Hustle 2.0 March 2026 Graduation
Hustle 2.0 March 2026 Graduation-4
Hustle 2.0 March 2026 Graduation-2
Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance played from a phone speaker as eight people, clad in caps, gowns, and orange jumpsuits, walked into a fluorescent-lit room to receive their graduation certificates and celebratory donuts.
This modest graduation ceremony at Bannock County Detention Center honored those who had completed Hustle 2.0, a program focused on trauma-responsive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
The program aims to empower incarcerated people to lead positive personal transformations, reduce violence, and contribute to safer communities inside and outside prison walls. It’s entirely self-guided and takes about 175 hours to complete, with topics on substance misuse, anger management, victim awareness, and reentry planning.
For recent graduate Christopher Trumbo, those lessons led to sobering introspection. He said his breakthrough came when he realized that the people he spent time with outside of jail had influenced his behavior for the worse. He’s since taken the difficult step of ending relationships with old friends in hopes of breaking the cycle.
Christopher Trumbo enters the conference room where the Hustle 2.0 graduation was held in March 2026.
“I’m so grateful for this,” Trumbo said. “I wish I would have known this stuff sooner. I’m 47 years old, and I’m just now figuring this out.”
Building on his momentum, Trumbo was recently accepted into Wood Court, an intensive treatment court program that promotes long-term recovery. He hopes to pursue a higher education degree in Business Management when he’s released.
Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu, Commissioner Ernie Moser, and Hustle 2.0’s CEO John Jackson attended the small graduation ceremony celebrating the group’s accomplishment.
“I’m really proud of these graduates because they took the initiative to complete the program and do the hard work of honest self-reflection. We want the folks in our custody to learn from their mistakes, and this program seems to really motivate them to take accountability and make changes,” said Sheriff Manu.
Nationally, Hustle 2.0 tracks that 90% of its participants since 2004 have avoided further misconduct after completing the program. Locally, staff have reported seeing graduates sustain improved interactions with fellow inmates and deputies.
“Hustle 2.0 has been a great fit for us. It’s been a real positive and productive use of their time, and I’m looking forward to seeing the long-term results from our graduates,” said Lyle Thurgood, Captain of the Detention Division.
Trumbo was joined by fellow graduates Matthew Chaffin, Fern Tendoy, Esequiel De La Cruz, Thadeous French, Champane Buckman, Santana Crosland, and Edwin Negrin.
They are the third round of graduates since Bannock County began offering the program in 2025. Since then, 19 people have successfully completed it, with more scheduled to graduate this summer.
The program is open to anyone housed at the Bannock County jail and is funded through commissary profits. Trumbo expresses hope for his fellow inmates and encourages them to join the program.
“I preach it to everyone who comes through the door. If you’re bored and need something to do, do this program. It will change what you’re doing. It will change everything,” Trumbo said.
