Suave
Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting, this podcast explores the U.S. practice of sentencing minors to life in prison without parole. It follows David Luis 'Suave' Gonzalez, who entered prison at 17 and later received a second chance at life. The story examines incarceration, redemption, and the complex relationship between a journalist and a source.
Episodes
NEW PODCAST ALERT: Muy Excited with Maria Garcia
Maria was watching the Benito Bowl when an unexpected artist came on: the one and only Ricky Martin. He sang one of Bad Bunny’s most political, anti-colonial anthems. Maria knew this was a touchstone moment — the artist who most represented the 90’s Latin Boom wasn’t performing to a white audience for recognition or acceptance; he was singing a song of resistance, in Spanish. And then Maria’s 11-y
Released To Die: Episode 3
Now months out of prison, Frank Ross is juggling health issues and trying to adapt to life at the healthcare facility. He has good days and bad, as he struggles with cognitive decline. Then, an issue with his mandated GPS monitor suddenly puts his freedom at risk. We also learn about a new bill which advocates and lawmakers say could finally help reform the compassionate release system in Pennsylv
Released To Die: Episode 2
Michie, an incarcerated woman serving a life sentence at a Pennsylvania prison, learned early on that she needed to advocate for her own health behind bars. Over the decades and as she grew older, she says she witnessed many friends grow ill and die behind bars. Then, in her late 60’s, she discovers that she too has breast cancer. As Michie recounts the challenges of getting older - and sicker - i
Released To Die: Episode 1
Frank Ross was sentenced to die in prison – but after decades behind bars, he faces a new shot at freedom. At 93-years-old, Frank Ross is struggling with serious health issues. He’s able to secure a medical transfer to live out his final days at a healthcare facility through a law commonly known as “compassionate release.” Frank’s story is representative of a growing problem in prisons across the
33 Years Later, Suave’s Long-Lost Mixtape
Suave has been named an Apple Podcasts Series Essential and to celebrate we wanted to bring to the main feed one of our exclusive Futuro+ bonus episodes.In season one, Suave told host Julieta Martinelli about a mixtape he recorded inside his prison cell at SCI Graterford more than three decades ago. It remained a mystery lost to time… until today. In this episode, the making of Suave’s long-lost m
Patience - Ep. 7
In the final episode of Season 2, Suave and the team visit a location in the Bronx with deep significance to Suave— a place where you can say his journey towards freedom began. As Suave takes inventory of the past, and the challenges of the last couple of years in particular, he comes to terms with the weight of institutionalization. And he reveals one surprising and life-changing decision. S
A Homecoming - Ep. 6
After the crisis he’s been going through, Suave could use a change of scenery, so the whole team decides to go on a trip to Puerto Rico. It’s Suave’s first time back since he was a child to the island where his mother was born and raised— a moment he used to fantasize about in prison. There he reconnects with family who come from a long lineage of survivors… and of Santería practitioners. A spirit
Let The Chips Fall - Ep. 5
An unexpected event turns Suave’s world on its head, and Suave seems ready to throw it all away. He feels violated, and it triggers a response from Suave we’ve never seen before. As he grows increasingly agitated and isolated from everyone around him, Suave’s actions put everything that he has built at risk.Season 2 of Suave was made possible by The Mellon Foundation. Mellon makes grants to suppor
Old Head - Ep. 4
There’s one brother behind bars in particular that Suave can’t stop thinking about — Frank Ross, his longtime mentor. The man who taught him how to read and write on the inside. Serving a life sentence for more than half a century, the 93-year-old may have a speck of a chance to get out. That is, if he can convince the state to release him to die on the outside.Season 2 of Suave was made possible
Someone's Hand to Hold - Ep. 3
On a trip to Philadelphia, Maria meets Suave’s new romantic partner and visits the home they share. He’s in a stable, happy relationship…but after three decades behind bars, sometimes a girlfriend can feel like a prison guard, and Suave struggles with the idea of commitment. In fact, relationships in general—romantic and otherwise—have been the hardest part of life on the outside for him. Suave an
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Suave can’t drink. He can’t smoke weed. He can’t travel. He can’t visit old prison friends, or basically have any interaction with the police. And that’s because even though he’s free, he’s on parole for a lifetime. In other words he’s just serving his prison sentence on the outside. Sometimes all these rules make Suave ask himself, “Will I ever really be free?”Season 2 of Suave was made possible
