No Other Word for It

Ear Hustle

Ear Hustle & Radiotopia

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.9 • 21.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Women serving serious time for having killed someone while driving drunk form a distinct culture in prison, and often struggle to fit in. We visit two California prisons to meet women who are still grappling with a life that’s very different than the one they’d expected.

Thank you to Olivia, Grace, Jessica, Theresa, Tatanisha, Michelle, Hannah, Sopehia, Pamela, and everyone else we spoke to at the California Institution for Women for this story.

At the Central California Women’s Facility, thank you to Latisha, Coleen, Connie, Constance, Sherri, Kaylee, Keri, Donna, Mary, Otilia, Gizelle, and Amy, for sharing their stories with us.

This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, and Earlonne Woods.

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Our annual fundraiser is here! Learn more and donate: on.prx.org/4d5WnCm

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

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Erlon and Nigel here.
0:03.7	Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to our fundraiser.
0:07.6	Yes, we really appreciate it, and we love reading the comments from donors.
0:12.4	And I hope people know how meaningful it is for us when we get letters and comments from listeners.
0:17.4	In fact, once a month, the whole team sits down and we read all the letters that we've gotten.
0:22.3	And sometimes we even write back.
0:24.3	Yep.
0:24.7	And you know this, Erlon.
0:26.2	We've been getting more and more mail from prisons.
0:29.1	Yep, because Ear Hustle is now on tablets and we're in 1,200 different jails and prisons.
0:34.7	So, I mean, just yesterday, we were reading a letter sent by a guy who was in
0:39.3	the shoe, which is solitary confinement, and he was looking for stuff that he can listen to for
0:44.7	free on his tablet, and he stumbled across Ear Hustle and binged the whole catalog.
0:51.0	The whole, like, 15 seasons. It is amazing. And honestly, none of this work would be
0:58.1	possible without support from listeners on the outside. This year, everyone who donates will be
1:03.6	invited to our virtual party on June 11. And if you can become a monthly donor at $10 or more,
1:10.7	we'll give you access to Ear Hustle Plus,
1:13.4	which includes ad-free episodes and bonus content.
1:17.7	Every single gift helps us reach our goal of a thousand donors.
1:22.2	And we mean every gift, no matter the amount.
1:25.7	Renee Alby, a dedicated listener in Austin, Texas, has a challenge for our listeners on a tight budget.
1:31.4	She's doubling small gifts to Ear Hustle.
	...

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