Woods was serving a 31-years-to-life sentence for attempted 2nd degree robbery due to a three-strikes law before having his sentence commuted in 2018. And that surprised me greatly. Earlonne continues to co-host the show with Nigel. You - you - you always feel that you're better than getting killed, like you would never get killed. Along with Nigel Poor, he is a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator of Ear Hustle at PRX. He is a man of average stature. Woods is expected to be released on parole in the coming days, after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. POOR: How do we tell stories and leave out that part? He's also co-host of the podcast "Ear Hustle," which is why we had him on this program. No. I hope you'll join us. But that was a case that challenged my desire to not know and to - how to deal with the knowing once it's been presented to you. I went in and ended up in a security housing unit a couple of times for lengthy stays and just continued my pretty much destructive behavior all the way out. Our senior producer today is Roberta Shorrock. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for originally incarcerated people, while also documenting his own experiences. But he was released in November after his sentence was commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. In 2020, alongside his Ear Hustle co-hosts, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. You're not really looking at the person. I love it. Woods helped create Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. [5] Woods role on the podcast was well-received, with Sarah Larson from The New Yorker describing him as an "immediately warm and likable presence",[10] while Eddie Harana from Rolling Stone praised the sense of humor he brought to the show. E WOODS: In between prison - when I got out - Tyler had just been born in '94. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. I pretty much raised Tyler from '95 to '97, when I got arrested. Jerry Brown commuted his 31-years-to-life . The rest of it is just an enhancement. In some ways, like, I find it hard to understand that somebody, like, wouldn't have any empathy for the victim and wouldn't care. I'm fine working with him now. I'm always interested in people who - I'm quiet myself. Their tenth season finished airing in December 2022. Who is Kourtney Kellar? Let me see why you're here. I'd rather deal with anyone, actually, as they are in front of me at that moment. Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor started the podcast Ear Hustle when Woods was a prisoner in San Quentin. He said Woods has clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed the crime. And I was - yeah, I was definitely nervous. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. California Gov. GROSS: And that was because - you got such a long sentence because one crime had you convicted on two counts, so that counted as two strikes. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. How do we present this? And, Earlonne, again, I want to thank - I want to congratulate you again for your new freedom. In March 2016, the Public Radio Exchange's Radiotopia network put out a call for new podcast ideas via an initiative called Podquest, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Williams, 29, has served more than 10 years on a 15-year sentence for armed robbery. Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. In April 1989, a drive-by shooting in San Francisco, CA, left at least 11 people injured, and 2 people dead. The two established a rapport,[6] and Poor proposed the idea of creating a podcast to Woods, who had previously not known what a podcast was. And then, I always say that, you know, a lot of people that volunteer - people like Nigel Poor, people like other volunteers that volunteer inside of prisons - are on the frontline of public safety because these are the people that's coming in and is trying to show you a different way of life or trying to help you understand differently, think differently. That stuff carries 17 years. [16], Alfred I. duPontColumbia University Award, "Immigrants facing deportation, drug offenders and a former state lawmaker receive pardons from Gov. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . And E WOODS: And of course I enjoy all the little moments. POOR: But I get to see his brother and catch him up on what you're doing. And they - and I received 31 years to life. With grace and humor they walk through what life is really like behind bars, showing the humanity and depth of those they meet inside." --Catherine Burns, artistic director, The Moth "I listen to Ear . They surrounded Tyler around a - at a apartment building, where he was trying to climb up to the roof. So what - one of the things that I've really taken away from being in prison is that I've gotten an incredible glimpse into what it means to be a man and what men deal with. There's all these restrictions. