March 26, 2025 • 61 mins
Josiah shares his decade of experience working in three different prison systems: Texas, Colorado, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, providing crucial insights for new correctional officers and surprising revelations about the realities of prison work.
• Navigating the complex dynamics between staff members is often more challenging than handling inmates
• Only experienced three uses of force in a decade-long career by maintaining composure and clear boundaries
• Subtle inmate manipulation typically begins with friendship rather than intimidation
• Significant differences exist between state approaches—Texas emphasizes security while Colorado focuses on rehabilitation
• Officers from difficult backgrounds often adapt better to corrections work than those with privileged upbringings
• Maintaining a life outside of prison is essential for mental health and career longevity
• Inmates remember how they're treated and will eventually reenter society
Keep a professional distance but treat inmates humanely—they'll remember everything when they're released, whether that's tomorrow or 25 years from now.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
hector, bravo, unhinged chaos is now in session
welcome back to our channel'swarriors.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
We are still growing.
Today, another banger.
We have a correctional officerman who has a lot of experience
and wants to, uh, educate themasses when it comes to that,
and it's none other than Josiah.
What's up, josiah hey?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
what's up, Hector?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hope I didn't butcher your name.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
man You're good pal.
Man I go.
We work in corrections, man Igo.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
there's worse stuff you could be doing, true true,
so how many different states didyou work corrections in.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I worked in three different prison systems.
I worked in the state of Texas.
That was my very, very firstone.
My second one was the state ofColorado and then my third
system is the federal borough ofprisons.
I've worked at three statefacilities.
(01:04):
For the state of Colorado, Iworked at two prisons and for
the Texas Department ofCorrections Dude, that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, that's a lot.
So what made you want to gointo corrections In all?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
honesty.
This is about when I firststarted, like corrections after,
when I got out of the Navy.
After you get out of the Navy,it's very, very hard, hard when
you transition.
Now I want to make everythingclear.
I was never in Iraq.
I was never in Afghanistan.
I was in from 2006 to 2010.
I was stationed over there inYokosuka, japan, and I had a
(01:40):
blast for my four years.
I was seaside, I got to go tobars, I got to be with women.
Nice, I'm not going to go sithere and lie about my military
service.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Don't you worry about that man.
Actually, right before you I'mglad you said that, because
right before you I was talkingto a combat veteran and we're
like man, I'm kind of jealous ofsomebody that didn't serve in
combat because you don't wantthat.
You know, didn't serve incombat because you don't want
that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
and ultimately we tell that to people like fuck
that man oh, and then yeah, andwith that, and then like also
too, with the navy, it broughtme experience with corrections
and then, like the good thing iswas by I know a lot, a lot of
people shit on mental health,like being my age and everything
, but in all honesty, it helpedme out a lot for my brother when
(02:26):
he was over there in iraq.
When he was over there in iraqand like dealing like with his
ptsd I don't mean like tearingup, but we can share that.
So you'll be like helping outvets like on a later on a later
thing what branch was yourbrother in?
oh, he was in the army.
He was in the army.
Yeah, he was uh like like.
I don't know that much abouthis service.
(02:47):
All I remember was he was insolder city and he was with the
82nd airborne airborne now, henever told me about it, but the
effects of of like when, uh,when they come home of your
family members, man, it's rough.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Was he your older brother or younger brother?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Oh, he was younger, your younger brother.
So like the worst part was likedealing with him was his
drinking.
Like, oh man, I hated it.
So he got like so bad like Iliterally had to tell him hey,
you know what, man, I'm notgoing to be funding your alcohol
habit Like I'll fund like otherstuff.
Man, I'm not going to befunding your alcohol habit Like
(03:26):
all fun like other stuff, likefor you to go do this or go do
that.
But that was hard.
The hardest thing with mybrother, with his PTSD, was this
about how you always got tolove him was he was super, super
drunk.
It was the year 2012, 2012,.
And he was just blitzed out ofhis mind, out of his mind.
So I went over there to hisplace place and he pulled a gun
(03:50):
out on me and I've had gunspulled out of me before, but
that's just because of my family.
They were, they were alwaysreally, really big into guns,
guns.
And then my brother told mestop or I'll shoot you, identify
yourself.
And then I'm like my brothertold me stop or I'll shoot you,
Identify yourself.
So that was hard.
I was like, hey, hey, I'm aseaman bonner with the USS Kitty
Hawk.
(04:10):
Here's my ID card, oh, okay,okay, then like dealing with
that that was hard.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Did your brother change as a person before and
after?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Oh, he changed 100%, 100%.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
How did you view him before Easygoing Calmer?
What were the changes.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Some of the changes was about like it pisses me off
of our federal governmentBecause here was somebody good,
don't get me wrong.
Wrong, he wasn't no boy scout,but typical high schooler.
He liked to party, he had agirlfriend.
I go, I go, I I pain in the ass.
You know, like typical teenagershit, right, uh, typical
(05:00):
teenager stuff.
And uh, seeing him going forthat and seeing him being so
changed in the way for ourgovernment trying to go through
the va, oh my gosh, that's apain in the asses itself, like
like no, no, he's legitimatelyfreaking disabled, but it was
more of a pain in the ass to tryto prove the fact, to get his
(05:21):
disability right.
Right, and that was a golly man, that was a pain in the ass,
but it was such a pain in theneck and so just dealing with
that, helping him, helping himand then, just like a couple
years ago I'm not trying to getpolitical, it doesn't matter who
the president was going to beat that time, but just seeing
(05:42):
the pullout in Afghanistan, itreally, really, really makes you
question your own federalgovernment like you don't I
don't question it, bro, I justdon't flat out trust it at all
yeah, yeah, so I don't trust itat all.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
There's no more questioning.
Yeah, I've made up my mind,dude.
Yeah, yeah, so like to me.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
To me it was just a slap in the face.
So now, I'm all like yeah, so.
So now, when I tell anybodythey should join the military, I
just tell them do you mindbeing the federal government's
puppet?
I?
Speaker 1 (06:09):
mean, it's a job that has to be done, right, but I
think we're trying to enlightenpeople as to what they're
getting themselves into.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, but you have to know what you're really really
doing, right, yeah?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
So did you find yourself as like, a caregiver
for your brother?
Did you find yourself as like acaregiver for your brother?
Did you find yourself having totake care of him?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
No, not really, because my mom told me that was
her job.
Okay, that was her job and thatmy job is just to make money
and just give her money whenevershe needs it.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Were those discussions you had with your
mother about your brother.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh yeah, yeah, completely, completely.
It was a lot of discussionswith her.
It was very, very, very deepand then also, too, was about
you got to look at it from mymother's point of view was about
she had three sons.
Like I joined the Navy in 06.
My brother joined in 07.
(07:00):
And then my other brotherjoined in 08, in 08, in 07, and
then my other brother joined in08 and 08 and 08.
So we were all right thereduring the middle of the height
of the iraq, afghanistan war,saving private ryan man yeah, so
the sons?
yeah, so that's what it was.
