Co-Host/Inspiration. Since 2014, The Marshall Project has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web. In many states - including Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez was sentenced -there are few, if any, college opportunities for people with such lengthy sentences. Do you feel that you are simply a source to Maria, or is there something more? David Luiz: Brazilian defender reveals surprise new look aged 35 By Rob Swan Published Nov 3, 2022 Brazilian defender David Luiz is synonymous for his trademark curly hair but has unveiled. Futuro Media also produces Peabody Award winning Latino USA, the longest running national Latino news and cultural public radio program; In The Thick, an award winning political podcast; and Latino Rebels, a pioneering digital news outlet founded by journalist Julio Ricardo Varela. Her stories about immigrant youth, life in prison and what happens after have aired nationally on NPR programs, including Here and Now, Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. Thats the way we change the world. Three men have been arrested following a deadly shooting at a Lodi apartment complex in March. Suave leaves Graterford and kicks off his first day of freedom by checking things off his bucket listincluding a long overdue conversation with his brother and an apology to students at a school in his neighborhood in the Badlands. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. The Miller and Montgomery cases led to a review of Suaves sentence and his release from incarceration in 2017 after over 30 years behind bars. Futuro Studios and PRX Present "Suave" - Medium Im getting out of jail, and when I mean getting out, I mean mentally. Co-Host. You can do that on your own. Hard work pays off for David Luiz. I can send you a list with hundreds of schools that will offer you correspondence courses for free. When I met Maria, I was at a point that I wanted to commit suicide. Suave moves to a transitional housing unit at SCI Graterford where he will spend the next few months as he waits for his parole hearing. Its the account of one mans incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a journalist and a man convicted of murder. Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison for homicide when he was 17 and spent 33 years behind bars. All Rights Reserved. As Suave adjusts to his new life on the outside, the challenges that come with his newfound freedom and the expectations from everyone around himhe ponders if things are too good to be true. All contents And that someone was Maria. And I was honored to be that source. You know, these are things that I need to learn.Luis Suave Gonzalez. As the decades pass, Suave becomes a mentor for younger men and a model citizen inside the prison. I mean, it's kind of crazy. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. A hellion for his first ten years in prison (he spent 8 years in solitary confinement), things dramatically changed for Suave when he persuaded prison authorities to invite the journalist Maria Hinojosa to speak at Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania where he was incarcerated. Over a 16 year period, Suave obtained a GED and a B.A. Suave returns with Maria to the corner of 8th and Somerset in the Badlandsthe place where his victims young life ended and the place that changed the course of Suaves life. And then a Supreme Court ruling changed everything, forever altering the course of Suaves life. She previously covered the criminal justice system, policing and immigration for Nashville Public Radio. I failed trying to take peoples commissary. Recently, it launched the critically-acclaimed podcasts: Anything For Selena with WBUR, La Brega with WNYC Studios, Norco 80 for LAist Studios, LOUD: The History of Reggaeton with Spotify, and dolo: The Ballad of Chalino Snchez with Sonoro. "So this day is not . You had life without parole. There are still several episodes to go in this podcast, so I don't know how the story ends up. Suave is a seven-part podcast series about the criminal justice system that sentences juveniles to life in prison particularly young men of color and what happens when, decades later, theyre suddenly granted one more chance at freedom. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. He is the cohost of both the "Suave" and "Death by Incarceration" podcasts. Is there a part of you that believes Maria is on your side? For example, I dont know how to use a cell phone. Suave returns with Maria to the corner of 8th and Somerset in the Badlandsthe place where his victims young life ended and the place that changed the course of Suaves life. David Luiz on leading by example and Christian Pulisic's Chelsea prospects. You came out when you were in your mid-40s. Thats true, but its also bullshit because I was a lifer and I did it. Gavin Newsom earlier this year. That moment sparked a transformation in the life of Suave. The football player is dating Sara Madeira, his starsign is Taurus and he is now 35 years of age. Like they think that they could incarcerate the way out of every problem in America and they cant. I saw some of the hardest dudes in the jail walking down the corridor with school books, because they want to go to school. On 22-4-1987 David Luiz (nickname: The Sheriff) was born in Diadema, Brasil. This represents a 38% decline since 2016. I'm like a baby learning how to be a decent human being. CHANG: Now that he has been released from prison, the two of them are sharing their story in a new Futuro Media podcast called "Suave.". Maggie Freleng is an investigative journalist, producer and the host/producer of Unjust & Unsolved, a podcast about wrongful convictions and the crimes that are consequently left unsolved. