The Hustler Files with Lisa Reilly - Stories That Challenge What You Thought You Knew

Keron McHugh may have seemed like just another black-market bad boy when the Feds arrested him in 2010, but they never could have guessed that incarceration would actually be the change that Keron needed to find in himself. In his seven years behind the wall, Keron not only read over 1,000 books (to self-educate) but was encouraged by his cell-mates to pursue the art of tattooing with only the rawest of materials available, due to his incredible ability to not just draw, but create breathtaking artwork. That trajectory gave Keron the grit he needed to sketch out his future as he served out his time, and followed Keron through his release from prison in 2017 and into what is now, an extremely successful skin art business in Mebane, North Carolina, The Cardinal Skin Art and Gallery.

In 2010, Venture Capitalist, Chris Redlitz spoke to incarcerated men at the infamous San Quentin Prison. That visit inspired him to launch a technical program, for those incarcerated, that would disrupt the incarceration cycle and offer certifications in coding to enable those returning to society the opportunity to find employment. The Last Mile technical program is now offered in 21 classrooms across 7 State prisons and has assisted 467 returning citizens in successful re-entry. Molly and Kevin Kelly are two of those returned citizens who now work for The Last Mile as Returned Citizen Advocates and along that journey they also found love.

When a house of corrections is located in a rural, farming area, it's a no-brainer to include a gardening program in the vocational and educational offerings to those incarcerated. The 'students' of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office get both classroom, and hands-on exposure to Gardening, Herbalism, and Nutrition Classes to increase collaboration skills and decrease stress. There is a level of therapy that growing and sharing food offers, including future opportunities in the agricultural industry once they are released. Of course, there are other vocational programs too, and work-release opportunities for those close to release, hoping to find a path once they have fulfilled their time served.

Each morning, from 9 am-11 am, Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg host Talk the Talk radio show on WHMP.

In this EXTRA episode of The Hustler Files, Creator/Host Lisa Reilly has the opportunity to share how The Hustler Files came to be and why it's such a passion project.

The Franklin County, Massachusetts, Opioid Task Force has come a long way since its inception in 2011. Across a 30-town region in rural Western Mass, the Opioid Task Force is a 400-member entity working to address the impact of the Opioid epidemic. While this Task Force is involved with social policy work around the Opioid crisis, it is their focus to support prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery efforts.

The opinion of this week's guests, based on their daily hands-on experience, is that addiction in the United States is sadly becoming the norm. The good news is that if you live in an area that is pro-recovery then you're more likely to locate state or federally-funded programs like the Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Services that are inside the Hampshire County Jail in Northampton, Massachusetts, where incarcerated individuals are treated for their addiction by a team of certified medical professionals. As Dr. Katie, the head of the MOUD in-jail program, in this week's episode states, '….if someone has Diabetes we don't ask how long they will need to be on medication…we know it's a forever treatment….the same should be the norm for those who are suffering from drug or alcohol addiction…'. As this week's topic relays, recovery is something that doesn't get a day off, ever.

Bruce Willis, the Actor, has a quote, 'You Can't Undo The Past, But You Can Certainly Not Repeat It'. Many people residing behind the wall have experienced disciplinary issues in the past. A mindfulness program developed at the Hampden County Sheriff's Office, by program manager Dan Cavanaugh, in 2019, is experiencing dramatic results for those participants who are currently incarcerated. The program, aptly named, S.A.V.R., Stress, Anger, Violence Reduction, not only teaches meditation and mindful behavior but addresses topics like anger management, cognitive-behavioral therapy skills, parenting, and domestic violence.

Finding the possibilities in life, after incarceration, and with a forever criminal record, is a daunting task, but since 2004 when Jacqueline Velez was released from the women's section of Rikers Island, her mission has been driven by the love for her daughter, a passion for sharing her experiences through her poetry, and the courage to become a voice for so many others who have faced similar obstacles.

In the United States, one in five children has had a parent incarcerated at some point, and more than 75% of children who have had a parent incarcerated, have themselves become incarcerated. John F. Kennedy said, "We are not here to cure the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future". This episode is emotionally riveting, not just because the woman sharing her story has both of her parent's incarcerated for war crimes in Senegal and Rwanda, but because of the abuse she sustained as a victim, because of her parent's circumstances. It is a journey of epic proportions that brings her to a place where, with the support of a village, she can share her story.

The title of this week's episode is part of a quote by the late Steve Jobs. The full quote says; "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do." While it may take a village, behind the wall and beyond, to assist justice-involved individuals with recovery and re-entry back into society, it also takes a handful of extraordinary facilitators who have dedicated their lives to their secondary education and ensuing certifications, combined with a myriad of experience, to be a changemaker in the criminal justice system.