Podcasts: The Hustler Files
The Hustler Files
The Hustler Files – Storytelling That Will Challenge What You Thought You Knew
Join creator and host Lisa Reilly every Saturday morning from 9:32 AM to 10:00 AM, streaming here on WHMP.com, or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Each week, we bring storytelling with grit, purpose, and possibility to break stigmas, reshape narratives, and amplify the voices of justice-involved individuals, advocates, and change-makers. We’ll explore the criminal justice system, addiction recovery, domestic violence, human trafficking, fair-chance employment, and prison reform through powerful storytelling and candid interviews that bring humanity to issues too often overlooked.
Please reach out with questions or comments to thehustlerfiles@outlook.com
The Hustler Files Ep 105
GIVING A VOICE TO THE SILENCED
With over two decades of experience, reporter Katie Johnston shares her journey from reporting on arts and entertainment to focusing on work and income inequality, specifically with incarcerated and justice-involved populations. Katie’s dedication to offering a voice to those who don’t have one, is the driving force behind her writing. In this episode, Katie discusses her recent articles that highlight the challenges and triumphs of individuals navigating reentry into society, including innovative programs in Maine that allow incarcerated individuals to work remotely from their jail cell and earn substantially more than the average worker in the US. Katie delves into the nuances of storytelling in journalism, the importance of giving a voice to marginalized communities, and the evolving landscape of criminal justice reform. It is and will continue to be the power of storytelling that offers hope to those striving for a second chance.
The Hustler Files Ep 104
AN UNINTENDED LIFE
To be in the wrong place at the wrong time cost William Allen 28 years behind bars for an unintended crime. William shares his tumultuous journey from his early days of family dysfunction, the guilt he carried from a childhood accident, and the pivotal moments that led him into a life of crime. He candidly recounts the fateful robbery that resulted in a tragic death and how he found himself facing life without parole. As he navigated the harsh realities of prison life, William discovered his passion for barbering and the importance of community support. After years of advocacy and a campaign for commutation, he emerged from incarceration with a renewed purpose. Now a leader in Second Chance Justice, William is dedicated to reforming the reentry system and helping others avoid the struggles he faced. Join us as we explore themes of redemption, responsibility, and the power of second chances in this heartfelt episode.
The Hustler Files Ep 103
TWO TRASH BAGS, $647 & NOWHERE TO GO
In this powerful episode Miguel Vazquez engages in a heartfelt conversation about his journey from the streets of Brooklyn to an 18-year prison sentence. His story is nothing short of transformative. Miguel opens up about his challenging upbringing in a single-parent household, the loss of his mother, and the choices that led him down a path of crime and incarceration. His candid reflections reveal the harsh realities of life behind bars, the struggles with gang affiliation, and the profound impact of isolation on his mental health. After serving nearly two decades, Miguel faced the daunting task of reintegrating into a world that had moved on without him. With only $647 to his name, he shares the challenges of navigating life post-incarceration, but Miguel’s story is also one of hope, redemption, and the importance of building bridges for others who will follow in his footsteps.
The Hustler Files Ep 102
EMPLOY, TEACH, ACT & HELP
At Baker Industries, an organization dedicated to providing fair chance hiring for marginalized communities in Eastern Pennsylvania, their mission is centered around four simple but powerful words. EMPLOY those who have the most difficulty in getting and holding jobs. TEACH the work ethic through real work experience. ACT as a transition step toward gaining and maintaining outside employment. HELP those who are both able and unable to move on to reach their highest level of achievement. Founded by Charlie and Weezie Baker in 1980, Baker Industries has evolved from a small garage operation into a thriving social enterprise that empowers individuals with disabilities, returning citizens, and those in recovery from addiction or homelessness. Join us as we speak with Nick Watson, the president of Baker Industries, and Nate Bunday, a graduate of their program who recently transitioned back into the workforce after 29 years of incarceration. Together, they share insights on the importance of second chances, the challenges faced by those re-entering society, and the vital role of community support in fostering success. Discover how Baker Industries is reshaping lives and breaking down barriers to employment, proving that everyone deserves a chance to thrive.
The Hustler Files Ep 101
THIS CALL IS BEING RECORDED, SAN QUENTIN PART 2
Every incarcerated person knows the exact date and time of their parole hearing, even if it’s years in the future. For Chan Park, his first parole hearing took place after 13 years, 8 months of incarceration. His rejection by the Parole Board because he hadn’t served enough time. That was the first of what would be three more parole hearings over the next 20 years, four in total. All ended in rejection. One can only wonder how Chan kept his hopes alive. Despite his well-laid out parole plans, his exemplary prison record, his many certifications in a variety of vocational trainings, nothing would circumvent the three-hour interrogations by the Parole Board and their decisions administered in only 30 minutes. Chan would not be released. Yet, Chan stays hopeful. He continues to tweak his parole plan and contribute to the progressiveness of San Quentin, sitting on one of the newly formed, internal Advisory Councils created by Governor Newsom. At the end of the day, no matter what, he says, ‘when you’ve served 3 or 4 or 5 decades, sometimes the only person you have left to talk to is God, and that goes a long way’. Chan is scheduled for his next parole hearing in May 2026. He is hopeful he can reschedule it to sometime this year, in 2025.
