Prison Officer Podcast

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 difficult leaders, understanding rehabilitation, or addressing misconceptions about incarcerated populations, the Prison Officer Podcast provides valuable perspectives from professionals in the field.

Prison Officer Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Michael Cantrell, with 148 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Michael Cantrell hosts Prison Officer Podcast, a society show with 148 episodes published.

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  Episode #134

  134: Corrections At Ground Zero - Interview w/Phil Rizzo & Richard Palmer

  Sep 11, 20261h 2mS2

  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 think “9/11 responders” only means a few agencies, this conversation will change your picture of that day. We also pull back the curtain on the DOC work that rarely makes headlines: helping stand up the Stuyvesant High School command post, running generators and supply convoys, supporting the boat lift that moved thousands by water, staffing the morgue operation, and sending teams to the Staten Island landfill for months. The department kept jails running while rotating hundreds of uniformed and civilian staff through 24-7 recovery efforts, a scale that surprises even experienced corrections professionals. Then we get into the aftermath that still isn’t over: cancers, long-term illness, and the brutal fight for health care and benefits. Phil and Rich explain why correction officers were overlooked, how rosters and affidavits became lifelines, what it took to push the Zadroga Act and funding extensions, and why private insurance and workers’ comp rules left many responders stuck in the middle. If “never forget” is going to mean anything, it has to include the people who kept showing up after the cameras left. Subscribe for more real stories from the profession, share this with someone who still thinks corrections is out of sight and out of mind, and leave a review with the moment that hit you hardest. Richard Palmer Email: chuckremlap@aol.com One Voice United - https://onevoiceunited.org/ Tunnels to Towers Foundation - https://t2t.org/ National September 11 Memorial & Museum - https://www.911memorial.org/ ====================== Visit Our Sponsors ====================== This podcast is sponsored by Command Presence Training https://www.commandpresence.net/ Command Presence educates and empowers people everywhere, so they can serve the public. = = = = = = = = = = = = = Support the Show = = = = = = = = = = = = = NEW RELEASE — The Weight of Justice: Leadership Lessons from Inside America's Toughest Prisons: A Correctional Officer's Journey Buy on Amazon or Kindle: https://amzn.to/3PLr5tR Available worldwide through Books2Read: https://books2read.com/WeightofJustice POWER SKILLS: Emotional Intelligence and Soft Skills for Correctional Officers, First Responders, and Beyond Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mBeog5 See Michael's books and author updates at: www.CantrellWrites.com ️ Support The Prison Officer Podcast Go deeper with The Prison Officer Podcast on Patreon. Inside Behind the Wall, you'll get: • Exclusive content • Behind-the-scenes insights • Leadership discussions • Bonus episodes and resources Join here: https://www.patreon.com/ThePrisonOfficer Contact me: mike@theprisonofficer.com Buy Me a Cup of Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mikeml Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficer LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/theprisonofficer Take care of each other and Be Safe behind those walls and fences! #prisonofficerpodcast #leadership #podcast @theprisonofficerpodcast Send us Fan Mail Command Presence Bringing prisons and jails the training they deserve! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show NEW RELEASE — The Weight of Justice: Leadership Lessons from Inside America's Toughest Prisons: A Correctional Officer's Journey Buy on Amazon or Kindle: https://amzn.to/3PLr5tR Available worldwide through Books2Read: https://books2read.com/WeightofJustice POWER SKILLS: Emotional Intelligence and Soft Skills for Correctional Officers, First Responders, and Beyond Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mBeog5 See Michael's books and author updates at: www.CantrellWrites.com ️ Support The Prison Officer Podcast Go deeper with The Prison Officer Podcast on Patreon. Inside Behind the Wall , you'll get: • Exclusive content • Behind-the-scenes insights • Leadership discussions • Bonus episodes and resources Join here: https://www.patreon.com/ThePrisonOfficer Connect with Michael Email: mike@theprisonofficer.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficer Website: www.theprisonofficer.com Take care of each other and be safe behind those walls and fences. #prisonofficerpodcast ...

