Operation Night Cat, Episode 2: Behind the Brick Wall

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Operation Night Cat” is a special three-part series from NHPR’s Document team and Outside/In. Episode 2: Behind the Brick Wall The poaching investigation takes a surprising turn when it reveals another set of potential crimes – this time, behind the brick walls of New Hampshire’s State Prison for Men. This episode contains strong language that may not be suitable for all listeners. For a full list of credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Operation Night Cat is made possible with listener support. Click here to support independent, investigative journalism. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is episode two of our mini-series, Operation Nightcat.
0:03.8	If you haven't caught up yet, go back and listen to Episode 1.
0:07.9	This episode contains strong language that may not be suitable for some listeners.
0:14.1	You're listening to Operation Nightcat. I'm Nate Hedgy.
0:18.8	For weeks, our producer, Jason Moon, had been trying to get a hold of a pivotal source for this series.
0:25.4	A 55-year-old former inmate at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men, Sean Cochran.
0:31.2	I'm sorry, but the person you called has a voice mailbox that has not been set up yet.
0:36.8	At the time, Sean was out on parole.
0:39.4	And he had been a hard guy to reach until Jason finally got a hold of him on the phone on a
0:44.0	Sunday morning.
0:45.1	Hey, Sean. Can you hear me okay?
0:47.3	Yeah, I can hear you find out.
0:48.2	Cool. All right.
0:49.3	In 2021, Sean was one of more than a thousand inmates at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men.
0:55.4	It's a massive compound on the outskirts of the state capital that honestly looks more like an East Coast factory than a prison.
1:03.1	It's all red brick walls and tiny windows built back in the 1870s.
1:08.2	Sean had been in and out of that prison for more than two decades, so he knew it well.
1:12.6	And he told us there are a lot of issues.
1:15.1	The food is absolutely disgusting.
1:17.7	The place is an absolute fill.
1:20.2	There have been rat infestations, mold problems, holes in the walls, the sewer backs up weekly, and it has long been understaffed.
1:29.9	In the spring of 2025, more than a third of all positions in the prison remained unfilled.
	...

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