And then, like to me, likegrowing up up was about, it
really was never my goal to bein the military and the only
(07:22):
reason why I I did it wasbecause on my dad's side was
every single male has alwaysfought in the war, ever since
the Revolutionary War.
So like I'm part of the Sons ofthe American Revolution, my
mom's part of the Daughters ofthe American Revolution, so
every single member of theBonner family was I'm half white
(07:45):
and I'm half Mexican.
So like my mom is Mexican.
So everybody on the Aguilarside, on the Aguilar side they
fought on every single war.
And then a really greatinfluence was my great
grandfather, armando Ballesteros.
Steros was because he earned asilver star over there in North
Africa or in Italy during WorldWar II yeah, world War II.
(08:08):
So like to me, I thoughteverybody served in the military
, like my uncles did it, my daddid it, my grandfather did it.
Not all of them served, but Igo, they all served during the
wartime.
They may not have been directlyin combat, right, but to me I
thought everybody served incombat, right, but to me I
thought everybody served.
So like to me it was more ofall, like what?
Speaker 1 (08:27):
were you raised, dude , huh, what?
Where were you raised, likewhat?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
what city?
Oh, my father was in the marinecorps, so we moved around a lot
, okay, a lot.
But if I was gonna claim, claimanything, it would probably be
dot city.
Really, yeah, but that's whereI went to high school at.
Is there a Marine base inKansas?
No, no, no, no.
He retired in like 2002 or2003,.
(08:54):
And then I did a year of highschool for the Los Angeles
Unified School District.
I did my ninth grade year overthere at Sylmar High School up
there, so I'm very, veryfamiliar with Los Angeles and
everything else like that.
Then I went to high school overthere in Dodge City, kansas.
But my dad, he was a major.
(09:18):
I didn't really understand theaspects of it until when I got
it wasn't until when I got intothe military, but and I'll go, I
grew up a lot in like 29 Palmsarea, a lot, because my dad
let's just face it, I go wereyou in the army or Marine Corps,
army Army?
Okay.
So imagine this.
(09:38):
So imagine somebody that'sthat's a prick at doing really
well at their job.
And they spent 28 out of their30 years over there at Fort
Orwin.
It's not a good duty stationeverybody.
It's a crap hole.
So my dad spent the majority ofhis career over there in 29
Palms.
Great person, great officer,but he just didn't have the
(10:01):
personality to be somewhere nicelike San Diego, Hawaii.
He was straight up artilleryand all that good stuff.
So he spent a lot of time in 29Palms and a lot of people don't
realize in the Marine Corps youonly have to go to 29 Palms
once because it's considered ahardship tour.
Oh, I didn't realize that.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, I know it kind of sucks to be there, but I
didn't realize it was a hardshiptour.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, and then this is a joke, everybody.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
but Lake Dambidini does not smell good, so I could
kind of see how you got pavedinto like corrections now,
coming from that background.
Did you have?
Were you initially tested bythe inmates?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Oh, all the time man.
What were some of the ways thatthey tested you, so so so this
is about what's about like.
Like like.
The basic instance was was whenI first started, I went to the
tdc academy hands down, in myopinion, the best academy out
there for corrections becausethey were that, they were
(10:58):
realistic with you, like theydidn't sugarcoat it.
It wasn't like when I went togo.
It wasn wasn't like when I didthe Colorado Academy, where it
was like hey, you're here tomake a difference, I go
normalization, I'm all likegoing from Texas to Colorado.
That was two completelydifferent worlds, that's, we'll
(11:23):
be here like forever.
So going from that.
So it's more of like hey, youknow what, you know what you can
be an inspiration for theseguys guys, I'm being serious.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
I know you're laughing.
I don't mean to laugh, bro, butyou're blowing me away right
now.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
No, no, no trust me, trust, trust me, it was blowing
me away.
So over there at the texasacademy, they were more real
with you, don't get me wrong.
The instructors, they werepricks and I didn't want to talk
to them, right, but they weremore real to you.
They'd be like so you wouldhave, so you have like a class
of 50 and I've literally seenthis with my own eyes, with my
(11:58):
own eyes, which is about youhave, you have 50 people.
Maybe about three months afterthe academy, maybe about one or
two people would still be leftover after the academy as a high
turnover rate.
But the advantage is, what'sabout in Texas corrections?
They don't pay you well, butit's the prestige of doing it.
(12:19):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, in my opinion.
What kind of guards are theylooking for?
What kind of correctionalofficers are they looking like
for firm individuals, fairindividuals?
Do you have a pulse that?
Really Okay, that seems to bethe consensus everywhere.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah, but they stress to you in the academy to be
fair, firm, consistent, and Iknow this is going to shock a
lot of people, but in my 10years of doing corrections I've
only had three uses of force.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
In 10 years, you've only had three uses of force.
Yeah, I've only had three.
What were they?
Pepper spray?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah, it was all pepper spray and then one time
was due to a medical emergency.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You had to use force as a result of the medical
emergency.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, well, the freaking idiot.
He decided to go get high andhe was just out of his mind.
I'm like, stand up for countand this is going to come in
Europe.
This is when I was working overthere at the feds.
This is why you've got toremain composure.
You got to lift weights.
(13:32):
You have to exercise the COs.
I know you've seen it.
Where you see the COs wherethey just eat like three buckets
of Kentucky fried chicken andthey don't move.
I go, that's literally like Ithink the amount of walking that
some of them do, they just walkfrom the car to the cell block,
absolutely, I kid you, notpeople.
So anyways, so this one guy Igo, this is over here at FCI
(13:55):
Englewood.
This one guy.
He comes along, he was higherthan a kite he took I don't know
what he took.
It's about like, look, man, ifyou want to get high, stand up
for count.
I don't really really ask forthat much.
Stand up for count.
He was high, he couldn't move.
Great, great, great.
Now I got to call up thelieutenant.
(14:17):
Like, look, when you're incorrections you start becoming
like an inmate because you don'twant to talk to the lieutenant.
Right, like I know, effectiveif you, chain of command.
Yeah, if you were my lieutenantHector, I wouldn't want to talk
to you.
I'll say good morning to you,unless I physically, physically,
have to call you and call youup.
(14:38):
I don't want to talk to you.
It's nothing personal, right,but I want him to have an easy
job Drink coffee nothingpersonal, but, but I want him to
have an easy job.
Drink coffee, drink coffee andI go.
And he has the harder job thanI do of dealing with inmates,
because you gotta deal with theadministration, I go.
I've dealt with theadministration a little bit and
I'm just all like that's a factit's easier to deal with inmates
(15:00):
than it is administration.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Let me.
Let me make that an officialright now yeah, it is a whole
lot easier.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
So, anyway, so, so, so back to my story.
I know in fact I jump back andforth a lot.
I'm like a what's what I like?
Well, I've liked that one movie.
The dog goes squirrel, and thenI go along and I go off what
movie is that?
uh, I think it's like a dog'slife or something.
I haven't seen it, I can'tremember.