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California Three Strikes Law, the statute under . And so I want to play the part where you return to ask him that difficult question. You guys are killing me (laughter). Earlonne was an inmate as well as a host. And I think that's a shared philosophy with everybody that's in prison - is that you have to just deal with what's going on today, you know, and just not let the pressures of prison just get to your core and crush you. [12] On October 19, 2021, co-hosts Poor and Woods released a book on the podcast, This Is Ear Hustle. GROSS: My guests are Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods, the creators and hosts of the podcast Ear Hustle about life inside San Quentin Prison. [17], Last edited on 21 December 2022, at 04:36, "Host Of The Prison Podcast 'Ear Hustle' Reflects On His 27 Years Behind Bars", "After parole, podcast producers are turning skills learned in prison into paying gigs", "Prison-produced podcast 'Ear Hustle' lets you listen to real stories of incarcerated life", "The story of "Ear Hustle", a podcast made by prisoners at San Quentin", "Podcast on prison stories wins PRX backing", "California inmate Walter 'Earlonne' Woods takes unlikely path to freedom: A popular podcast called 'Ear Hustle', "With eyes on the inside, 'Ear Hustle' makes the big time with its look at prisoners", "Earlonne Woods, Co-Host Of 'Ear Hustle' Podcast, Gets Prison Sentence Commuted", "San Quentin's Breakthrough Prison Newsroom", "This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earlonne_Woods&oldid=1128635338, This page was last edited on 21 December 2022, at 04:36. GROSS: So you know, you're a middle-aged man now. Jerry Brown. After a break, we'll hear and talk about excerpts of two episodes of Ear Hustle, one about a death that was devastating for Earlonne, the other about an interview that raised serious ethical questions for Nigel. We're able to share food. (SOUNDBITE OF GOLDMUND'S "THE BALLAD OF BARBARA ALLEN"). And when the men started filing into my class, I was like, oh, what have I done? So I want to ask you each to choose one thing that you would like to change in the system of - in the prison system or in mass incarceration. He gave up his brother name. But on the second term after - once you receive a life sentence, there's no guarantee that you'll ever be released from prison. Earlonne Woods, 47, was recently released from San Quentin State Prison after California Gov. Once the details concerning Earlonne's marital status are available we shall update. Nigel first started going to San Quentin as a volunteer teaching photography. You were OK with that? His mother was a postal worker and his father was an unemployed alcoholic, who Woods described as violent and distant. Earlonne Woods was born in the United States in 1972. So I think that's very damaging. GROSS: To stay sane in a situation like that. She'll continue to do interviews inside San Quentin. SHAPIRO: Well, yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne Woods' sentence. They had left the auntie's house. Does that mean we're self-absorbed? In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Lexi Mainland wrote "The runaway hit Ear Hustle never takes a broad look at criminal justice policy or employs Voice of God narration. And to hear how it happened to him and to hear that he was shot 19 times, you know - and I just try to visualize, like, what he was going through at the time he was being shot at by those officers. On his release from San Quentin State Prison, Woods was hired full time to continue the work started inside but also adding reentry stories. Woods was involved in an attempted robbery in 1997, when he was in his 20s. So I'm going to enjoy. POOR: Earlonne described himself, and I described myself. [1][2] Since his release, Woods has continued to co-host the podcast with Poor from outside prison, with Poor recording some parts in San Quentin with new co-host Rahsaan "New York" Thomas. GROSS: Yeah. Earlonne is a brother to Shala Woods. And when I was sitting in a county jail, you know, mentally, I pretty much divorced myself from that whole way of life in that moment, you know? It addresses important issues about being human and how prisoners can be contributing citizens. He received a sentence of 31-years-to-life. And it was just like - it didn't even register with me. Like, what - why were we on this path, you know? ARI. And my mindset, regardless of where I'm at, I'm going to live to the best of my ability. And I got out in '95. I was just done. In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). We can go to the gym and work out together. E WOODS: (Laughter) Not no time soon, no. And then what worries me is, like, so people will leave with this very, like, I love this guy. You have to wear the same clothes all the time. Earlonnes sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to share their experiences behind bars. I go over to Nigel's house, hang out with her husband Rick. He was sentenced to 31 years to life for attempted robbery in 1999. GROSS: That Tyler was killed while they were in prison. And at the end of November, Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence. And, you know, we was clowning on the phone. GROSS: That's the sound of the San Quentin prison door slamming as my guest Earlonne Woods was released in late November after being incarcerated there for seven years. Earlonne has not yet revealed any information about his parents. So I still had a 17-year-old mentality. I don't (laughter) take them for granted. Also with us is Nigel Poor. GROSS: And, Earlonne, I look forward to your interviews with people who, like you, are transitioning back into society from prison. And it was just - I just seen him slipping through my fingers because I wasn't there to snatch him up. And so (laughter) it was just incredible. But I just - just took a course that was - seemed cool to me at the time. And he understood how to diffuse a situation. And, like a lot of inmates, he's been thinking about this moment for a long time. She started going to San Quentin to volunteer teaching photography. Earlonne Woods (@earlonnewoods) Instagram photos and videos earlonnewoods Follow 225 posts 24.1K followers 931 following Earlonne Woods Public figure Award winning Co-Creator + Co-Host, @earhustlesq . We can go to a restaurant. But you may have the African-Americans who go to prison and they're at certain places and you don't get that question. And I got into this group. I'm doing that. Woods has served 21 years of a 31 to life prison sentence. Yes, he can come to my house. And I believe, personally, that that will ease overcrowding because there are a lot of people in prison that deserve to be out. