Uncuffed: Recent Episodes
KALW
Uncuffed is a show made by people behind bars in California prisons. We share intimate stories of our struggles and triumphs, and of the heartache and forgiveness taking place within these walls. Uncuffed is vulnerable and personal. If you can see the humanity in us, you can see the humanity in everyone.
WeAreUncuffed.org
The Uncuffed producers can't vote. But you better believe they still have opinions. On this episode, ballot measures that would change prison life in California. And, a fresh take on the "felon vs. prosecutor" narrative dominating the presidential race.
California voting rights and information: https://bit.ly/CAVotingRightsWithARecord
People in prison need to be heard. At Uncuffed, we make that happen, but we can only do it with your support. Our end-of year fundraising campaign for Uncuffed training programs starts today. If you appreciate hearing these voices from prison, help sustain our work. Donate today: https://kalw.givecloud.co/fundraising/forms/PYDVPJDX
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week after each episode airs: www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Uncuffed is pleased to share the new podcast, Track Change. Follow a group of men in Richmond, Virginia as they record an album inside a local county jail - a soundtrack to rebuilding a life after incarceration.
In California, incarcerated people legally have to work. One thing the jobs have in common? The next-to-nothing pay. Uncuffed gets down to business on the topic of involuntary servitude.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Brian Asey at San Quentin on "All My Life," by K-Ci & JoJo. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Childhood trauma, embracing differences, and putting your heart out there - what it feels like to return home after prison. A special re-entry episode of Uncuffed.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Anthony Ivy and Timothy Hicks on “Locked Up” by Lil Durk and "Grinding All My Life" by Nipsey Hussle. It’s the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers’ favorite songs.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Meet an Uncuffed producer as he leaves prison. Luis shares his hopes for a new life, and his colleagues inside talk about getting used to a reality without him.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Steve Brooks at San Quentin on “Ambitionz Az A Ridah,” by Tupac Shakur. It’s the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers’ favorite songs.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
A founding Uncuffed producer visits prison again, this time as a free man. Tommy "Shakur" Ross shares stories and advice from almost two years of freedom.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Bryan Mazza at Solano on "The World I Know," by Collective Soul. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
People in prison are no stranger to stereotypes. This week, stories about breaking stereotypes everywhere from the classroom to the San Quentin baseball diamond.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Ryan Pagan at San Quentin on “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard. It’s the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers’ favorite songs.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
When violence has been normal for so long, it can be difficult to give it up. The Uncuffed team at Solano shares stories about the moments they decided to change course.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
bf thames at Solano on "Take Me To Church" by Hozier. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Prison conditions make it difficult to grieve inside. How do you process loss when you’re alone, when crying isn’t ok, and asking for help can be dangerous?
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Greg Eskridge at San Quentin on “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway. It’s the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers’ favorite songs. Catch My Mixtape every other week this season of Uncuffed.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Can pets in prison create healing? Uncuffed goes inside a special dog training program at Solano, and shares what it’s like to do time with a four-legged companion.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Jay Evans at Solano on "Stomp!" by The Brothers Johnson. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs. Catch My Mixtape every other week this season of Uncuffed.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
San Quentin producers reflect on the lessons –– both good and bad –– that are passed down from family.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Anthony Caravalho at San Quentin on "Love, Me" by Collin Raye. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs. Catch My Mixtape every other week this season of Uncuffed.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
The Solano team shares their stories of maintaining love from behind bars, and the intense heartbreak of losing someone you love.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
Juan Haines at San Quentin on "Dear Mama" by Tupac Shakur. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs. Catch My Mixtape every other week this season of Uncuffed.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Earlier this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an ambitious goal to transform San Quentin State Prison. His plans for the new San Quentin Rehabilitation Center focus on rehabilitation, job training, and improved relationships between staff and residents. The governor hopes that the changes at San Quentin will spread across California prisons.
We're kicking off the third season of Uncuffed with a story about an unlikely step toward that culture change, involving nets, sweatbands, and paddles.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
Uncuffed, the award-winning podcast hosted by people in San Quentin and Solano State Prisons, is back for its third season!
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
In our previous episode, a team of formerly incarcerated producers visited a prison from another planet. Or at least that's how it seemed. Norway's progressive and unique prison system is wildly different from anything in the United States, and it serves as a model for folks trying to make a change here. So now we’re heading back to another Norwegian prison with horses, a marathon, and little cottages—and asking what California can learn from Norway's example.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
In conversations about prison reform in California these days, you might hear about reducing overcrowding, dismantling the death penalty, and changing the Three Strikes sentencing law. You also might hear about Norway.
Norwegian prisons are unique — in everything from their design and architecture to the length of sentences, to how guards are trained to treat incarcerated people. It’s one of the reasons why California officials are looking to Norway as an example for change.
There was even a recent assembly bill dubbed the “Norway Prison Bill,” which would have created a job training program modeled after prisons in Norway.
Last summer, some formerly incarcerated graduates of the Uncuffed program traveled to Norway to see how prisons work over there.