Well, I saw it, it was a goodmovie, so anyway, so this one
guy hired.
So I called up the lieutenant.
I was like, hey, what's about?
(15:27):
I'm not going to say theinmate's name because I believe
in, because I believe in inmatesprivacy, because it's not my
business absolutely don't saythe name yeah.
So I don't believe in saying thenames.
So I was like, hey, get up, no,I don't want to move.
And my lieutenant saw like, ohgreat, I'm like right, that's it
.
So I had enough of him.
So I went along, I went to theback of him, I put him in a, put
(15:50):
him in a half, I put him in afull Nelson stood him up and I
was literally making him walkand then the lieutenant told me
hold on, bonner, hold on Bonner,let's go grab the stair chair,
stair chair.
So he grabs his stair chair andeverything else like that.
He pukes, he pukes, I get hispuke on me.
Oh God, the smell of the backof his hair.
So anyway, it's like whateverGo along, the lieutenant goes
(16:14):
get some anesthetized, they godo whatever, go along and I go
sit down.
Then I go sit down, I'm likegreat, I actually had to earn my
paycheck today and I actuallyhad to talk to the lieutenant.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Is there a rank between CO and lieutenant or is
there like a sergeant?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
In the feds there's no sergeants.
There isn't.
There is no sergeants in thefeds, but for the state of Texas
and the state of Colorado therewere sergeants.
So I go along, I type up myreport, report, report, and then
I just forget all about it, andthen I never had any issues
after I really hardly ever haveissues.
And so, and then, like yearslater, I will say, like two or
(16:59):
three years later, inmates,they're going to remember
everything which you guys do,trust me, they're going to
remember everything that you do,everything.
So, like years later, this oneinmate came up to me.
He was all like, oh, wait aminute, you're Officer Bonner.
I'm like, yes, yes, I'm OfficerBonner, hey, hey, hey, this one
inmate just wants to say thathe's sorry for throwing up on
(17:22):
you and not standing up forcount.
And he was just all like yeah,yeah.
So he says he's very, verysorry.
So this one inmate deliveredthis other inmate and they were
talking to me in another prison.
I go, trust me, guys, inmatestalk, so whether you're a good
CO or you're a bad CO.
So after that I was like, okay,that's pretty good, because
(17:42):
I've forgotten all about it, andthen that's part of the CO.
And then, of course, after thatshift, my mom was all like what
happened to you?
I was like, oh, I had to earnmy paycheck, can you please get
the washer ready?
And then she smelled my clothes.
She was like, ugh, that guyneeds to take a shower.
I'm all like, trust me, me, mom, it smelled a whole lot worse
(18:07):
so, of course.
So that's just prison, man.
And then, and so you got tokeep your head underneath,
pressure, pressure.
You got to keep yourself selfcool, cool.
You have to be physicallystrong.
Strong, like if you can't, youcan't live.
If you can't deadlift like 135,get on there and go deadlift at
least 135.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Why did you choose 135?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Because that's 45 pounds on each plate and then
not everybody can do like 225.
Not everybody can do 315.
315 should be a standard andreasonable goal that people
should do Right?
No, that's good, yeah, and solike.
So, after dealing so afterdealing with that inmate, inmate
(18:52):
and all that other stuff, allthat other stuff, stuff, I came
along, kept my head cool, noproblem.
Ever after that then all theinmates are like oh crap, oh
bonnet, here we gotta.
We got to stand up for count,but go along like when you're
dealing with inmates.
They don't make the bestchoices in life.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
What type of inmates were housed in that Texas
facility?
Like what level and what crimeswere they in there for?
Speaker 2 (19:18):
In the state of Texas , they kind of throw everybody
and everything, and the inmatesthat you need to look out for
are the G3 inmates.
Now, don't forget too, I workedTexas corrections from 2014 to
2017.
So stuff may have changed inthe past eight or nine years.
(19:38):
So G3 inmates and I didn't haveany G3 inmates over there at my
first prison, but my secondprison they're doing anywhere
from 50 years to life withoutparole, 50 years to life without
yeah yeah, so that's the that'sG3.
And then that's like theclassification.
But that was at the secondTexas prison I went to.
The first one I went to wasinmates where they were doing
(20:03):
anything from two years to life.
From two years to life, yeah,life, but you had to work your.
It was a great, great prison tobe at, called Dalhart.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
The G3 inmates.
Are they housed in cells?
Is their living, is theirhousing units more secured?
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Well, it just depends .
Like I go in Texas, in Texas,when I worked over there at the
Bill Clements unit, you actuallyhad G3 inmates that actually
lived in dorms.
No way, yeah, yeah.
Well, you got to think about it.
If you're doing life withoutparole, you kind of want to have
the best living conditions.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
A dorm is not a best living condition.
A lot of people don't like tolive with other individuals.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Texas and California is two completely different
worlds.
I've learned that.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
What are some of the differences that you've seen or
observed?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
The number one thing that trips me out the most about
California Corrections wasabout how many people actually
say the organization's names InTexas.
You don't say theorganization's names, it's just
something you just don't do.
It's like the old saying from JEdgar Hoover there's no sex
(21:10):
thing as the mafia Like whatit's about, even if like Are
there organizations in Texas.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Yeah they have organizations in Texas but I
mean, are they that strict thatthey will come after somebody
for mentioning their name?
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah, man, because in , like Texas was about.
I don't know if Texas stilldoes it, but in Texas, if you
were a member of an organization, they just locked away you in
SHU forever.
Right, yeah, or SHU, or wecalled it high security, or ECB,
and ECB stands for extendedcell blocks, and that's just for
having a tattoo.
(21:47):
And you were locked downforever.
So nobody ever wanted to saythey were part of an
organization.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
So one of the differences you see between
California and Texas is that youfeel that they loosely say the
names of organizations inCalifornia as opposed to Texas.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Well, they say the names To me.
That's just weird, now is it?
Speaker 1 (22:09):
loosely.
Now who says the name YouTubepodcasters?
Yeah, like.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
YouTube podcasters like hey, this prison
organization, that prisonorganization, there's some that
don't say the names though.
Yeah, there's some, there'ssome, but don't forget too
everybody.
Look, man, I don't reallyfollow all of prison YouTube.
I hate prison YouTube.
I've been working in prisonsfor 10 years, yeah, and I don't
really watch that much of it.
I just see like little clips.
(22:33):
I go, you're the only channelthat I watch.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Who's your favorite YouTube prison genre channel.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
There's actually two.
One is about yours, don't saymine, somebody else.
Okay, believe it or not, it wasJD Rutherford.
Really, yeah, I forget what hecalled it, because what I liked
about JD Rutherford was about myneighbor.
He turned me on to him.
Jd Rutherford was is about myneighbor.
(23:01):
He turned me on to him and whatI liked about him was when he
said this is my war story, warstory.
War story he came along withabout like CEOs, like they need
to be compassionate, I go.
They need at least like like Igo.
Like they need to like listento us, like not give us
everything.
So after hearing that, I waslike he really really helped me
out a lot because he wasactually real with his content.