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by the justice system to be irredeemable for acts committed when they were just teenagers. At the end of September, Thomas got word that he is suitable for parole following Newsoms clemency and he expects to go home sometime in early 2023. As the team explores racism and corruption in the legal system, and the more Hinojosa learns about Gonzalezs crime, the more they question the events that put him in prison in the first place, and the system that continues to put children away for life. Once on the outside, he tries to continue this way of life. That little place right here changed my whole life. And Maria Hinojosa is founder of the Futuro Media Group. I think that that makes us better journalists. So when did you start going to college? In the series premiere we meet Suave, a man who has been serving a life sentence at a Pennsylvania prison since he was just a teenager. Suave is a seven-part podcast series about the criminal justice system that sentences juveniles to life in prison particularly young men of color and what happens when, decades later, theyre suddenly granted one more chance at freedom. Suave - The Futuro Media Group The punishment is now banned in half the states and in a handful of states, no one is serving the sentence. Now, Gonzalez is a support coach with I Am More, a reentry program for formerly incarcerated students at Philadelphia Community College. GONZALEZ: What I do believe is that Maria is a journalist that wasn't trying to sensationalize my story, and she was telling it in an educational way where we could get people to understand that prison is not the rite of passage. Suave ponders what it truly means to be free. Fantasy Premier League FPL set-pieces: Free-kicks add to David Luiz appeal. Approximately 2,500 juveniles have been effectively sentenced to die in prisonconsidered "irredeemable" by the state for crimes committed when they were just teenagers. PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. Maria Hinojosa, Maggie Freleng, Julieta Martinelli, Stephanie Lebow, Audrey Quinn, and Marlon Bishop the production team behind Suave, When I heard the news that Suave won the Pulitzer Prize, I felt like a tectonic shift happened, saidMaria Hinojosa, President and Founder of Futuro Media. They are part of the broader trend of racial disparities in sentencing with people of color getting harsher sentences. Luis "Suave" Gonzalez Visits Esperanza to Speak About The Importance of Martinelli previously wrote for CBS-46 in Atlanta, the Gwinnett Daily Post, and the Atlanta Latino Newspaper. "It's a blessing for me to be here as the first thing I do when I got out. As she anxiously awaits a phone call from Suave, Maria sets out to try and figure out what happened and eventually finds herself torn between her faith in Suaves innocence and her responsibility to believe his accuser. And Maria Hinojosa is founder of the Futuro Media Group. After a decade reporting on music for various outlets, he served as Senior Editor on the public radio program Latino USA. That means I cant go to the hole because if I go to the hole, Im gonna lose my slot in the program. And so it was like this long-haul battle. Ive never seen one in my life. And Suave, you've been talking to Maria for so many years. He's a source. Futuro Studiosis the new creative division of the Futuro Media Group, an independent nonprofit organization producing multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diversity of the American experience. Hes become a man and built a life behind bars. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by . But in journalism, a source is somebody that could report what - the injustices taking place behind these prison walls that society don't know about. With the first two episodes of the new Suave podcast from Futuro Studios now playing, Latino Rebels Radio host Julio Ricardo Varela welcomes Futuro colleague and Suave co-producer Julieta Martinelli to talk about the making of the podcast and how the story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez is the story of one man's incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a . And then this lady come out of nowhere and just tell me, you could be the voice for the voiceless. A Philadelphia judge . - for a journalist to make. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by the justice system to be irredeemable for acts committed when they were just teenagers.