Here's what they found, and how the men at San Quentin reacted when they heard the tape.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Last summer, the Uncuffed team was invited to the world’s first International Prison Radio Conference in Oslo, Norway. Formerly incarcerated producers and staff hopped on a plane (some for the first time in their lives), and joined other prison radio makers from countries like Australia, India, and the UK.
On this special episode of Uncuffed, we're sharing a few of our favorite pieces from around the globe.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org.
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Hear more from the shows featured in this episode:
The Secret Life of Prisons, from the UK's Prison Radio Association: www.prison.radio
Jailbreak, from the Community Restorative Centre in Australia: www.crcnsw.org.au/services/jailbreak-radio
Ear Hustle, from PRX's Radiotopia in the US: www.earhustlesq.com
Inside Wire, from Colorado Prison Radio: www.coloradoprisonradio.com
Tinka Tinka Foundation in India: www.tinkatinka.org/jail-music-2
Learn about all the programs that make up Prison Radio International: www.prison.radio/prison-radio-international
For people in prison, the holiday season can be a painful time. Many miss their families and traditions. But it’s also a time when they get together with food and acts of kindness. During the holiday season, we're playing you a favorite episode from season one, all about making it through the holidays in prison.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org
Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Convicted of first-degree murder and sent to Folsom State Prison, Wendell El-Amin James gravitated towards the Muslim prisoners out of a need for protection. But ultimately his conversion restructured his life to one of education and purpose. Uncuffed presents a special episode from our friends at KALW podcast The Spiritual Edge.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org. Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
In this season of gratitude, two founding co-hosts of Uncuffed, Tommy "Shakur" Ross and Thanh Tran, give a special update on the program.
Thank you to everyone who supported Uncuffed during our emergency fundraiser!
DONATE at www.weareuncuffed.org/donate to bring more voices onto Uncuffed.
Growing up, Uncuffed Producer Thanh Tran never truly felt like he had a home. He was raised in the foster care system, was in and out of juvenile hall as a teenager. And then, shortly after his 18th birthday, he went to prison. Just over a decade later, he got what he had been working toward for years — his freedom.
Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org. Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
As a child, Francisco Magaña was afraid of his mother. She would beat him, and he’s carried that pain with him for his entire life. But despite that, he managed to forgive her.
Learn more, and donate to support the program: www.weareuncuffed.org. Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
We joyfully request the honor of your presence at an extra special wedding. Our Uncuffed producer, Edmond Richardson is marrying the love of his life. And you’ll bear witness to his marriage in an unlikely place: San Quentin State Prison.
Learn more, and DONATE to our emergency fundraiser: www.weareuncuffed.org. Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
Death is a normal part of life in prison, but it’s rare that someone can live to tell the tale. Wilbert Stoneham dropped to the floor one day after a cardiac arrest. He awoke to realize he was being brought back to life by a guard who was once his nemesis. How a near-death experience can change your perspective on everything, including someone you despised.Learn more and sign up for Uncuffed news: www.weareuncuffed.org Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
Death is a normal part of life in prison, but it’s rare that someone can live to tell the tale. Wilbert Stoneham dropped to the floor one day after a cardiac arrest. He awoke to realize he was being brought back to life by a guard who was once his nemesis. How a near-death experience can change your perspective on everything, including someone you despised.Learn more and sign up for Uncuffed news: www.weareuncuffed.org Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed
California's prison population is aging — between 2000 and 2017, and the share of incarcerated people over 50 more than quintupled. For those with long or life sentences, watching friends aging and getting sick behind bars is a reality check of what a life sentence can really mean. Today on the newest episode of Uncuffed, we'll hear the story of someone who deals with his many ailments with the help of compassionate caretakers, and a good dose of humor.Learn more, and DONATE to our emergency fundraiser: www.weareuncuffed.org. Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
California's prison population is aging — between 2000 and 2017, and the share of incarcerated people over 50 more than quintupled. For those with long or life sentences, watching friends aging and getting sick behind bars is a reality check of what a life sentence can really mean. Today on the newest episode of Uncuffed, we'll hear the story of someone who deals with his many ailments with the help of compassionate caretakers, and a good dose of humor.Learn more, and DONATE to our emergency fundraiser: www.weareuncuffed.org. Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Transcripts are available within a week of the episode coming out, at www.kalw.org/podcast/uncuffed.
One of the many struggles of parenting from inside prison is the constant fear that your children may follow in your footsteps. Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to get in trouble at school, lack stable housing, and end up involved in the criminal legal system themselves. And breaking those cycles is not easy, especially when contact with your children is limited.———————-ALERT: Uncuffed suddenly lost all the funding we were counting on for our podcasting program. Learn more and DONATE NOW at www.weareuncuffed.org/donate. Thank you so much to the more than 230 people who have already given to support Uncuffed!Learn more and sign up for Uncuffed news: www.weareuncuffed.org Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Letter writing is an art, and the Uncuffed producers at San Quentin State Prison know that very well. At the height of the pandemic, after weeks of constant lockdowns, one of the only thing to do was write letters to friends and family.Learn more and sign up for Uncuffed news: www.weareuncuffed.org Follow us @WeAreUncuffed on Insta, Facebook, and Twitter.
