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PODCAST

Prison Officer Podcast

Michael Cantrell

The Prison Officer Podcast is a place where prison officers and correctional staff share their experiences, discuss leadership, cope with stress, and learn survival strategies for one of the toughest careers out there. Hosted by Michael Cantrell, this podcast delves into the lives, dreams, and challenges faced by those who work inside the walls of our nation’s prisons. It features interviews, insights, and discussions related to the unique and demanding world of corrections. Whether it’s overcoming

society & culture social sciences

All Episodes

32:55

135: Diddy's Prison Phone: Why Contraband Is Harder...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/10/03

A contraband cell phone photo hits the news and suddenly everyone wants a simple answer. I don’t have one, because prisons aren’t simple. We walk through what it actually takes to control contraband when one officer may be watching dozens or even more than a hundred inmates who spend all day looking for gaps in rules, staffing, and perimeter security.Along the way, I share what I’m allowed to about working as a corrections expert on Netflix’s new Stanford Prison Experiment project, and why the real

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62:17

134: Corrections At Ground Zero - Interview w/Phil...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/09/11

Two careers in the NYC Department of Correction put Phil Rizzo and Richard Palmer Jr. in the middle of September 11 from angles most people never hear about: Rikers Island security, emergency deployment into Lower Manhattan, and the unglamorous logistics that made the Ground Zero operation possible. We talk through what it felt like to watch the towers burn and fall, then step into ash, heat, and rubble with little protective equipment and a job that suddenly expanded far beyond jail walls. If you

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50:12

133: Warriors Healing Warriors - Interview w/Mike...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/08/31

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, relationship strain, and unhealthy coping strategies. For anyone searching

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63:50

132: Functional Strength For Correctional Officers -...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/08/17

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 have to sprint, grapple, and control chaos without warning.We talk honestly about

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55:48

131: Broken Windows Behind Bars - Interview w/Shaun...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/08/03

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 staffing is tight, budgets are political, and public trust is fragile.We get into what he saw

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27:24

130: A Return to Where It All Began – Behind Those Walls

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/07/06

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 stories from those early days, reflections on how corrections has

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35:54

129: Lead Up: The Art of Managing Your Boss While...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/06/08

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 also dig into what actually builds influence in a

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32:58

128: We Can Change How The Public Sees Corrections

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/05/25

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 I join Pete Bludworth (Corrections Unfiltered) and Sarah Robuck (Lexipol and Corrections1) to talk

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52:05

128: When Provocation Meets the Professionalism -...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/05/11

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: growing up in Oklahoma with a true village, being held accountable by family, and

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60:12

127: The Case For Andy’s Law And Safer Prisons -...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/04/27

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 gaining traction and what it tries to fix.We start with the case that shaped the bill: the

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51:35

125: What If Better Training Prevented Most Use Of...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/04/13

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, prisons, and street encounters. We get specific about defensive tactics and why “just grab an

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22:57

124: If We Don’t Tell Our Story, Someone Else Will

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/03/30

Announcement! Behind the Wall is Live! https://www.patreon.com/ThePrisonOfficerSilence 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 challenges in corrections: who controls the narrative of prison life, jail incidents, and use of

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71:50

123: Leadership, Solitary Myths, And The BOP’s Legacy...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/03/16

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, words, and posture mattered more than keys and cuffs, and how overtime on the toughest posts built credibility that no

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60:08

122: Desert Waters - Transforming Correctional...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/03/02

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 trauma in corrections, the need for a wellness culture, and the

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51:39

121: ILEETA Conference 2026 - Building a Tribe of...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/02/12

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 available, including certifications, and the significance of emotional

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58:45

120: Less Lethal Tools and the Threats Redefining...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/02/02

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 finally worked.We walk through the practical lessons that turned chaos into control: how

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88:58

119: Best of The Prison Officer - Interview w/Mark...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/01/19

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 people, not just buildings, define the work.• starting at MSP in

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34:59

118: From Secure Walls To Open Halls: A Corrections...

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2026/01/05

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 and wheelchairs• hospital reconnaissance and secure entry points• room layout, line of

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33:25

117: We Rewind 2025 And Share What’s Coming Next

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2025/12/22

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 break down human behavior pattern recognition in a way that clicks on

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39:36

116: Stoic Tools For Tough Shifts

Prison Officer Podcast ·

2025/11/24

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’t dictate inmate choices, staffing levels, or last-minute OT, but you can own your tone,

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149 results

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