Today’s Sit Down features Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, hosts of the massive US podcast Ear Hustle. Ear Hustle started inside San Quentin Prison while Earlonne was still serving his sentence and it documents life inside the prison, something no other podcast has done before. Since coming out, Earlonne continues to make the show with Nigel, as well as campaigning for prison reform. Here, we hear the story of how exactly Ear Hustle came to be, why Nigel is so interested in prison work, and the similarities and differences between UK and US prisons.

Useful organisations:
NACRO – https://www.nacro.org.uk/
Unlock – https://unlock.org.uk/
PACT – https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/
Clinks Directory – https://www.clinks.org/directory
Irene Taylor Trust – https://irenetaylortrust.com/
Koestler Arts – https://koestlerarts.org.uk/
Samaritans – https://www.samaritans.org/
Samaritans helpline – 116 123 (24 hours)
Survivors UK – https://www.survivorsuk.org/
CALM – https://www.thecalmzone.net/
CALM helpline – 0800 58 58 58 (open 5pmmidnight)
Women In Prison – https://womeninprison.org.uk/
Advance – https://www.advancecharity.org.uk/

Contact us:
If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.
DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter
Email us: [email protected]
✉ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF
Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Ear Hustle:
Website – https://www.earhustlesq.com/
Socials – @earhustlesq

0:00 Intro
2:13 Meet Ear Hustle
3:54 How did Ear Hustle start?
7:23 Going to prison at 17
9:18 What kept you motivated inside?
11:32 Motivation for working in prisons
14:02 Prison mentality or freedom mindset?
16:40 Do you miss prison?
17:38 Commuted sentence
23:34 Leaving prison
25:12 What support is there for people being released in America?
27:08 What were you working on before Ear Hustle?
32:08 What was the most memorable story told on Ear Hustle?
36:23 Lessons from Ear Hustle
40:06 Where can we find Ear Hustle?
41:57 Organisations that can help