The Hustler Files Ep 100
THIS CALL IS BEING RECORDED, SAN QUENTIN PART 1
In March of 2023, Governor Newsom of California announced that the infamous San Quentin State Prison would have its name changed to the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Since the mid-1800s San Quentin has housed some of the most notorious criminals, but times are changing and that includes the use of tablet technology for the incarcerated population. California, like Massachusetts and other states offers free calling on the tablets but texting is still a feature that the incarcerated population must pay for. Because of tablet telecommunications, we can speak with Chan Park directly from his cell inside San Quentin in this milestone episode. Chan has served a total of 32 years in the California corrections system, with this last decade at San Quentin. Chan’s transparency and honesty about his past, his incarceration at the age of 26, his evolution to take responsibility for his actions, and under the new rehabilitation moniker be more involved in helping create change for his San Quentin community, is inspiring. Tune-in for Episode #101 when we continue our conversation with Chan and learn about his bid for parole.
The Hustler Files Ep 99
A BRIDGE TO RACIAL JUSTICE
Some prison reform advocacy organizations call their mission, pillars. Some, key initiatives, and in the case of the advocacy organization, The Sentencing Project, are strategic priorities. But at The Sentencing Project, they take their mission one step further and bring a unique value to their prison reform work, as a bridge organization. For Kara Gotsch, Executive Director, uniting their work on the ground, (state-level organizations) with the overarching policy changes at the National Level (legislatively), The Sentencing Project creates a holistic approach to advancing change within their three strategic priorities; extreme sentencing, voting rights, and youth justice reforms. In 2023 as part of their mission to roll back extreme sentencing, they launched their Second Look Network to provide direct legal representation to incarcerated individuals seeking relief from lengthy or unfair sentences. Bridges connecting people to move the prison reform needle.
The Hustler Files Ep 98
HONOR, SACRIFICE & ANSWERING THE CALL
Gabrielle Perry was one of the lucky ones. Her birth mother was incarcerated when giving birth to Gabrielle. She engaged the aid of a friend who found a family to adopt Gabrielle, site unseen. Her parents were older, settled and without children and as she tells it, her beloved father Thurman Perry, answered the call to raise her as his own. Gabrielle’s life was as normal as could be until as a teenager she lost her beloved father, her mother became disabled, she learned she was adopted, and met her birth mother on her deathbed. Despite Gabrielle’s grit and dedication to her adoptive mother, survival eventually took her down the justice-impacted path. It was during that time in jail that Gabrielle says she found a peacefulness away from the stress of her life. She also found a level of kindness, especially from the Judge who finally heard her case. Gabrielle was once again one of the lucky ones, and over the years has achieved so much. Her greatest joy now is honoring her birth mother and the man who raised her, as she provides direct assistance and resources to system-impacted women and girls.
The Hustler Files Ep 97
REMAINING TRUE TO HER VALUES
There are a little over 3,000 Sheriffs’ in the United States. Of that number only 60 are women. Sheriff Donna Buckley of Barnstable County, Massachusetts,(also better known as Cape Cod) is the first female in the County’s 331-year history to hold this office. Sheriff Buckley will tell you that running for Sheriff in 2022 was not on her bucket list, but still, she saw an opportunity to use her forty year background as an Attorney in Criminal Law and Government to build a new path forward for the incarcerated population at the Barnstable jail. As the Sheriff herself states, ‘there is no script to being Sheriff’, but in her role, she believes it is her solemn responsibility to those incarcerated, their families, and the community to provide pathways to a better tomorrow. Sheriff Buckley’s jail houses both men and women but one of her priorities is to cut down the generational incarceration, especially with the women who are under her watch. In a recent survey, the number of her incarcerated women with children, was as she stated, ‘unsettling’. Her 95 incarcerated women, many victims themselves, equated to 103 children.
The Hustler Files Ep 96
PHONE HOME
In the movie E.T., the alien builds a way to communicate with his planet. Inside the jails and prisons in the US, communication between an incarcerated individual and their family and friends, was for many decades, strictly by mail but technology waits for no one. Today, many behind the wall have access to tablets, kiosks, and wall-mounted phones, with tablets being the most popular. Of course, not ALL incarcerated people have access to tablets, and for many, there is a hefty charge, not just for calls but also for SMS Texting. In recent years, States like California and Massachusetts have eliminated charging those incarcerated for their calls, but text messaging is still a pretty penny. The two largest telecom companies providing the tablets and kiosks are funded by private equity investors, people who see the usage from behind the wall as a recession-proof model. Whether the incarcerated population pays out of their commissary account, or in some cases the State pays for the calls, communication from inside has become a billion-dollar industry. In those States where the calls have become ‘free’, the States negotiate a contract with the jail or prison and then cover the costs of the phone and video calls, just not the texts. While the FCC has placed regulatory action to bring the costs down, it is still mostly low-income people who are providing the funds to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones.