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  Episode #133

  133: Warriors Healing Warriors - Interview w/Mike Marotta

  Aug 31, 202650 minS2

  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 for first responder mental health resources, PTSD support, or addiction treatment options, the key theme is simple: you do not leave these professions unscathed, and pretending you are fine usually makes the bill come due later. Mike Marotta is a former U.S. Air Force C-5 loadmaster and San Antonio police officer who helped build a department-wide wellness initiative before moving into behavioral health leadership at Warriors Heart. His story is honest about the slow drift many first responders recognize: shift work, accumulating trauma, family distance, and coping habits that quietly turn into a problem. We dig into what makes Warriors Heart a true fit for the first responder, corrections, and military communities, including correctional officers. It is a 42-day inpatient residential treatment program built for veterans, active duty, and public safety professionals, with no need to explain the culture. Mike explains the interrelated model that treats substance use disorder and co-occurring issues like PTSD and trauma at the same time, and why peer community is not a bonus feature; it is the backbone. “Connection is protection” is not a tagline here; it is a plan. You will also hear practical guidance you can use immediately: the warning signs that stress is turning dangerous (sleep, weight gain, anger, isolation, increased drinking, risky behavior), how to start a compassionate but direct conversation with a coworker, and what treatment really looks like day to day. We walk through structure, routines, the powerful Lifeline process, and how families and careers can change when someone comes back healthier and sober. If this hits close to home, share it with a partner, a squad mate, or a supervisor who needs better language for tough conversations, then subscribe and leave a review so more first responders can find real help. Contact Mike: mike.marotta@warriorsheart.com If you need help now - call (855) 610-1003 Mike on LinkedIN - www.linkedin.com/in/mike-marotta-96607754 Mike on FoxNews - https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/heroes-need-help-four-signs-first-responder-struggling Send us Fan Mail Command Presence Bringing prisons and jails the training they deserve! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show NEW RELEASE — The Weight of Justice: Leadership Lessons from Inside America's Toughest Prisons: A Correctional Officer's Journey Buy on Amazon or Kindle: https://amzn.to/3PLr5tR Available worldwide through Books2Read: https://books2read.com/WeightofJustice POWER SKILLS: Emotional Intelligence and Soft Skills for Correctional Officers, First Responders, and Beyond Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mBeog5 See Michael's books and author updates at: www.CantrellWrites.com ️ Support The Prison Officer Podcast Go deeper with The Prison Officer Podcast on Patreon. Inside Behind the Wall , you'll get: • Exclusive content • Behind-the-scenes insights • Leadership discussions • Bonus episodes and resources Join here: https://www.patreon.com/ThePrisonOfficer Connect with Michael Email: mike@theprisonofficer.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficer Website: www.theprisonofficer.com Take care of each other and be safe behind those walls and fences. #prisonofficerpodcast ...

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  Episode #131

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

  Aug 3, 202656 minS2

  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 while traveling during his AJA presidency, including the funding battles agencies face nationwide, the importance of professional networking in corrections, and how relationships can turn into real outcomes like regional training partnerships. Sean shares how connecting with NYC corrections led to the launch of the Northeast Regional Correctional Training Center and why “back to basics” direct supervision still matters when everything feels like it’s changing. Then we go deep on his book, Broken Windows Behind Bars: Transforming Jail Operations Through Order and Accountability. The core idea is simple and hard at the same time: consistent standards prevent bigger problems. We talk mentorship, first-line supervision, ethics as a slow creep, micro training that supervisors can run every shift, and why line staff can shape culture by “setting the tone” with professionalism, presence, and follow-through. Subscribe for more real-world corrections leadership conversations, share this with a partner who cares about doing the job right, and leave a review so more officers can find it. What’s one small standard you’d enforce tomorrow to make your facility 1% better? You can reach Shaun - Email - shaunk@aja.org LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/shaunklucznik Website - https://www.keeperofthekeysleadership.com/ Send us Fan Mail PepperBall From crowd control to cell extractions, the PepperBall system is the safe, non-lethal option. Command Presence Bringing prisons and jails the training they deserve! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show NEW RELEASE — The Weight of Justice: Leadership Lessons from Inside America's Toughest Prisons: A Correctional Officer's Journey Buy on Amazon or Kindle: https://amzn.to/3PLr5tR Available worldwide through Books2Read: https://books2read.com/WeightofJustice POWER SKILLS: Emotional Intelligence and Soft Skills for Correctional Officers, First Responders, and Beyond Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mBeog5 See Michael's books and author updates at: www.CantrellWrites.com ️ Support The Prison Officer Podcast Go deeper with The Prison Officer Podcast on Patreon. Inside Behind the Wall , you'll get: • Exclusive content • Behind-the-scenes insights • Leadership discussions • Bonus episodes and resources Join here: https://www.patreon.com/ThePrisonOfficer Connect with Michael Email: mike@theprisonofficer.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficer Website: www.theprisonofficer.com Take care of each other and be safe behind those walls and fences. #prisonofficerpodcast ...

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  Episode #129

  129: Lead Up: The Art of Managing Your Boss While Protecting Your Team

  Jun 8, 202635 minS2

  <p>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.</p><p>We also dig into what actually builds influence in a prison or jail setting: checking your ego, choosing results over credit, and making yourself valuable through skills an...

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  Episode #128

  128: We Can Change How The Public Sees Corrections

  May 25, 202633 minS2

  <p>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.<br/><br/>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 about our jobs and our voices. If we don’t tell the truth about what...

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