Uncuffed

07/02/2025

Have you listened to Episode 1 yet? We were so excited to be at the gates of San Quentin when our new host Greg Eskridge came home after more than 30 years in prison. This season, we’re still bringing you stories from the inside, and we’ll also be hearing all about Greg’s experiences. Tune in!

17/01/2025

"When we listen to Uncuffed, all the oppressive visuals of prison melt away. Instead of looking at a uniform, we hear a voice, with its own warmth and natural grain. That voice could be an uncle, a neighbor, a friend. We relate to the human being, not to their circumstances. That’s why I believe audio is a uniquely powerful medium for encountering stories from inside prison, and a uniquely powerful medium for creating social change."

New essay from Uncuffed Program Director Eli Wirtschafter as part of KALW Speaks, a new series exploring the ideas that drive our work.

How Audio Transcends Prison Walls and Humanizes Incarcerated People
https://www.kalw.org/2025-01-14/how-audio-transcends-prison-walls-and-humanizes-incarcerated-people

05/12/2024

New episode alert! We dropped a special podcast episode, along with this message from Uncuffed alum Anthony Ivy:

After 12 years behind bars, I’m now living life on the outside, navigating this new chapter. Since getting out, I’ve been hired and mentored by Uncuffed. I’m currently enrolled in KALW’s Audio Academy program and an Uncuffed audio engineering class. I’m also working as an associate producer for the DJ Uncuffed Playlist.

This program has been life-changing. It’s the best thing I did on the inside to prepare myself for life on the outside. That’s why I’m encouraging people to support Uncuffed. It’s not just a program—it’s a bridge to success for people both inside and out.

If you want to be part of that change, go to http://www.KALW.org/Uncuffed/donate.

As a thank you for our listeners, we're sharing one of the first stories Ivy I did as an Uncuffed participant – it played on the radio but it's never been heard on the podcast. Check it out now.

Thank you for your support and thank you for listening.

KALW

20/11/2024

📣📣 Bay Area friends! 📣📣

Join Greg and the Crosscurrents family this Friday night for a live, joyful evening of storytelling.

Last Christmas, Greg recorded a piece from inside San Quentin imagining what his first Christmas on the outside would be like. This year, he’s home and he’s got big plans for these holidays.

The night will also include Sights & Sounds with Jenee Darden, and How Wild’s Marissa Ortega Welch. Also - free pizza and sweet treats!

Get your tickets here!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crosscurrents-live-tickets-1073789034909?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

01/11/2024

A good mail day! Greg is holding our (very hefty!) award from the NYF Radio Awards for our episode Prison From Another Planet. We think it’ll look great next to the other awards he and Uncuffed have won 😎

25/10/2024

We had an emotional conversation inside San Quentin about a CA ballot measure that could lead to longer prison sentences for certain drug and theft crimes.

would turn certain misdemeanors into felonies and create a new kind of felony for possession of certain drugs. The independent Legislative Analyst’s Office says Prop 36 would increase the population in state prisons and county jails.

Listen to the episode for the whole discussion.

18/10/2024

Now and then! What a difference 5 years can make!!

Five of the six Uncuffed producers from the original San Quentin crew are FREE, and we're hoping to get everybody together for a reunion real real soon. Until then, we got Greg, Thanh, Bun, and Shakur together at the KALW studios...and you know when that happens, there's gonna be magic.

Stay tuned for some big things coming into your feed...

03/10/2024

For Anthony Gomez, home is his great-grandmother’s ranch in Madera, filled with memories of swimming in the canal with his brothers and uncles. After he moved away, life took him on a complicated journey. But a fateful car crash years later set the stage for an unexpected homecoming. 🌊✨ Uncuffed producer Matt Sheppard brings you this latest story!

https://www.kalw.org/2024-10-03/crashing-his-truck-into-a-canal-led-to-an-unexpected-family-reunion

26/09/2024

William Harris was proud of the close relationship he had with his father. It kept him afloat while he served time in prison. Connecting with his dad gave him purpose. So, when his dad passed away - he felt like he lost everything.

Uncuffed producer André Davis has this story about how William found meaning again by helping others when they were at their lowest.

A warning to our listeners - this story mentions su***de. Please take care when listening.

https://www.kalw.org/2024-09-26/after-losing-almost-everything-a-man-finds-his-purpose-by-helping-others

11/09/2024

Meet André Davis - one of our San Quentin producers. These days he's not only learning in our program, he's enrolled at on the brink of getting his Associate of Arts degree. But when he was a kid? He flunked the first grade.

Uncuffed producer William Harris interviewed André about how he grew from that first grade failure into a future college graduate.

https://www.kalw.org/2024-09-05/he-flunked-first-grade-now-hes-graduating-college

20/08/2024

It's ALL HAPPENING! We're excited to start our new program next month at CIW and continue this journey together! Thanks to for organizing an amazing event where we and our collaborators at got to tell folks about our new programming.

Anddddd check out the last photo for a sneak peek at our BRAND NEW podcast studio! Very very soon you're going to hear amazing stories coming out of that room...

08/08/2024

🤩🤩🤩

05/08/2024

For some of us, video meetings are a daily routine. For Greg Eskridge it was another reminder that he's really free. He said, "it feels like I'm supposed to be here."

We agree!! Greg joins our outside team as the Uncuffed Leadership Fellow next month, after working with our radio and podcasting program inside San Quentin for over a decade.

25/07/2024

What a beautiful day we had this week - after more than 30 years of incarceration, Uncuffed’s San Quentin Facilitator Greg Eskridge is a FREE MAN! We were so lucky to gather with friends and family to welcome him home.

And that's not all! Greg’s release is not the end of his work with Uncuffed. Not even close. 🤩🤩🤩

We are thrilled to announce that starting in September, Greg will be our first Uncuffed Leadership Fellow! This is also the first time an Uncuffed alum will become a full-time, salaried member of our outside team. The fellowship is an on-ramp to Greg taking on other Uncuffed leadership roles in the future. It is very, very well deserved.

So, we hope you'll join us in not only wishing Greg welcome home but also welcome to the outside Uncuffed team!!

You can also welcome Greg home by signing our e-card for Greg. Thank you to everyone who already signed with such heartfelt messages! https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/pp3teC08?mc_cid=9a8b18c1c7&mc_cid=e9d36ce33a&mc_eid=167f377ae4&mc_cid=e9d36ce33a&mc_eid=167f377ae4

10/07/2024

🥇🏆🥇 Thank you Society of Professional Journalists 🥇🏆🥇🏆 for the Public Service in Radio Journalism award! They called it “a thought-provoking piece that highlights society’s challenges with incarceration, and on a deeper level, humanity,” and we couldn't agree more.

Special shout out to Ryan Pagan, Steve Brooks, Greg Eskridge and the rest of the Uncuffed San Quentin 2023 cohort for their work on this piece - please join us in saying CONGRATULATIONS!

24/06/2024

These radio producers made it on TV! Shout out to for featuring Uncuffed and our amazing facilitator Greg Eskridge in a segment on San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

Check out this clip for some wisdom from Greg and a peek into the media center where we do our work! And if you want to see the full segment, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzZmiB7xtHU

19/06/2024

Exciting news!! Uncuffed will be featured at this amazing Back pocket media event on Friday! Join for a night of live storytelling about music in San Francisco - it’s gonna be great.

Check This Out: Get tickets and show information for Back Pocket Media presents | In a Silent Way: stories about music and tension - City Box Office