So after hearing that, I waslike he really really helped me
out a lot because he wasactually real with his content.
(23:22):
So I always liked, I liked him,I liked him.
So I liked him a lot.
Now, with his YouTube drama, Istay out of YouTube drama.
I really I don't care.
Do you ever see drama on theYouTube?
Oh God, my golly man, my justthe I.
Oh God, mike Golly man, I go.
Just the little stuff of whatmy neighbors send me.
(23:44):
My mom sends me I'm talkingabout prison YouTube.
I kid you, not everybody.
That really really is howprison is, with all the drama
and all the high school stuff.
That's a fact.
I go.
That really really is real lifenow, now, now, what, whether or
not and I go.
(24:04):
I've seen in prison prisonwhere I heard about it if you
say something about somebody,you don't know how they're gonna
react or they'll fucking killyou, yeah, like possibly kill
you yeah, and they so like it'sjust better you just keep your
mouth shut and you just stay outof the drama.
Oh, and then this is also toanother one of these CEOs If you
(24:24):
hang out with fellow CEOs afterwork, there's nothing wrong
with that, but do not expectCEOs, ceos to keep their mouth
shut, cause they'll telleverybody, and even the inmates
will know about what CEO gotsuper drunk, what CEO I go, I go
go, which, which CO loves,so-and-so.
It's just all like golly and Ihate to break it to you guys.
(24:46):
Inmatecom is very, very, it'sactually 90% accurate, sometimes
Elaborate.
What is the inmatecom?
Oh, you know, like when inmates, whenever they're spreading
like rumors and stuff like that.
How much did you say?
Speaker 1 (25:00):
90% accurate.
90% accurate sometimes.
What about prisonguardcom?
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Pretty accurate at times, right, oh God no, golly,
that's just like 90%, like halfthe stuff I don't even believe,
believe, like me and Hector, wecould go grab a beer together.
Well, I don't drink, but okay,okay, along with your scenario,
okay, you know what?
Uh, hiking.
You know what we'll go withhiking.
It's like me, like me andhector, if we were to go on a
hike together, together we go upon a really nice hike, we enjoy
(25:27):
it.
I post it up on his, he postsit up on his instagram on his
instagram and gram the otherguards.
Be like wait, you hang out withhector outside of work.
Yeah, yeah, no man, hector's acool dude.
And so like, oh, okay.
And then, pretty soon, andpretty soon.
And like, oh, hector got ateletubby tattoo with with
josiah.
So like, where did you get?
Speaker 1 (25:49):
like no, I could see that.
I've seen that.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I could see the whole entire drama unfold yeah, like
I'm talking about like, like,like, something like so silly,
right so.
Something like I know practice,like I don't want like, like,
like, something like so silly,right so.
Something like I know practice,like I don't want to do, like
real, real scenarios I want tomake.
No, that's perfect like.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
That's a perfect example yeah so with your
mentality, you want to come intowork in a professional setting
law enforcement agency.
How difficult is that to doyour job when you're dealing
with those type of personalities?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
the best one was about on how you do it Like with
all you new CEOs out there islearn the people that you're
working with If you know thisperson loves drama or anything
else like that learn it.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
What's a good indicator that somebody loves
drama?
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Oh, they pretty much tell you themselves Like you,
you barely sit down and they'llsay, hey, did you hear what?
I'm going to be picking on youa lot, Hector.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
No, go ahead and handle it, bro.
This is going to be theeducational portion of the
podcast.
Okay, perfect perfect, yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
So, like one of the things was, you're sitting down,
hey, bro, Like hey, what's uppal?
Hey, did you know that Hector,Did you know?
Did you know?
Did you know?
Did you know that Hector camealong and he has a big crush on
Samantha and that was what hegot Samantha's name tattooed on
his lower back.
(27:06):
I'm all like, first of all,that's not true.
Second of all, I just don'tbelieve you, pal.
They pretty much tell you, andI'm talking about I barely sat
down with them they're startingto tell me was about like how
hector loves samantha and thenhow hector has samantha tattooed
on his lower back so for a newcop going into a correctional
(27:28):
setting, a good indicator that aperson's fucking full of shit
drama.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
You stay away from it if they, right off the top,
start.
You know making up stuff aboutother people and you know what
the catch to that is.
If they're talking to you aboutsomebody, then they're sure in
the fuck going to be talking tosomebody else about you.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Exactly Now, there's some people they're more subtle
than that.
Ooh, give us some examples.
So like, some people are alllike Fucking snakes, yeah, so
like, perfect example, like meand you.
So like, let's go say and I'veseen this a lot with other COs
be very, very careful on who youhang out with outside of work,
(28:04):
work, work, work.
So like, let's go say so, let'sgo say, if let's go say Hector
tells me something private, thathe has a Teletubby tattoo, okay
, and I want to get promoted,and I'm going to say, hey,
warden, hey lieutenant, did youknow?
Did you know?
Did you know, like, we're upfor this promotion?
Did you know that Hector has aTeletubby tattoo and they'll use
(28:27):
something personal against you?
That you thought for sure thatthey would never tell anybody?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Correct.
I like the example you'regiving because it's a drastic
example, but it makes sensebecause you can fill it in with
A, b or C.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, exactly, and then like plus two.
I don't want to do extremescenarios on here, because I've
seen the way how your words gotmixed around on YouTube and
everything else like that.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Oh, don't worry, I'm going to protect you bro.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
I know you will.
I know you will.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
And you haven't messed up thus far.
No, I appreciate it, man.
So I love the advice you'regiving to the new cops, man,
because I've been trying to tellthem for two years.
They ain't nobody listening tome.
And what's crazy is that, offthe top, we're talking about.
You know how can staff protectthemselves from other staff
members in the duration of theircareer?
(29:20):
We haven't even gotten to theinmates yet, so avoiding drama,
what other advice can you givein that realm Also?
Speaker 2 (29:34):
too, was identifying factors.
Identifying factors.
Let's see If people believe itor not.
As silly as this is going tosound, if you have like a
Facebook, Instagram or socialmedia, look on the comments that
they put on other people.
And then also to anotherexample was oh, hey, Also to
(29:57):
another example, what other COswould do?
Be all like, hey, Lieutenant,so-and-so, I want to let you
know that Hector's not reallysick.
He went to a concert.
I saw it on his Instagram.
I'm like bro, why are youtelling the lieutenant and the
lieutenants leave them alone,because they get a lot of stupid
(30:19):
stuff, stuff that staff memberstell about so-and-so, thinking
that they're getting ahead.
The lieutenants, they don'tcare like literally, don't try
to make somebody else look badto go promote you are speaking
gold right now, man.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
It's almost like you were observing my career while I
was employed, dude.
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So that's also another way tosupport the channel.
(31:13):
Thank you guys, appreciate allof you.
Keep pushing forward.
Make sure you hit that link inthe description below.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
You know what it is, hector, me and you, we both have
very similar ones.
This is about I'm going to handit for you wanting to promote.
