Crosscurrents

Rebuilding life after prison

KALW | By Anthony Ivy

Published July 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM PDT

Mandrell Knight with his sons and brother Mandrake Knight.

This story aired in the July 8, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.

KALW’s Anthony Ivy recently graduated from our Audio Training Program. Before that, he was a producer with Uncuffed, our podcast that empowers people in prison to tell their own stories.

He brings us a personal story that combines some of the skills he’s honed in those programs. It’s all about his cousin, Mandrell Knight who’s spent more years of life locked up than free. Now, Mandrell is working to rewrite his story and prove that his past does not define his future.

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Crosscurrents

Anthony Ivy

Anthony Ivy, originally from North Stockton, California, is a dedicated producer for the Uncuffed Outside Team and a member of KALW's Audio Academy Training program. Recently released after serving a 13-year prison sentence, Anthony demonstrated resilience and talent by producing numerous impactful stories from within the prison walls. One of his recent episodes, “Hole in the Heart,” received a national award from the Public Media Journalism Association and was broadcast nationwide on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” The episode was also featured on Snap Judgment. Since his release, Anthony has been steadfastly pursuing success, bringing unique and powerful perspectives from the other side of incarceration.

See stories by Anthony Ivy