LAS CRUCES, N.M. — In a gripping episode of the legal podcast “True Believers and the Road to Hell,” host and seasoned trial attorney Mike Stout welcomed prominent Santa Fe criminal defense lawyer Dan Cron to discuss one of the darkest chapters in New Mexico history: the 1980 Santa Fe prison riot, which left 33 inmates dead and became a national symbol of prison system failure.
The podcast, which features top voices in the criminal defense community, delves into defining cases and controversies in American criminal justice. In this installment, the spotlight was squarely on Cron, who offered firsthand insights into the legal and moral fallout of the deadly riot, widely considered one of the worst in U.S. history.
At the time of the riot, Cron was one of just five attorneys in the United States involved in the specialized and high-stakes field of prison conditions litigation. His early work in this area placed him at the center of a wave of legal actions challenging systemic abuse and neglect behind prison walls.
“It wasn’t just about a riot—it was about decades of inhumane conditions,” Cron told Stout during the interview. “What happened in Santa Fe was the predictable result of institutional failure, and someone had to hold that system accountable.”
Cron’s reflections were both legal and deeply personal. He described navigating the volatile aftermath, the ethical complexity of defending inmates in a system stacked against them, and the larger movement for prisoner rights in the late 20th century. His perspective painted a sobering portrait of justice amid chaos.
Host Mike Stout, a Las Cruces-based criminal law veteran with over 150 jury trials under his belt and a 1996 NMCLA Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer award recipient, praised Cron for his courage and clarity in tackling such fraught legal terrain. “Dan was doing this work when almost no one else would,” Stout said. “His contribution to prisoner rights and criminal defense in New Mexico is historic.”
In addition to his long-standing private practice, Cron is widely regarded as one of New Mexico’s most accomplished defense attorneys, with a record of high-profile acquittals and complex federal cases. His appearance on the podcast adds to a growing public legacy of courtroom advocacy and legal reform.
The episode is available now on all major streaming platforms and is part of Stout’s ongoing series spotlighting legal professionals who shape and challenge the criminal justice system from the inside out.
For listeners interested in legal history, civil rights, and the evolution of criminal defense in America, this conversation between two of New Mexico’s most respected attorneys offers rare depth and urgency.