Suave
by Futuro Media
Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting The U.S is the only country in the world that allows minors to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Approximately 2,500 juveniles have been effectively sentenced to die in prison — considered “irredeemable” by the state for crimes committed when they were just teenagers. One of them was David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, who entered prison at 17 expecting to leave in a coffin. Suave tells the story of what happens when your whole world is a prison cell, and you suddenly get a second chance at life. It’s the story of one man’s incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. Selected as an Apple Podcasts Series Essential. See acast.com/pri
Episodes
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NEW PODCAST ALERT: Reaching Out
Hailed by Ira Glass as the “best new show I’ve heard in years,” and winner of the Audio Memoir Award of the Tribeca Film Festival, Reaching Out is a story about fathers, sons, and the distance between them. The story begins on the eve of twin brothers’ Sayre and Connor’s 30th birthday, when they...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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…
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Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York (hosted by Rosie Perez)
The 1960s brings social and political change to the world and to New York City, where a young Johnny Pacheco keeps people dancing with his orchestra and charanga music. The Dominican musician is also going through a divorce and his lawyer, Jerry Masucci, happens to be a fan of Johnny’s music. The...
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The First Time The Men’s World Cup Came to the U.S.A.
The Men’s World Cup is coming to our continent – and to this country. So we’re using this huge event to dive deep into what soccer means in the United States with a new podcast called “American Futbol.” We hear from immigrants all across the country for whom soccer is a touchstone, but who’ve…
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My Futuro is Impactful: Our Projects for 2026
It’s been a time of growth at Futuro – we’ve been breaking news and bringing rigorous in-depth journalism at Latino USA, creating ambitious podcasts at Futuro Studios, and sharing some awesome behind the scenes moments and stories at Futuro+ with our subscribers. In this week's special episode,...
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TRAILER DROP: Our Thing — The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York (hosted by Rosie Perez)
A new podcast from Futuro is coming to you soon! In 1964, an Italian-American ex-cop and a Dominican musician in New York City opened “the Motown of Salsa,” Fania Records. Artists like Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz and La Lupe made the label hip, rebellious, sexy and political all at…
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This Giving Tuesday, Futuro reflects back on 2025
It’s been quite the year, for the United States and for Futuro Media. At Latino USA, we’re bringing you in-depth reporting from the front lines. At Futuro Studios, we’re developing ground-breaking shows like La Brega Season 3, which is set to premiere early next year. In this special Giving…
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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…
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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...
About this show
Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting
The U.S is the only country in the world that allows minors to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Approximately 2,500 juveniles have been effectively sentenced to die in prison — considered “irredeemable” by the state for crimes committed when they were just teenagers. One of them was David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, who entered prison at 17 expecting to leave in a coffin. Suave tells the story of what happens when your whole world is a prison cell, and you suddenly get a second chance at life. It’s the story of one man’s incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a journalist and a source.
Selected as an Apple Podcasts Series Essential.
See acast.com/pri
Hosted by
Futuro Media
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