In June 2020, San Quentin had one of the biggest COVID-19 outbreaks in a California prison. 2,000 incarcerated people were infected, and 29 died. Two cellmates recount what it was like during that devastating time. Thanks to Mourning Our Losses for the names of those who died of COVID at San Quentin. www.mourningourlosses.org. Learn more and sign up for Uncuffed news: www.weareuncuffed.org Follow Uncuffed @WeAreUncuffed
It's been a wild couple of years, and in California prisons, it was no different. We experienced lockdowns and quarantines, death, friendship, and love. Get ready for a brand new season of Uncuffed!This season, we'll hear about how some unexpected letters during the pandemic changed everything for a family divided. We'll listen up close as some our friends take big life steps, and others finally get their freedom. And always, we'll continue to bring you deep conversations about our lives inside San Quentin and Solano State Prisons.The first episode drops August 2nd. Don't miss it!www.WeAreUncuffed.org@We.Are.Uncuffed
Tommy "Shakur" Ross has been incarcerated for over 36 years. In those decades, he's experienced a lifetime of transformation. He discovered Islam, helped found a radio program, got a college degree, and embraced restorative justice. And a few months ago he was found suitable for parole. But getting to this moment has also been a roller coaster ride. And it's not quite over yet. On the newest Uncuffed episode, we'll hear about the twists and turns of Shakur's long parole journey and how his change has influenced others around him.
After over 20 years of incarceration, Uncuffed producer Nate McKinney is going home. Like other lifers in the system, he could have been incarcerated for life. But recently, the Board of Parole Hearings found him suitable to re-enter society. In today's episode, stories of facing the board — and wishes for a friend heading back into the big wide world.
After serving a sentence in prison, re-entry into the free world can come with complicated feelings and experiences – especially when release comes in the middle of a global pandemic.Uncuffed producers Chanthon Bun and Joe Kirk were both released in 2020 and are still adjusting to life after prison. Kirk spent time in the shelter system, and Bun has a deportation order hanging over his head. But despite their struggles, they both find meaning in helping others, and fighting for change.In this episode: stories about what happens when you get out of prison. And, the Uncuffed producers at Solano State Prison talk about their own concerns and dreams for when they are released. Subscribe to Uncuffed at www.WeAreUncuffed.org.
For most of us in prisons, the pandemic has meant a year of even more restrictions than usual. No in-person visits, and months without classes or groups. To deal with that isolation, a lot of us turned to music. So today, we’re talking about the songs that kept our spirits up through the year. We hope they do the same for you. Check out our playlist on Spotify to enjoy these songs on their own: bit.ly/UncuffedPlaylist. Learn about Uncuffed at WeAreUncuffed.org.
It's been almost a year since friends and family have been able to visit their loved ones in prison, due to the pandemic. Letters to the inside are always a lifeline. This year, more than ever.
Joe Kirk is one of thousands released early from California prisons to slow the spread of COVID-19. The world he returned to was something he never prepared for.
Chanthon Bun caught the coronavirus at San Quentin Prison during one of the worst outbreaks in the country. On top of the usual challenges people face when they parole, Bun had to deal with COVID recovery, survivor's guilt, and the fear that ICE would put him back in a different kind of prison.
The COVID-19 outbreak in prisons across California is taking an incredible toll — not only on the people inside, but on the families and friends of incarcerated people. And because of the pandemic, our producers on the inside can’t access their recording equipment. So today, you’ll hear from the friends and family outside of prison, reading letters to their loved ones stuck on the inside.
Disease can spread quickly in prisons. In this special conversation from Uncuffed, the men of Solano Prison share their thoughts on the global coronavirus pandemic, and what it would mean if it came inside.
For those of us in prison, the holiday season can be a painful time. Many of us miss our families and our traditions. But it’s also a time when we get together with food and acts of kindness.
In 2012, Eric "Maserati-E" Abercrombie picked up the guitar and has been performing ever since. Today, the producers talk about the music that helped them through some of the most difficult moments of their life, and what tools they use to channel and understand their own pain.
Gordon Melvin learned how to do yoga by watching TV. Soon, he was leading classes on the yard. Today, we’re talking about vulnerability, masculinity, and what it takes to put your ass in the air.
Thanksgiving is coming, and while a lot of turkeys end up on plates, there are some turkeys that fly free… even in the most unexpected places. In this special Thanksgiving episode from the Uncuffed archives, Spoon Jackson and Joe Kirk present the story of a turkey that landed itself in Solano State Prison.
Cleo Cloman grew up in a two-parent household and had dreams of playing pro baseball. After a rocky relationship with his father, he lost his passion for the sport and found a new pursuit: the streets. He was convicted of murder, and spent over two decades behind bars. This is the story of how he rediscovered his love of baseball, and his father.
Remus Sam Langi is serving 38 years to life on a second-degree murder conviction. In prison, he’s become a guitarist and songwriter. And recently, he wrote a song about the people he harmed.
Uncuffed is made inside prison walls at San Quentin Prison and Solano State Prison in California. We share intimate stories of our struggles and triumphs, and of the heartache and forgiveness taking place within these walls.