Prison Officer Podcast

Corrections officers, police, firefighters, dispatchers, and veterans often carry stress that stacks up quietly over years: shift work, chronic hypervigilance, moral injury, and the constant exposure to trauma. In this conversation, Mike Marotta explains why so many first responders feel safest with coworkers yet struggle to let their guard down at home, even with the people who love them most. That gap can fuel isolation, relation...

You can be “in shape” and still be useless in a real response. That gap is what we dig into with Letha Cowan, a former Washington State correctional officer and the owner of Watchline Fitness and Watchline Supply Co. She combines lived experience behind the walls with NASM personal training and nutrition coaching to build functional fitness for correctional officers who work overtime, sit posts for hours, then suddenly ...

The fastest way a jail gets dangerous isn’t a single riot or headline event, it’s the quiet drift: missed checks, inconsistent rules, sloppy units, and leaders who stop sweating the small stuff. We sit down with Major Sean Klucznik, Jail Administrator at the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and immediate past president of the American Jail Association, to talk about what actually stabilizes a facility when staffin...

After nearly three decades in corrections, I returned to the prison where my career began.

Walking those old cellblocks brought back memories I hadn't thought about in years—the lessons, the mistakes, the friendships, the fear, and the moments that shaped the leader I eventually became.

In this deeply personal episode of The Prison Officer Podcast, I take you behind the walls of the institution that started it all. You'll hear ...

Every corrections leader eventually faces the moment when the order coming down the chain doesn't sit right — when policy, pressure, or politics puts your people at risk. Leading up isn't insubordination. It's one of the highest forms of leadership. In this episode, we're talking about how to manage your boss, influence decisions above your pay grade, and still protect the men and women counting on you to have their backs.

We ...

Corrections gets judged by headlines it didn’t write, so I’m taking you behind the scenes of a month that reminded me why this profession deserves real respect. From Correctional Officers Week events to national recognition, I share the moments that felt like the “best of corrections” and the lessons we can bring back to our own agencies.

We start at the One Voice United conference (link below), where...

We talk with Captain Tevin Dixon about the road from Oklahoma DOC Correctional Officer to shift supervisor and the mentors who shaped his calm, respectful leadership style. We also break down the gate incident with a derogatory provocateur and why professionalism, transparency, and peer support matter when corrections gets tested in public. 

We also dig into what shaped Tevin’s leadership long before he wore a uniform: gr...

A correctional officer gets assaulted at work and someone shrugs it off as “part of the job.” That mindset is poisoning recruitment, accelerating burnout, and making prisons more dangerous for everyone inside. We sit down with Jeffrey Noble, a 39-year corrections professional who rose from correctional officer to warden and later worked inside Ohio’s legislative oversight world, to explain why Andy’s Law is ...

Most use-of-force problems don’t start with bad intent; they start with bad preparation. We’re talking with Joe Buice, a lifelong martial artist and retired sheriff’s office lieutenant who has spent decades in corrections, led high-liability teams, and now serves as Pepperball’s Director of Implementation. The result is a practical, no-theory conversation about what actually keeps officers safe in jails, pri...

Announcement! 

Behind the Wall is Live! https://www.patreon.com/ThePrisonOfficer

Silence doesn’t stay empty for long. When correctional agencies refuse to talk about what happens behind the wall, someone else will gladly explain it for us, and they’ll usually pick the most extreme version. From the ILEETA conference, I take one simple line, “nature abhors a vacuum,” and apply it to one of the biggest chal...

What if your first real job at 20—walking onto a men’s medium-security yard—became the foundation for a lifetime of leadership, policy savvy, and humanitarian impact? That’s Judi Simon Garrett’s story, and it upends a lot of what people think they know about prisons, “solitary,” and the people who run complex systems under pressure.

Judi explains why training that centers presence, w...

In this episode of the Prison Officer Podcast, host Michael Cantrell speaks with Justin Stevens from Desert Waters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to correctional officer wellness. They discuss Justin's journey through the corrections system, the importance of leadership and training, and the role of peer support in addressing mental health issues within the field. 

The conversation also touches on the normalization of trau...

In this episode of the Prison Officer Podcast, host Mike Cantrell speaks with Joe Willis, the Deputy Executive Director of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA). They discuss the importance of instructor development in law enforcement, the unique offerings of the ILEETA conference, and the value of networking and community among trainers. The conversation highlights the diverse classes availa...

Two gym riots. Same tools. Completely different outcomes. That’s the pivot point Robert Sorensen brings to the table as we dive into less lethal tactics, executive buy-in, and the real cost of undertraining in corrections. Robert spent 27 years in government service—lieutenant, emergency preparedness officer, NTOA section chair, and internal affairs special agent—and he’s candid about fear, failure, and what...

This is a "Best of" from January 16, 2023, Episode 24 in remembrance of Mark Schieber, who passed away on November 17, 2025.  

We sit with former MSP assistant warden and historian Mark Schreiber to trace Missouri corrections from segregated tiers and whistle calls to cameras, structured movement, and a museum that fights tornadoes and time. Stories of investigations, integration, inmate culture, and saving archives reveal how ...

We walk through the hard truths of hospital escorts: layers of security vanish, complacency creeps in, and small mistakes become big risks. From intel control to room setup, we share a field-tested checklist to keep officers, medical staff, and the public safe.

• controlling timelines and blocking leaks
• gathering inmate intel and risk factors
• conducting full inmate and vehicle searches
• using maximum restraints...

Five years in, the mission feels sharper than ever: equip correctional professionals with tools, mindset, and purpose that hold up under real pressure. We look back on a year of travel and training, thank the partners who help us serve, and pull together the most impactful moments from conversations that changed how we read risk, teach skills, and define what a good day on the tier looks like.

Greg Williams and Brian Marren ...

The job doesn’t wait for your feelings to catch up. That’s why we unpack a clear, practical way to stay steady under pressure—using Stoicism as a daily tool for safer shifts, better decisions, and a healthier mind. We get honest about chaos on the unit, the pull to react fast, and how a few disciplined choices turn tension into control.

We break down the dichotomy of control for correctional work: you can&r...

Leadership in corrections doesn't come from a badge or title—it emerges from integrity, trust, and the willingness to shield your team during difficult times. Matthew Hyde, leadership strategist and author of "From Rookie to Rank," shares his remarkable journey from new correctional officer to CERT Commander without formal rank.

Matthew's story begins with an unexpected path into corrections after brief experiences in ...