This milestone episode for The Hustler Files was recorded at the Hampden County Jail, in Western Massachusetts, but this conversation with Sheriff Nick Cocchi, who runs the jail and Liz Dineen, CEO of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts could take place in any city or county, USA. Domestic violence month may be in October, but it’s not a once-a-year issue. It’s also NOT just a female issue. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner violence and domestic violence does not discriminate. It affects people of all ages, races, and backgrounds, which is why the YWCA is no longer just a place to find a pool and an exercise class. The YWCA is now a safe haven for women and men who have experienced domestic violence. A place where support for survivors is their top priority with no questions asked, but a shoulder is offered. To also offer support and awareness is Sheriff Cocchi, one of the most progressive Sheriffs anywhere in the U.S. Sadly, this Sheriff had to experience the recent loss of a most beloved Assistant due to domestic violence, but that only fueled his fire to bring awareness to the domestic violence issue that can be right under our noses and thus partnering with the YWCA to amplify the message. As Sheriff Cocchi says, “there is no shame in asking for help if you’re a victim of domestic violence, it’s not YOUR problem, it’s the abuser’s”.

Prison Fellowship is approaching their 50th anniversary, but when Founder, Chuck Colson, President Nixon’s ‘hatchet man’ launched Prison Fellowship, he himself had just served 7 months for his involvement in Watergate. While incarcerated, Colson was inspired to help restore lives and families broken by crime and incarceration. He thought Prison Fellowship would only last 5 years. So, who is Prison Fellowship? It’s a National Ministry established on the biblical belief that all people are made in God’s image with inherent dignity and potential. From Warden Exchange Programs to the Angel Tree Program for children with incarcerated parents, Prison Fellowship can reach thousands of incarcerated individuals through local churches and their volunteers who are managed by a Prison Fellowship Church Mobilization team. While there are other ministries across the U.S., Prison Fellowship is the largest, and like President and CEO, Heather Rice-Minus says, “..once you’ve experienced a Prison Fellowship behind bars, you’ll forever be changed…”.

Launching a social entrepreneurial venture is no easy task, and for Founder, President, and CEO of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute it was not an overnight success. Brandon conceived the EDWINS concept in 2004, with a three-fold mission: teach a skilled and in-demand trade in the culinary arts, empower willing minds through a passion for hospitality management, and prepare students for a successful transition home. The students who participate in this mission are all justice involved looking for a new life back in the community. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it took another three years for Brandon, a formally trained chef and sommelier, to build out the social enterprise model and then another four years before Brandon could launch the Culinary Club classes at the Grafton Correctional Institution. Brandon opened EDWINS restaurant in 2013 and here in 2024 EDWINS has a French Restaurant, Butcher Shop, Bakery, and a Second Chance Life Skills Center which itself is a campus with housing, childcare, library, fitness center, computer lab and more! 600+ have graduated from the EDWINS culinary programs and can boast that only 1% of students have recidivated. Like Brandon says, when asked, how he accomplished so much, his response, “just knock down one problem at a time”.