I've seen it after two and ahalf years that, dealing with
the administration, I don't wantto talk to them, I'd much
rather deal with inmates all day.
Right facts, inmates all daylike and I know this is gonna
sound really, really bad, butbut you'll get this there are.
(31:41):
There are some inmates that Imuch rather have them be my
neighbor than to have certainceos to be my neighbor I'd
rather have neither, but I hearwhat you're saying yeah, yeah,
I'd rather have neither yeah,like some seals are worse than
the inmates I hear what you'resaying.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Yeah, and then I've covered that too yeah um, but
let's change the gears a littlebit to uh, inmates, inmates,
inmates, inmates.
Let's talk about how you saidthe texas academy differed from
the colorado academy, becausethe colorado one they wanted you
to be, you know, more friendlyoh, speaking of which, and then
(32:18):
in Colorado too too, is whatthey actually want us to?
actually shake hands withinmates Now knowing what you
know and the experience you'vebeen around, do you think it's a
good idea for CEOs to beshaking hands with inmates
trying to help them in a in a ina in a way that is beyond their
duties?
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Actuality, those are other people's jobs.
I go as a CO.
You're responsible for thesafety and security in the
institution and you are anauthority figure per se and the
inmates they give you that power.
I go because a lot of theinmates that I've dealt with
(32:57):
that I've dealt with.
I don't try to be their friends.
I don't sit there and try to betheir buddies, I just do my job
.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Tell the new COs why it's a bad idea to try to be an
inmate's friend.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Because if you try to be the friend, if you try to go
the friendly route, thefriendly route, it's not going
to work out.
Try to go like the friendlyroute, the friendly route.
It's not going to work outbecause it's just because I go.
If you try to do the friendlyroute, it's just not going to
work because you can't befriends.
You can't be friends withpeople Basically in prison.
(33:31):
You're like a manager and foreverybody that's in the military
, terry has a seal, you're likean E5.
You can't be one of the boys.
You got to pick one Be one ofthe boys or be a manager.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Yeah, but how does it affect safety by trying to be a
friend to an inmate?
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Okay, safety, okay, that's a good question.
I like that one.
The safety part is what this isabout.
It's about like if you see aninmate that they want to attack,
so-and-so, for whatever reason,they'll say, oh, wait a minute,
oh, wait a minute, officerso-and-so, so-and-so, he's my
buddy.
I shook his hand, hand handhand.
(34:07):
I came along, I gave him someof my spread.
I gave him some of my spread.
He'll roll the door open up forme on the next cell block and I
could go get at my ops.
That that's the reason why ithappens.
No, it does, because, like ways,how seals get corrupt it's not
everybody always thinks it'smoney and everything else.
(34:28):
Like that, you can becomecorrupt in many different ways.
Food, friendship Well, that'show it starts.
Yeah, it always starts off assomething small.
And inmates, man, they aresmart, they know how to get
their way and they know how tomanipulate people better than
you do.
Yeah, I mean, they got nothingbut time, exactly.
(34:48):
And then a lot of the inmatesthey're not as dumb as people
try to make them out to be, ifyou've seen the books that they
read, the read and then the wayhow certain ones, how they talk
to certain CEOs, oh, they'reintellectual.
Yeah, and I go.
It's just the way how it goes,man, I go.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
in order for you to live that lifestyle, a criminal
lifestyle, you have to bemanipulative, because any given
time you're done in thatlifestyle, because any given
time you're done in thatlifestyle, give advice to a new
CEO about possible ways they canbe manipulated by an inmate.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Possible ways, trying to be your friend, friend,
friend, and you got to nick thisone in the butt.
Hey, hey, pretend I'm an inmateand Hector, you're a cop.
Hey, hector, first of all, wenever call each other by our
last name, by our first name.
Be like hey, mr Bravo, hey, man, hey, I just want to let you
(35:48):
know, sir, sir, what's thisabout?
Officer Timothy was sayingsomething bad about you,
something like your was aboutyou got like a like.
Instead of you getting a greenpaint job, they gave you a red
paint job.
Man, dude, man, I think that'smessed up.
(36:09):
You should go get yourself ared paint job.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
So, right off the top , the way I would address that,
you're like hey, man, get awayfrom me, number one.
Yeah, don't be talking to meabout any of that stuff.
It doesn't involve you, that'sa wrap.
Yeah, it's that simple.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah, it's that simple.
Because a lot of people try tothink that inmates manipulate
staff through force, correctForce.
I hate to break it to youpeople.
If you try to go manipulatepeople through force, it's not
going to last that long.
You got to be subtle.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Finesse it, finesse it Kind of like spitting game to
a girl, exactly.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
You got to lie to them a little bit.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
They like it.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Exactly, exactly Like how it was about, like, look,
I'll give everybody a perfectexample.
I flew all the way fromColorado to San Diego to be on
Hector's podcast, to go help youguys out, help you guys out,
because I'm doing this, becauseI believe in it.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
I didn't realize you flew in dude.
Yeah, yeah, I did.
Thank you for that.
I didn't realize you flew inbro the last guy flew in.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Yeah, yeah, because I believe in what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Look at that, guys.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
And jumping back and forth, because the way how I see
how Hector carried himself onthe YouTube channel, I'm like
okay, okay, this guy's not beingan idiot.
He didn't force me to come hereNow.
I'm here on my own free will.
I took my own vacation time tocome and be on this show.
Oh, bro, I owe you lunch orsomething man.
Nah, man, you're good manbecause you're actually doing
something good.
But back to the point, that'show it starts For something that
simple we'd be all like.
And then they start talking toyou.
(37:39):
Now they got the friendshiproute, friendship route, and
then also too another way was Iknow to a lot of people was man
them inmates?
They make some good aspiratesLike you smell it, it smells
good.
It smells good.
You go along, you get mandatory.
You have to stay there foranother eight hours.
(38:01):
Do not accept that burrito.
Trust me that that burrito isgoing to cost you a lot.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I will say this man, and I agree with you.
I agree with you.
There was probably one time Iworked the kitchen, the culinary
, and in the morning timethey're like, hey, call me my
last name, you want one of thesebreakfast sandwiches?
And I looked and I'm dude, Iwas hungover, I was fucking
starving.
I don't even think I packed thelunch.
(38:27):
I'm like, yeah, man, hook it up.
But I remember I stood there towatch him make it the whole
entire time and I did eat it.
Right, it was fucking food fromthe colon.
It was was food from thekitchen.
None of their personal shit.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
No, that's fine.
That's fine Because I rememberwhen I worked in the kitchen
they made me like these peachdesserts.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Woo, I couldn't stop eating them, man.
Yeah, so there's a, I guess.
Yeah, it's good that you wereprobably like a different issue.
We shouldn't have probably beendoing that anyways, right.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
But it was a fucking opportunity to eat.
Man, dude, man, I don't carewhat anybody says, man them
Pisces, they sure know how tocook up really, really well.
Yeah, correct, that's anaccurate statement.
I go.