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. I mean, I try to be, like, open and honest about my past and the things that I've done, including what I've done to get to prison. SHAPIRO: Nigel Poor told us that when Earlonne Woods came back POOR: He was walking with a lot of air in his step. Earlonne Woods was released from San Quentin in November after his sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown. ERIN: No, I don't feel you're being unfair at all, and I don't ultimately know what my hesitancy is. Earlonne resides in the United States. If you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, the co-hosts and co-producers of the podcast Ear Hustle, which features interviews with men incarcerated in San Quentin Prison about their daily lives and their personal stories. Don't be out there doing no robberies, none of that stuff. POOR: While you're thinking, can I tell you some of the things that are just going through my mind about it? [11], In November 2018, then California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Woods' sentence, saying he had "clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed this crime" and that "he has set a positive example for his peers and, through his podcast, has shared meaningful stories from those inside prison. When Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods met, Poor was a photography professor volunteering with the Prison University Project, and Woods was serving thirty-one years to life at California's San Quentin State Prison. POOR: I know. E WOODS: Right. Therese Madden directed today's show. This is what we work for because there comes a moment in every person in prison's life where the light switch go on. So I think what kept me sane is that I had the philosophy where, I am going to live to the best of my ability every day that I have left on this Earth no matter where I'm at. California Gov. Oh, daddy, I'm not playing with no guns. So I'm not thinking that it's serious as much as I'm hearing. He and Nigel are also the authors of This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life, a book that became inspired by the podcast and released by Crown/Random House. He is a podcast host correspondent. E WOODS: I don't - I think when you're living in the moment, you feel untouchable. He was hired to continue co-hosting and producing the podcast after his release. So I gave him, you know, a handshake with as much emotion as I could muster POOR: Appropriately. The show was still challenging to create, in part because none of the three producers had a background in audio production, but also because of prison administration red tape. And I'm playing this because it's about knowing where the line is when you're interviewing prisoners and sometimes to have to ask something that's going to make them uncomfortable. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. ALEX BLUMBERG: And so a friend of Earlonne's, a volunteer at the prison, had an idea: with this spotlight on his work, and having served now two decades of his 31-to-life sentence, Earlonne should put in for a commutation -- make an official appeal to the governor, to set him free. [8][9][16] Vulture's Nicholas Quah noted a particular story a prisoner told about a frog in episode three: "a moment of levity in a setting often described in the worst of terms, a productive kind of conversation between the specificities of a person and the overpowering context of his incarceration. [3], Woods completed his General Educational Development in prison, as well as vocational courses such as auto mechanics. GROSS: And - so you interviewed him about commuting your sentence. He was born and brought up in the United States to his caring and supportive parents. I think my mother told me she loved Jesus more than she loved me. E WOODS: Well, me growing up the way I grew up, I grew up in a lifestyle where I was young when I got into selling drugs, and I was - I was real young. I'm not doing that. Namcy Wong. He running with these hard heads. And it really wasn't until I got into the healing circle that I understood what it was like to be a survivor of crime because in these circles, you're sitting across from crime victims. He had served 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. In fact, when I walk through the yard, one of the things I really like is that people make eye contact. POOR: There's something I have to talk to you about. [4] Its first season began on June 14, 2017. They struck him 19 times, killing him. [3][4] In 1997, at the age of 25, he was arrested for attempted second degree robbery. POOR: I'm so glad you asked about this. You're able to go POOR: We're able to go out. And you may be incarcerated 15, 20 years. Even though you can't do nothing about your past, you just feel embarrassed about even going down that route, even victimizing anybody. Accuracy and availability may vary. Like, he just seemed lighter and shiny and fresh. And many people around me wasn't like that. (SOUNDBITE OF JOHN COLTRANE'S "OUT OF THIS WORLD"). And I keep thinking, like, a week from now, Earlonne and I could be having dinner outside the prison together (laughter). There's a story you did about how people like you from the outside who come in to volunteer - because you started at San Quentin volunteering teaching photography before you started doing the podcast Ear Hustle. So I think I understand more the complexity and the pressures and inside I get to see men relating in very heartfelt ways. Think when you 're better than getting killed, like, I want to play the part you! Be contributing citizens over to Nigel 's house, hang out with her husband Rick the... 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