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 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. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.
Chapter 1: Who is Suave and what is his story?
Chapter 2: What are the daily challenges Suave faces on lifetime parole?
Sometimes I do think that I was better off locked up. That's hard to say, but it's the truth. You know, it's the truth. And whoever been locked up 31 years or more and tell you otherwise, it's lying. They lying. I'm still living. I still live like I'm in prison. Like locked up. Like I'm in my fucking jail cell. You know, that's the scary part for me. Because I haven't been able to shake it off.
Shit. Another day in this world. Five o'clock in the morning. Just getting up. Bella. Bella, I'm going to whip your ass, Bella.
Suave, formerly one of the hardest guys on the block at Greaterford Prison, now a doting cat dad.
Man, Bella just snuck in the bed and tucked in under my arms when I was sleeping, got hair all over my black sheets.
And this cat, she's got an adorable wardrobe of, yes, pink dresses.
I'll get her these little outfits. I think it's so cute. I don't think Bella understands she's a girl. So I'll put pink on her to let her know, like, look at yourself in the mirror. You are a girl, Bella.
Suavez's studio apartment is pretty tiny. But after decades in a small cell, Suavez says it felt kind of palatial when he moved in.
He calls his apartment... A high-class prison cell. I don't need a whole lot. It's better than a house for me.
Unlike a prison cell, though, there's a big fluffy bed here. Also, it's kind of Bella's bed. But after sleeping on a three-inch mattress over a metal slab for three decades, he can't really get comfortable on this bed.
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Chapter 3: What are the strict rules Suave must follow on parole?
It's a weekday, and Suave usually takes the SEPTA bus to get to work at Community College of Philadelphia. But today he's got so many errands, it's just not feasible to take the bus.
For a lot of people, driving is something they look forward to doing. Not me. Not me. I hate fucking driving. I hate it. I don't know how to deal with my anxiety when I'm behind the wheel. My anxiety take over to the point where I just want to crash the car somewhere and stop and get out and leave it running. So I just don't drive. I just don't drive.
Chapter 4: How does parole affect Suave’s freedom and lifestyle?
It's a sunny day and Suave is riding in his gray Hyundai. He's wearing a gray suit with a black shirt underneath. He's sitting close to the wheel and he's holding it pretty tight.
I am really, really, really afraid to get stopped by the police. The minute they stop you and they find out you're on parole, you're getting handcuffed, now your car is getting searched. And if you don't report that traffic stop to parole, It's a violation of your conditions and they can lock you up.
The anxiety is so bad that Suave ends up asking a friend to drive him home that night. But there is some hope for the future. Technically, there is some legal recourse that could allow Suave to get off of lifetime parole, even if it's kind of a long shot.
We got a file for complete commutation from the pardon board.
Commutation just means that the remaining term of his sentence is completely forgiven. But it's not easy to get.
It's almost like hitting the lottery. You got to have the attorney general's vote and then unanimous vote, basically, before it gets to the governor's office. And then he got to consider it. Like, not easy at all.
The Board of Pardons doesn't state just how long after a conviction they'll consider a pardon. They just mention that they do consider the length of time.
But a report by the Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, who work with clients that are going through this process, confirms that the majority of people who are successful have been out of prison for about five to 10 years, depending on the offense.
I'm coming up on my seven years in November.
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Chapter 5: Why is driving so anxiety-inducing for Suave?
So on this Sunday afternoon, Suave calls me like he usually does. And he tells me about his weekend, tells me that he was hanging out with a group of guys that he knew from prison, that they showed up to his place for a barbecue. And, you know, these are guys that he used to be locked up with.
So we started off singing karaoke with Hector Lavo, and we had a few drinks. Oh, no.
That, oh, no. Why did you say that, Maria?
At that moment, I'm like, por favor, no, no, no, no, no. Because, you know, you can't be drinking. And then I'm all like, oh, my God, what happens if parole calls him right now in this precise moment? But, you know, the good news is that the story didn't end up going in that direction.
And guess what song we end up singing? Menudo. Suete a mi modo.
I'm a sweaty guy. And then he tells me that, like, one of his friends had her phone out at that moment.
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Chapter 6: Is there hope for Suave to get off lifetime parole?
And then she recorded me dancing to Marc Anthony. Dancing salsa? I was drunk.
Oh, my God, Suave. I can't believe you got drunk. I can't believe you got drunk.
I've never seen drunk Suave.
I really enjoyed it.
I'm having two or three of my friends that we've done time with. You know, my friend said something to me. He was like, damn, we walked the prison yard together for decades. And now we're sitting in your backyard drinking beer and eating burnt hot dogs. And they taste good.
You know, it was really sweet just hearing Suave tell this story with so much joy and happiness.
But Suave doesn't always enjoy getting together with his prison friends. Part of it is parole, and it can be risky to be around people that are drinking or smoking weed around you. But that's not really it. It's because it can get complicated for him emotionally.
I don't have the desire to meet with guys that I did 30, 40 years.
After telling me that, Suavez sits with this thought for a minute. Then he backtracks. It's not about not wanting to see the guys.
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Chapter 7: What happened at Suave’s recent barbecue with old prison friends?
Yeah, I mean, Suave tells me that he's starting to find it harder and harder to relate. And that for a long time, these were the only people in his life who could really understand him. But it's changing.
Sometimes it feels like, wow, damn, man, I deserve that chance more than you. I get that feeling sometimes like, you got a chance and you ain't doing shit with it, man. I deserve that chance more than you.
It sounds harsh. But I wonder, what does it feel like to know the people on the outside can't ever really understand how you feel? And then Suave's prison friends, who are supposed to understand, well, they're moving on themselves.
Sometimes, if, oh man, why is I'm saying this on tape, man? But sometimes it just feels, it just feels like, damn, I'm fucking jealous. Like, the fuck?
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In January, I meet up with Suave in Atlanta, where I live. Suave's in town to speak at a criminal justice reform conference. Over the last five years that I've been producing Suave, I've gone to Philly a lot, but we've never really hung out in my turf. So we are in front of a Waffle House right in front of Centennial Olympic Park.
It's Atlanta, man. I love it down here.
And while he's in town, we've been invited to an artist showcase at the infamous Stanconia Studios. Suave seems really excited.
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