Prison Library. To learn more about donating books to other prisons, visit the Prisoners Literature Project, or this list of organizations from the American Library Association.

Big thanks to Guim’Mara Berry and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show, as well as to Lieutenant William Newborg at the California Institution for Women for welcoming our team inside.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Will you be one of 1,000 listeners to donate during our fundraiser? Join us today: https://on.prx.org/EH.

For years, we’ve asked incarcerated people to speculate on the difference between life inside a men’s prison and inside a women’s. Now we’re finally getting answers, thanks to a 2021 law allowing transgender, intersex, and non-binary people to transfer to prisons that match their gender identity. For some, the law has been life-changing; for others… not so much.

Big thanks to Guim'Mara Berry and Acting Warden Oak Smith for their support of the show, and to Lt. William Newborg and everyone else at the California Institution for Women for welcoming our team.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

What’s the difference between an over-under and a lower-lower? How many pairs of underwear do you get in prison? And how long does a bar of soap last? We spend an entire episode with one San Quentin OG who schools us on the history of prison and what 46 years inside will do to a man.

Big thanks to Guim'Mara Berry and Warden Oak Smith 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.

San Quentin’s population is changing, and a lot of the old ways are dying out. But some prison OGs don’t want to let go of the past.

Big thanks to Lieutenant Guim'Mara Berry and Acting Warden Oak Smith 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.

When you’re incarcerated, are your dreams set outside prison walls? Or out on the prison yard? Are they a comforting space to escape to? Or a painful reminder of what you no longer have? From lucid dreams to wet dreams to dreams of freedom, we ask how incarceration changes what you see when you sleep.

Big thanks to Guim'Mara Berry and 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.

After 22 years in prison, our inside colleague Rahsaan “New York” Thomas is now a free man. We meet him at the gates of San Quentin, and tag along for his first meal outside and a trip to Target.

Big thanks to Lieutenant Guim'Mara Berry and Acting Warden Oak Smith 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.

Lieutenant Sam Robinson has been with Ear Hustle since day one. As he retires from his post as Public Information Officer at San Quentin, we pay tribute to the man behind the mic.

Big thanks to Lt. Guim'Mara Berry and 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.

While she was in jail awaiting her sentence, Karen was housed with a pregnant cellie on the verge of giving birth. At the time, the experience barely registered. It took us a while to understand why.

This episode contains references to suicide. Listener discretion is advised. You can reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and 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.

Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is under way! Donate today to support Ear Hustle and help us reach our goal of 1,000 supporters. Thank you. on.prx.org/3NQBrDp