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Years have passed since Season One, and Suave is thriving. He’s got a great job. He’s on the news for his work on prison reform. He’s even got a new nickname on the block: Mr. Pulitzer. Suave is doing what he always dreamed of – and he’s making a real difference. It almost seems like “happily ever after.” Or is it? Season 2 of Suave was made possible by The Mellon Foundation. Mellon makes gra
Building The Future: A Message From Maria
We’re doing something different! Today, Maria Hinojosa joins listeners for a special message announcing something new from Futuro. Been dreaming of immediate full season access, and behind the scenes chisme from your favorite shows at Futuro? We have too! Listen to hear more about what’s next for Futuro. To help us grow the future of journalism go to: futuromediagroup.org/joinplusThe Futuro Plus t
Introducing - Suave: Season Two
You can leave prison, but does the lingering trauma of prison ever leave you?The Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast from Futuro Studios returns for its second season! “Suave” Gonzalez was one of thousands of juvenile lifers granted a second chance at life. Season 2 is his story about life after incarceration—and the search for the true meaning of freedom. You can hear the full season of Suave: Season
The Reckoning - Ep. 7
“There's no winners in this. You’re a victim so you victimize other people because you’re hurt. It's a circle and it goes on and on.”Suave reckons with the last three decades of his life and begins to deal with the traumas of his childhood and incarceration that he’s long buried. Maria and Maggie discuss how the Supreme Court decision has played out differently across the country, leaving some oth
The Corner - Ep. 6
“That little place right here changed my whole life. December 6, 1986. 15 seconds. 15 seconds changed my whole life.”Suave has been cleared from all accusations and is free once again. He returns with Maria to the corner of 8th and Somerset in the Badlands—the place where his victim’s young life ended and the place that changed the course of Suave’s life. And Suave reveals to Maria a shocking stor
The Doubts - Ep. 5
“Doesn’t matter if you doing good, if you got a job, it doesn't matter—it could be snatched up in a heartbeat and there's nothing you could do about it.”Suave returns to prison and goes silent for weeks. Maria tries to figure out why and finds herself torn between her faith in Suave’s innocence and her responsibility to believe his accuser. Suave finds it impossible to adjust to being back in pris
The Release - Ep. 4
“I never dreamed that it would be this good. Even the worst day that I have is good. I'm going up… and I know everything that goes up must come down.”Suave kicks off his first day of freedom by checking things off his bucket list, including a long overdue conversation with his brother and an apology to students at a school in his old neighborhood in the Badlands. We follow Suave in his first year
The Old Head - Ep. 3
“We had a secret, unspoken bond. We’re all dying in here. And I felt like I was breaking that bond. I feel like I'm leaving my brothers behind.”Suave moves to a transitional housing unit at Graterford and begins to prepare for his release. But as he readies for life on the outside, his excitement gives way to a “never-ending list of fears” about life outside of prison. Suave also reckons with some
The Hustle - Ep. 2
“I was fascinated with the lifestyle. I was fascinated with prison flicks. That's how you get the street credibility. You know, I'm gonna be the baddest dude on the block.”Maria learns more about Suave’s early life in the South Bronx and the crime Suave was convicted of as a teenager in the Badlands of Philadelphia. We explore the tactics of ruthless prosecutors that led to Pennsylvania becoming t
The Sentence - Ep. 1
“The very last word she said was ‘You can become a voice for the voiceless.’ And I was just like, ‘Damn, why am I letting this lady mess up my high?’”We meet Suave, a man who has been serving a life sentence at a Pennsylvania maximum-security prison since he was a teenager. And we learn about his decades-long relationship as a source with journalist Maria Hinojosa. Suave has come to terms with the
Trailer: Suave
In 1988, David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez was found guilty of first-degree homicide. A Philadelphia judge sentenced him to life without parole for a crime committed when he was 17 years old. At a Pennsylvania prison, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the country—young men considered by the justice system to be “irredeemable,” destined to die in prison for acts committed when the
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