Man them Pisces, they can cook,I go, but just don't take
anything because like me, see,like me as an individual was
about or like as an inmate, if Ican take you to get a burrito,
I can get you to get a burrito.
I can get you to bring me in apiece of gum and then the piece
(39:21):
of gum turns into a pen, andthen the pen turns into tobacco,
and then the tobacco turns intoso much other stuff.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
In your career have you seen cops get busted for
being dirty A lot?
Yeah, I heard about it and thenI've seen them in Texasas we
call it when they walk them outof the unit.
We call it the same thing incalifornia.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, in the feds, in the feds, I haven't seen it but
talk to me about the procedurein texas.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Do they go under like an investigation?
Is it a prolonged thing?
Speaker 2 (39:55):
you know what I was, that one ceo.
I just stayed out of it.
I really I can't tell you.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I really all my stuff is all through, like mainly
through hearsay how do you catchwind of it through hearsay like
, hey, did you hear so-and-sogot well, I go, I'll go hearsay,
or what's this about?
Speaker 2 (40:12):
what was about?
Or people they'll they'll tellit to you right on roll call,
like, or what's about?
When you're sitting there inTexas roll call and then you
hear other officers hey, did youhear about how officer
so-and-so was with inmateso-and-so?
Yeah, they just walked her outand that's the reason why I go,
that's the reason why we'reshort today.
(40:36):
So you've experienced a femalecorrectional just sleeping with
inmates yeah, havinginappropriate relationships I'll
consider the term inappropriaterelationships because I wasn't
there, right, right, right, Iwasn't there.
I'm not going to say no namesor which prison it was at.
Yeah, don't do that, but I go,I go.
You got to be careful, like, anda lot of people and a lot of
(40:58):
people, careful you don'taccidentally do that man no no,
you shouldn't do it at allCorrect, but let me rephrase
that If you're a female andyou're a CO, there's plenty of
COs that will give you that dick.
Oh, there's plenty of them.
Trust me, I go.
Their standards are really notthat high.
Trust me you can.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
high are like trust, like trust me like, like, like
you can go look like likefreaking um, like fiona from
fucking shrek or you know.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah, yeah, like, trust me there and you're still
gonna get a good shot of yeah,if you really really want to
have a, we really want to haveintimacy, that bad.
Trust me, there's plenty ofceos that will raise their hand
and say I, I'll do her.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
There's plenty of them that will do that Correct.
Maybe they're searching for abad boy image or something.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
I don't know A thrill ?
Speaker 1 (41:44):
I don't know either.
It's like a mental illness, ifyou ask me, you know what no
disrespect you know what.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
That's just how some of them are.
I go, what's this all about?
I go, what's this about?
Like the females, like to me,that's just a scratch of it.
We can say the females, becauseit's going to lighten everybody
up.
But, man, I've heard ofofficers bringing in contraband.
I've heard of officers doingthis doing that Advice for the
(42:11):
new staff members?
Speaker 1 (42:12):
Is it a good idea for coworkers to date coworkers?
Speaker 2 (42:15):
Be very careful with that.
Personally, I've seen it work.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
I've never seen it work?
I, I've seen it work.
I've never seen it work I'veseen it work.
Speaker 2 (42:26):
I've seen it work when they're on different shifts
.
What's your?
Definition of working like so,like I know in the fed, uh, like
what's this about?
Like let's go say, uh, let'ssee, I don't like the feds.
We have like seven to three.
Uh was, we have day shift,evening shift and night shift.
So if your significant otherworks day shift, you work
(42:47):
evening shift, then it can work,work, but but you're never
seeing each other but yeah,because you're not seeing each
other.
And then there's some peoplelike we're guards, like I don't
see how people could do it.
They could work the same shiftor their partner, and then they
go home with them.
It's too much, oh, and thenalso too, and then also too.
(43:09):
This is about all you men outthere.
If you think that you're ahigh-time player, ceo and all
that other stuff, you don'treally have to be worried about
the inmates trying to get yourwomen.
It's the other staff memberthat's trying to get your women.
Well, that's kind of what I waselaborating.
Yeah, because I go like inmates, I expect inmates to act like
(43:29):
inmates.
Right, that's my job.
I don't take anything personalfrom inmates.
I don't expect that stuff froma co-worker, like certain staff
members.
I've heard stories of otherstaff members when they tell me
hey bro, hey bro, I'm trying to.
Hey, did you know?
I don't know.
We'll make up names, I don'tknow.
(43:49):
Jose and Maria, jose and Maria,but Jose forgot about Maria's
birthday.
So then he goes hey, maria, I'mso sorry that so-and-so forgot
your birthday.
Here's your birthday card.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
And then whoop, Next thing, you know, man.
Yeah, oh, do your examples areon point, bro, because it's
almost like they've happenedbefore.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Oh, trust me, Trust me they have.
I've changed a lot of change, alot of names.
We don't be dropping, bedropping no names around here.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
But this is like real-life scenarios and for all
you new COs I hate to break itto you You're going to have more
troubles with staff membersthan you are going to be with
inmates.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Now I don't know if you watch my channel or are
aware.
I like your channel, thank you.
Or are aware of what iscurrently happening in the
california department correctionand rehabilitation but we have
some kind of program called thecalifornia model.
Well, not we, because I'm acivilian.
Now, what is your advice toyoung correctional officers that
(44:50):
are going to an academy andbeing taught basically what you
were taught in colorado versuswhat you were taught in texas?
Speaker 2 (44:56):
you know you got to stand by your morals.
I go, I get it through theCalifornia model with the
Colorado model, because theseguys are going to get out and we
have to try to make themadaptive to society.
We have to.
Some of these guys, some of theinmates they really haven't had
(45:20):
any positive people that showedthem on how to like correct
behavior.
So I get it now, likepersonally, like, like, like
when you told, like when yousaid about that one seal getting
his neck, his neck, uh, oh, Ishowed you the video oh, the
video was online yeah, yeah,yeah.
First of all, I responded to youon your TikTok channel.
(45:41):
I didn't believe you at first,but then, once you told me it's
real and I heard from otherpeople nah, man, I go, that is
for, like somebody that's avolunteer or somebody should
crack your neck, I go, I don'tbelieve any necks should be
cracked in prison, volunteer ornot.
Like I could see like if you'retrying, if they're trying to do
(46:04):
an internship and they havesome volunteers doing it and
they're trying to get like theirchiropractic degree, that I get
.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
But if you're letting an inmate come along and
chiroprack, your neck, but byputting his hands all over his
mouth.
Speaker 2 (46:18):
Oh man, oh man, like, if you probably just took a
piss right previously, who knows?
Oh man, that should be the leastof like, yeah, like, if you're
letting an inmate do that to you, I, I, what could go wrong
Personally, if I'm an inmate andand I see you, and, and I and I
see you and I see anotherinmate do that, oh, man bro, I
(46:39):
got you.
Like I don't even.
I see.
Like, hey, you know what man,you're doing such a good job of
believing in rehabilitation.
Hey, pal, you want to make somemoney?
