Suave

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 2 now.Selected as an Apple Podcasts Series Essential.Season 2 of Suave was made possible by The Mellon Foundation. Mellon makes grants to support the visionaries and communities that unlock the power of the arts and humanities to help connect us all. More at mellon.org.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Suave and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“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 story she’s never heard before about the night of the murder in 1986.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Suave and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“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 of freedom as he experiences the excitement of many firsts and as he tries to adjust to his new life on the outside…. until an unexpected revelation puts Suave’s future into doubt.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Suave and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“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 the state that sentenced the most minors in the country to life in prison without parole. Meanwhile, Suave anxiously awaits the decision from a judge that could grant him the opportunity to experience adult life on the outside.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Suave and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 they were just teenagers. Acclaimed journalist Maria Hinojosa met Suave 27 years ago in prison while working on a story. They kept in touch over the decades by phone, letters, and occasional visits. Originally, she maintained contact in order to have a source inside the prison system. But over the years, their relationship evolved. And then a Supreme Court ruling changed everything, forever altering the course of Suave’s life.Suave was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting in 2022. Selected as an Apple Podcasts Series Essential.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Suave and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.