The Hustler Files

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...

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 cr...

Leadership was always in the cards for Kristin Kline. Despite being incarcerated, it only took one coach in an Arizona women's prison to encourage Kristin that she had leadership qualities and wasn't a gangster.  Finding faith in herself, she launched a workout program for the women in her prison section and took to the prison yard to improve the mental health and healing of her podmates. In this...

Anthony Ray Hinton was 29 years old when falsely accused of multiple murders. With no money to hire an attorney and up against a criminal justice system that accused him based on the color of his skin and a false ballistics test, he spent 30 years on death row, only feet away from the execution chamber at Holman State Prison in Alabama. In this emotional episode, Ray shares his harrowing journey t...

This episode explores the transformative journey of Brett Thomas, who at 18 years old was sentenced to an excessive prison term for a crime he personally did not commit. Brett is joined by Beth Henderson, Pro Bono Director at Microsoft, and they share the powerful story of how the Seattle Clemency Project helped Brett connect with Beth and her team to navigate the complexities of the Washington St...

Radha Natarajan is the Executive Director of the New England Innocence Project, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In this episode, Radha shares her journey into the world of wrongful convictions and the challenges faced by those, behind the wall, fighting for justice. Radha also shares her and her team's hard-fought battle to free Edward Wright, a man who spent 41 years in prison for a crime he d...

Nothing is more heartwarming as the Holiday's approach than to re-feature a montage of stories of resilience, community, and the transformative power of giving. In this newly arranged episode, we delve into the inspiring initiatives from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office's gardening program, the impactful work of the East Hampton Community Center, and the innovative food service programs at the...

Sheriff Jillian Myers of Grafton County, New Hampshire, isn't just the first and youngest female High Sheriff ever elected in her hometown, but she's also a wife and mama to her three little girls.  While a career in law enforcement wasn't on her radar till college, Sheriff Myers says she couldn't see herself doing anything else. Her commitment to the communities and people within her rural county...

When three women,  a Warden, an Attorney turned Social Justice advocate, and a Filmmaker all cross paths at a maximum security prison for women in Bedford Hills, NY, anything is possible. The synergy they embody drives ground-breaking change for the innovative work taking place at the Bedford Hills Correctional Center. From filmmaker Jenifer McShane, whose documentary Mothers of Bedford explored t...

In this montage episode, join us on a reflective journey as we share three of our favorite author interviews from the last few years. With highlights from discussions with notable and famous legal figures, Stephen Bright and James Kwak, who delve into the systemic failures of justice in the criminal courts, to Sarah Burns, a documentarian and author, who recounts the harrowing story of the Central...

Meet Ivy Scott, a community engagement reporter for The Marshall Project.  Ivy currently covers community-driven investigative and public service journalism about the criminal justice system in St. Louis and the state of Missouri.  So what is The Marshall Project? Named after civil rights advocate Thurgood Marshall, The Marshall Project is a national nonprofit news organization that seeks to eleva...

"We could write this book together. We couldn't have written it apart." Those are the words of Dr. Kevin Wright, Director of the Center for Correctional Solutions at Arizona State University, discussing his co-authorship of the groundbreaking book, Imprisoned Minds: Lost Boys, Trapped Men, and Solutions from Within the Prison. But this co-authorship wasn't a typical collaboration, because the orig...

Elaine Lord may have been the youngest woman to become a Warden in the State of New York, but even before her appointment at Bedford Hills Correctional, she was on a mission to improve the incarcerated programs within the New York prison walls.  Before her retirement, Elaine dedicated 20 years to Bedford Hills, providing women behind bars a second chance. Her inspiring stories of the Children’s Ce...

A recent 2024 report estimates that 23.5 million people in the United States are in recovery from a substance use disorder based on data from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  Anyone going through recovery will tell you that having support and hope are essential to overcoming their addiction, whether or not they’ve served time behind the wall.  For John Sullivan and Charlie Worpek,...

Christie Johnson grew up believing she could get away with just about anything.  As a small-town Texas cheerleader, she thought she was untouchable, unstoppable, and immortal.  But addiction, a horrific accident while serving in the military, and time in prison shattered that illusion and sparked something far more powerful, an awakening like no other.  Christie’s journey is one of struggle, resil...

When Cary Sanders speaks, his calming tone and gentle cadence would never give you a clue that he had been arrested 17 times by the time he was 17.  Cary’s journey from his tumultuous past and time behind the wall to his current position as CEO of JUMPSTART South Carolina can only make one believe that Cary’s life has been guided by a higher power, and he would agree.  At JUMPSTART, Cary leads a t...

Barbara (Bobby) Blanchard is a passionate advocate who transitioned from a law career to further the impactful work of Sister Elaine Roulet at The Children’s Center in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York State. In this episode, Bobby shares her journey of creating and overseeing programs that helped incarcerated women maintain their bonds with their children, and learn to be Mother...

Heather Canuel, a powerful activist, entrepreneur, mother, and grandmother, is also known for being the last woman to give birth while shackled to a prison bed in Illinois, more than 20 years ago. In this episode, Heather shares her harrowing journey through the criminal justice system, the trauma of her experience while being pregnant, and her fight for reform and justice for incarcerated mothers...

It may have taken multiple years, but Lisa Hall will tell you that it was a worthy and honorable mission to create a film dedicated to addiction and incarceration.  As an inspiring filmmaker and documentarian, Lisa dedicated herself to shedding a brighter light on a subject that impacts so many on a daily basis. In creating the film ’The Addict's Wake,' Lisa’s vision aimed to not only change the n...

Mark McBrine grew up on a farm and expected that to be his lifelong calling, but God had another plan.  When his father became ill and his family needed help running the farms, Mark, at the age of 49, became a Correctional Officer with the Maine Department of Corrections.  From there, it didn't take long for Mark to become the Food Service Manager at the Mountain View Correctional Facility.  When...

Whether you’re a sports fan or a parent in the stands, there is a distinct difference between the role of the Coach and the role of the Referees.  Nowhere is it more apparent than watching the 2025 NFL pre-season games to get a true perspective on the differences.  In this, part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Brian Lovins, President of Justice System Partners, Brian shares more about the transform...

In sports, there are Coaches and there are Referees, but what about in the criminal justice system? That was the question that Dr. Brian Lovins, currently President of Justice System Partners, asked himself during his tenure at the Harris County Correctional System as Assistant Director.  During that time, Dr. Lovins was tasked with developing and implementing agency-wide change plans to drive inc...

Every name has a meaning. The name Gemma refers to ‘a bud ready to grow independently’.  Appropriately, this name was chosen by the incarcerated women who originally founded The Gemma Project, a jail and prison reentry program to assist incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women with successful reintegration.  While reentry should be mainstream for all incarcerated individuals who are returning...

Jenifer McShane never planned on becoming an award-winning independent filmmaker, but life had other plans. From her early work on 'A Leap of Faith’, narrated by Liam Neeson, to her latest Netflix documentary, 'The Quilters', Jenifer shares her journey of storytelling that humanizes those behind both literal and figurative bars. But it is at the Missouri South Central Correctional Center, a Level...

Lara Love Hardin is a NY Times best-selling author, including a 2024 Oprah Book Club pick,  a 5-time NY Times bestselling collaborative author, a literary agent, a Mother, and a prison reform advocate. She’s also a former addict and justice-involved individual.  Lara’s memoir, The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing, is the transformational story of her life,...