Or what's about like, come on,bro, come and do this for me.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I was thinking he'd have his fucking neck snapped.
Think about it.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Think about it If you're an inmate right and that,
and you see another inmatethat's allowing to crack his
neck, do you really have toresort to violence to get what
you want from him?
Oh, I like that.
I like that man.
Yeah, like like you got tothink like an inmate right.
Oof, yeah, I like that.
Yeah, I go gotta think like one.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
Yeah, you don't have to resort to violence when you
can just have your way with them.
Speaker 2 (47:18):
Yeah, I go like like think about it, hector, and I'm
really glad you brought that up,and your whole entire time in
corrections right now was nowwas violence necessary in every
single aspect of every singleinmate that you dealt with oh no
, no, dude, and I'm glad if youwant to elaborate on that now,
which is de-escalation andavoiding the violence when you
(47:40):
can avoid the violence.
Yeah, when you can, when youcan when you can.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
So can you talk about how, maybe give some examples
of where things might get heated, not to the point of fighting,
but to the point of where, hey,you can use your words like hey,
man, calm down, dude.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Okay, I'll give you a perfect example, and it was
during COVID it.
He came along and was like hey,Bonner, my family members just
died, and so his time was fromgolly.
Being a correctional officerduring COVID.
(48:14):
Oh God, that was a freakingnightmare, Fucking nightmare,
man.
That was the worst time of mycorrections.
I'll never do that again Meneither.
So there's this one inmate.
So he told me and me thinkingthat the inmate just wants some
extra phone time, phone time andI was like, wait a minute, I
think this guy's actually beingreal.
(48:34):
So I came along.
I came along, I was like, allright, man, just make it quick.
So I let him go make the phonecall.
So I let him go make the phonecall.
And so then when you hang upthe phone, you got done talking
like, hey man, hey man, hey man,hey man, you need to go back to
your cell.
And he was all like, oh, I'mreally, really depressed.
(48:54):
And I was like, hey, you knowwhat man?
I've had death in my family.
I don't know what you're goingthrough, but I got to let these
other guys out and I'm not goingto let them out if he's still
over here.
So could you please go back toyour cell Cell?
Now I know a lot of people aresaying, oh, that's
inmate-friendly or whatever.
(49:15):
So you go along, so I go along,so I put them in there, so I go
unlock the other guys and then Ijust listen to them.
For like five minutes he saidhis spiel.
I really I can't remember atall.
I don't even remember theinmate's name or anything else
like that.
So I listened to him.
So that's a way on how you canprevent it, how you can prevent
(49:38):
a situation from going tosomebody that just lost a family
member.
You still have to realize thatthese inmates are human too.
Yeah, because that could gosouth fast.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
And then also, too, what drivesme nuts as a CEO and I know
this probably drove you nuts,drove you nuts is when staff
members when they would jokewith inmates.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
What kind of joking.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
Oh, like, oh, just like joking in general.
Like to me, I can't we bejoking with these guys like hey,
I don't know, like uh, why didthe chicken cross the road to go
to get to the other side?
Speaker 1 (50:16):
like to me, I go just set you up like, or there was
times where we'd laugh with theinmates because we had that sick
morb morbid sense of humor,usually if somebody got killed
or stabbed.
Speaker 2 (50:30):
Yeah, I go.
Everybody does it differently,but to me, if you're making
jokes with somebody, you'regoing to forget that they're an
inmate, right.
And the perfect way how I couldput that at was when I worked
the kitchen a little bit a bitin Texas, in Dalhart, and I
worked there like two or threedays.
(50:50):
It was nothing major, my firstday, second day, but on my
second day I forgot I wasworking in a prison.
I thought I was in Denny's.
Denny's like, yeah, like to me,or also to another thing.
What drives me nuts is likewhen I actually seen officers
where they play pranks oninmates, I go look, you guys
(51:12):
think we're joking, but we'renot.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
Do you believe there should be a hard line in the
sand that separates staff memberversus inmates?
Speaker 2 (51:20):
Yeah, there should be like, like what's this is about
?
Like, like inmates, they giveyou that power.
Like, what's this about?
Like inmates, they give youthat power, they give you the
power to go along to go, lockthem down, lock them down and
everything else.
Like, they give you that power,I go, if people, if you like,
joke around with people andeverything else.
(51:40):
Like that.
It's just not going to work out.
Because I know me personally,like, if I see you, see you, and
you go play a prank on anotherinmate, I just look at you as a,
as as one of the boys, boys.
So so it's what you got to lookat it through through that
point of view, right View.
But yeah, like or cause, likethe inmates, you're cleaner,
(52:04):
you're cleaner and he does areally good job of cleaning.
Like, let's just face it, I go,some inmates are like man dude,
that inmate, he really reallyknows how to clean my office up
really, really well, really,really well.
That's what I mean about likinghim.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Yeah, so do you believe every correctional
officer?
Do you believe that it takes acertain type of person to be a
correctional officer, or cananybody do it?
Speaker 2 (52:32):
Not everybody can do it.
There's some people they can't,some some people they just
can't do it.
Do it.
I would probably have to say tosay, like, like, growing up,
like like my dad, like like Likemy dad was an asshole, I go, he
was a prick, very, very strict,firm, firm and everything else
(52:54):
like that.
So like he would always tell meand it wasn't until years later
when I figured it out, when hetold me, well, figure it out.
He didn't know how to do it, soI had to figure it out, so I
had to use my own problemsolving and dealing with hostile
people, People I would have tosay, probably the worse growing
(53:17):
up you are, the better CO thatyou're going to become.
Speaker 1 (53:21):
Damn dude.
You hit the nail on the headwith that and I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (53:24):
Because this one one co.
Nothing bad against him, I go.
He had a silver spoon in hismouth, mom and dad, mom and dad,
they gave him everything.
Nothing wrong with that, I go.
I'm not hating on the guy guy,but he never suffered.
Like like he didn't know whatit was about.
Like was like he didn't knowwhat it was like to struggle.
(53:47):
Like he didn't know what it wasto struggle.
Like when you go to the grocerystore and all you have is $10
for the week and you're eatingnothing but ramen, noodles and
SpaghettiOs.
Or like sacrifice.
Like hey, you know what.
There's this concert that'scoming up, but I got to go pay
my electric bill.
So I'm going to go pay myelectric bill and I'm just not
(54:08):
going to go to the concert.
So I have to say that peoplehave struggled.
Speaker 1 (54:14):
For sure I agree.
Do you have any closing wordsthat you want to say to the
audience man?
The floor is yours, dude.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
I would have to say probably one of my saddest days,
say I'd have to say probablyone of them like my saddest days
, but my saddest day was was Iwas working, uh, was I was
working.
Control, or the control room,which you guys would call it
yeah let's go to all you CEOsthat are out there.
There was this one guy, he heretired.
He was retired, retired forthree years, retired for three
(54:46):
years.
There's a reason why I'mrepeating myself.
So, so he's retired for threeyears and he gives the prison a
call at 2 30 in the morning andI answer the phone.
