The Hustler Files Ep 152

The Hustler Files Ep 151

ONE SYSTEM, TWO PATHS; RESTORATION VS. PUNISHMENT

Northwestern Massachusetts District Attorney David Sullivan is always up for a powerful conversation that challenges conventional ideas of justice, and what it truly means to serve a community. From traditional prosecution to innovative restorative justice practices, Sullivan shares how his office is working to balance accountability with opportunity, giving both victims and offenders a voice in the process. Rooted in a model that dates back three thousand years, restorative justice shifts the focus from punishment to repairing harm, creating space for dialogue, responsibility, and transformation. Through real-life examples and candid insights, this conversation offers a rare look inside the evolving role of a modern District Attorney and the systems working to create lasting change. This episode is a reminder that justice isn’t always about punishment. Sometimes, it’s about understanding, accountability, and the possibility of a different outcome.

The Hustler Files Ep 150

WHEN HOPE MEETS ACTION: LIVES RECLAIMED

In Part 2 of the conversation with the Seattle Clemency Project, we are joined by Brooke Kaufman, Director of Communications and Author, at the SCP, and client Grady Mitchell. In a deeply personal look at what clemency truly means, not just in policy, but in people’s lives, Grady shares his journey of transformation, purpose, and paying forward the hope he was given. It was his hope that helped him face unimaginable personal challenges with unwavering strength, during his 37-year incarceration. This episode goes beyond the legal process revealing the human impact of second chances in a system where parole does not exist. Through stories of resilience, advocacy, and belief in human potential, this conversation is just another reminder that redemption isn’t just possible, it’s lived, every day.

The Hustler Files Ep 149

FINDING HOPE IN A NO-PAROLE STATE

In Part 1 of a two-part conversation, we sit down with leaders from an organization working at the intersection of justice, advocacy, and second chances. The Seattle Clemency Project is a lifeline for so many incarcerated individuals who may have been eligible for parole, if the State of Washington had a parole system. Musa Abul-Mateen, Executive Director of SCP, and a formerly incarcerated individual, and Jennifer Smith, Co-Founder and Development Director of SCP explore the shared humanity behind the system, challenging assumptions and the critical work being done to support individuals navigating complex legal and personal journeys. With honesty and insight, this conversation underscores a powerful truth: we are more alike than we are different. It’s a reminder that real impact happens when compassion, accountability, and opportunity come together.

The Hustler Files Ep 148

FOSTERING CHANGE, ONE CHILD AT A TIME

From surviving abuse, instability, and homelessness to building a national nonprofit to helpfoster children, this is the powerful journey of Rob Scheer, founder of the organization Comfort Cases. After experiencing firsthand the harsh realities of the foster care system where children often carry their belongings in trash bags, Rob turned his story into a movement focused on restoring dignity, comfort, and a sense of worth to kids in crisis. In this conversation, Rob shares the deeper challenges within foster care, including trauma, invisibility, and the long-term impact on children who age out of the system. Rob also reflects on resilience, personal responsibility, and the moment he chose a different path, one that now impacts hundreds of thousands of lives across the country. With 700 children in the United States entering foster care EVERYDAY, Rob is truly compassion in action, seeing what others overlook, and proving how one person’s lived experience can spark meaningful, systemic change.

The Hustler Files Ep 147

IT’S OK TO SAY THE F WORD

From a felony to the CEO of a Global foundation, Michelle Cirocco knows firsthand that second chances work, because she lived it.
After serving time in prison, Michelle rebuilt her life by taking a job at a call center, inside a local correctional facility. Today, she leads the Televerde Foundation, helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women gain workforce credentials, employment, and long-term success. With over 5,000 women served and a
recidivism rate that is under 2%, Televerde’s model is transforming reentry outcomes and economic impact across states like Arizona and Indiana. In a powerful and heartfelt conver-sation, Michelle talks about leadership, the stigma of having a felony, workforce develop-ment, her ‘Cinderellas’, her pet peeves, why failure is not the end, and that it’s okay to say the F word.

The Hustler Files Ep 146

INTELLECTUAL ESPRESSO

Tore Price was serving time behind the wall, in Michigan, when he learned about the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program being taught by the University of Michigan. According to Tore, there were 1,000 incarcerated individuals who rushed to sign up for the weekly class with students from the University. With only 15 slots available lady luck was definitely on Tores side. When asking him to describe the Inside-Out Program, his words were short and sweet, intellectual espresso. For Tore, this was the launching pad that propelled him to not only continue to educate himself but also be an advocate for other incarcerated individuals. Having served his ten-year sentence, Tore is now a training coach and special program coordinator for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Proof that education is a tool for resistance, dignity, and collective liberation.

The Hustler Files Ep 145

FROM LECTURE HALLS TO BEHIND THE WALL | LIFE, INSIDE OUT

While prisons in the United States offer a variety of educational pursuits, it only took a brief conversation between a college educator and an incarcerated individual for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program to be born. Four decades later, the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is still going strong, thanks to Founder, Lori Pompa. Lori’s vision to bring her students, from Temple University to interface with incarcerated individuals, in a unique classroom setting, behind the wall, was not only a leap of faith but ahead of its time. In Lori’s own words, “It is a class, though not an ordinary one. In this class roles are intermingled; everyone is the teacher, and everyone is the learner.” Staying in step with her college classes timeline and curriculum, this powerful education model changed the narrative for all. Once a week for an entire college semester, students around the world arrive at local prisons and sit in Lori’s now famous circle of curriculum, compassion, and collaboration. All these years later, this innovative model continues to foster dialogue and understanding between incarcerated individuals and college students while continuing to grow organically. Today more than 1600 college/university professors, along with other educators, and 15 countries around the globe, teach Inside-Out courses.

The Hustler Files Ep 144

GUIDED BY EXPERIENCE + GROUNDED BY SCIENCE = CHANGING OUTCOMES

Dan Sheridan and Ashley Anderson are both PhDs and licensed behavior analysts, but don’t let their titles fool you; their work at Auburn University is no desk job. In partnership with the Alabama Department of Youth Services, Dan and Ashley headup a team of undergraduate students, graduate clinicians, and full-time staff who provide support for juvenile offenders within a local secure residential facility. Listen in as they share their insights on the intersection of research, education, and lived experience, and how these elements can create transformative outcomes for young people at critical turning points in their lives. The conversation highlights the importance of behavior analysis in reducing recidivism and addresses the root causes of crime, emphasizing the necessity for community involvement in supporting youth reintegration.

The Hustler Files Ep 143

THE REALITY IS IN THE NUMBERS

Welcome to Season 4! Wanda Bertram from the Prison Policy Initiative stops by to discuss the latest insights and highlights on current incarceration rates, parole, juvenile justice, and how women incarcerated in the U.S. compare to other states and countries . While the statistics are alarming when reading the ‘whole pie’ research that the Prison Policy Initiative is known for, the truth of the criminal justice system in America is hard to ignore. Today’s conversation on detention centers, youth confinement, and incarcerated women invokes the sad reality that systemic issues continue to contribute to mass incarceration in the U.S. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation that highlights the continued need for reform and increased compassion within the criminal justice system.