Justin Leonard and Matthew Kurvink’s conversation was recorded from inside the Four Mile Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado. At the time of the recording, both were serving sentences for armed robbery, and approaching eligibility for parole.
A herd of previously wild horses that are cared for and trained by people incarcerated at the Four Mile Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado on August 6, 2025. By Esther Honig for StoryCorps.
There, they met through the Wild Horse Inmate Program, where people reaching the end of their sentences train and care for wild horses in order to learn skills that help prepare them to reenter society. Justin and Matthew became friends while working with those horses.
A herd of previously wild horses that are cared for and trained by people incarcerated at the Four Mile Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado on August 6, 2025. By Esther Honig for StoryCorps.
Top Photo: Justin Leonard and Matthew Kurvink at their StoryCorps interview at the Four Mile Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado on August 6, 2025. By Esther Honig for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired September 19, 2025 on NPR’s Morning Edition.