In 1993, Gary Settle was sentenced to 177 years in prison. Twenty-six years into his sentence, he started helping other inmates get out of prison through something called compassionate release - a policy that allows people in prison to petition to be let out for “extraordinary and compelling” reasons. You can learn more about Gary Settle in Anna Altman’s piece, "The Quality of Mercy," in The Atavist Magazine. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Okay, well, here we are.
Well, let's just start with you introducing yourself.
Okay.
My name is Gary Settle.
You are my current situation.
Yeah.
Where are we right now?
These nice ladies have come to visit me at FMC Butner, which is a federal prison hospital in North Carolina.
Butner is one of seven federal prisons that houses inmates with significant health issues.
Bernie Madoff was treated at Butner, so is Ted Kaczynski.