Then he asked me hey, hey, isofficer so-and-so there because
I want to talk to him?
No, no, sorry sir, I go, I go,sorry sir, I there's.
No, the officer so-and-so isn'tworking today, today.
(55:10):
Have a good night.
And then he goes hold up, holdup man, hold up man.
He was like you probably don'tremember me, I'm such and such.
It's like yeah, I remember you.
I worked with him like once ortwice.
He's been retired now for threedays, three years, three years,
three years.
He was retired for three years.
He calls the prison at 2.30 inthe morning, 2.30 in the morning
(55:32):
.
And I was like it was like heyman, hey man, before you hang up
, can you come and just talk tome?
I'm old, I'm lonely and I don'thave any friends.
I was all like, wow.
So I listened to him for aboutlike 30 minutes to an hour, I
can't remember I just listenedto him and then when I hung up
the phone, I go, man, you guysneed to go people, you guys need
(55:56):
to get your life, you guys needto get yourself a life outside
of prison, absolutely Like.
Part of me thinking was thisabout when I was in Texas.
I kind of isolated myself.
I kind of made the job my wholeentire life.
Made the job my whole entirelife.
I didn't go to a Cowboysfootball game.
I didn't go to my high schooltenure reunion.
I regret doing that because Iput the job first like an idiot.
(56:19):
Like an idiot.
So now I don't do that anymore.
So now I call off, call off.
If I'm going to a concert, I godo stuff, what I want to go do,
what I want to go do.
What's this about?
What's about like, uh, part ofme was this about.
Now I got involved in uhvolleyball league.
So now I'm part of volleyballleagues.
(56:40):
I do that, I play.
I play volleyball withdifferent people that are not
prison guards and I go.
Am I any good?
No, no, but I have fun, nice, Ihave fun, and I go like I don't
make the life my job and it'svery, very easy to do that Don't
be that guy where you'reretired for three years and you
(57:03):
call the prison at 2.30 in themorning Because, hector, you
worked over there at Centinellaand Donovan, right yeah, would
you ever call Centinella orDonovan at 2.30 in the morning
just to talk to somebody?
No, thank God, neither would I.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
And the only reason why I do this podcast is to kill
time until I can collect myretirement in 10 more years.
Speaker 2 (57:23):
Good for you, man, I wish you the best of luck.
Retirement in 10 more years Goodfor you, man.
I wish you the best of luck.
Thank you, I wish you the bestof luck.
And also, too, as being a CO.
Co was about when I was workingsomewhere.
I was more scared of going todo a salsa class than I would be
if I had to go work in a prison.
Right, I should not be thatscared to go do a salsa class
(57:46):
instead of working in the prison.
Social anxiety yeah, exactlyBecause I go just dealing with,
and then like dealing like withgood people, surround yourself
with good people that don't workin prison, and go get yourself
and go put yourself in apositive environment.
Speaker 1 (58:02):
Dude, you dropped a lot of knowledge and wisdom on
this episode, man.
Speaker 2 (58:06):
Yeah, man, yeah, I go , of course, man, because number
one, hector, I actually believein your podcast, like you're
one of the very, very, very fewyoutubers that I actually like.
That I appreciate that and Iactually now, now, like with
your videos and stuff, wheneveryou go live and stuff, stuff.
I don't watch it all the way,but what I'll do is because I
(58:26):
believe in supporting yourchannel on your channel was
about I'll go along while I'm godoing a workout or if I'm going
to wear somewhere, I'll go putyou on my tv nice, on my tv.
Now I'm not listening, I'm notwatching you.
Well, I'm giving you like theview and I appreciate that and
the view time helps, yeah,tremendously, and and it helps
out a lot because I want to seeyou succeed.
(58:48):
Oh, and also to also to like,also to love, like officers too,
which is about these inmatesthey're going to get out one day
, whether if it's an hour fromnow or 25 years from now.
I've run into so many inmatesthat I can't count anymore
anymore, anymore, like wheneverI hear Bonner, my last name, or
(59:12):
I remember one time when I wasat Target with my mom, there was
three different inmates thatrecognized me, damn, and my mom
was like, okay, that's it, wegot to go.
Did they approach you?
Yeah, I'm not scared of them.
Speaker 1 (59:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (59:25):
They go hey, what's up, man?
Oh, and then also, too, I evenhad an inmate be my Uber driver
and he took me home one time.
Oh wait, man.
Yeah, that's an interestingstory.
So these guys are going to getout, treat them like they're
human, treat them like the wayhow you want to be treated, how
(59:48):
you want to be treated, and oncethis, these guys are going to
get out and they remembereverything.
Speaker 1 (59:51):
trust me they remember everything.
Facts, cool man.
So once again decided thank youfor flying out here, dude,
spending your time, yourvacation hours, to share the
wealth of the wisdom and theexperience.
Man, there you guys have it,folks.
Another banger dude.
This guy took time out of hisown schedule live to come and
share, you know, the experiencethat he has working in
(01:00:12):
corrections with that.
If you haven't alreadysubscribed to the channel, make
sure you hit that subscriptionbutton below.
Love you guys, keep pushingforward.
Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
Unhinged line.
Hector's legend engraved Livinglife raw, never been tamed.
From the hood to the pen.
Truth entails pen.
Hector Bravo, unhinged storynever ends you, thank you.
hector, bravo, unhinged chaos is now in session
welcome back to our channel'swarriors.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
We are still growing.
Today, another banger.
We have a correctional officerman who has a lot of experience
and wants to, uh, educate themasses when it comes to that,
and it's none other than Josiah.
What's up, josiah hey?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
what's up, Hector?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Hope I didn't butcher your name.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
man You're good pal.
Man I go.
We work in corrections, man Igo.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
there's worse stuff you could be doing, true true,
so how many different states didyou work corrections in.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I worked in three different prison systems.
I worked in the state of Texas.
That was my very, very firstone.
My second one was the state ofColorado and then my third
system is the federal borough ofprisons.
I've worked at three statefacilities.
(01:04):
For the state of Colorado, Iworked at two prisons and for
the Texas Department ofCorrections Dude, that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, that's a lot.
So what made you want to gointo corrections In all?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
honesty.
This is about when I firststarted, like corrections after,
when I got out of the Navy.
After you get out of the Navy,it's very, very hard, hard when
you transition.
Now I want to make everythingclear.
I was never in Iraq.
I was never in Afghanistan.
I was in from 2006 to 2010.
I was stationed over there inYokosuka, japan, and I had a
(01:40):
blast for my four years.
I was seaside, I got to go tobars, I got to be with women.
Nice, I'm not going to go sithere and lie about my military
service.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Don't you worry about that man.
Actually, right before you I'mglad you said that, because
right before you I was talkingto a combat veteran and we're
like man, I'm kind of jealous ofsomebody that didn't serve in
combat because you don't wantthat.
You know, didn't serve incombat because you don't want
that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
and ultimately we tell that to people like fuck
that man oh, and then yeah, andwith that, and then like also
too, with the navy, it broughtme experience with corrections
and then, like the good thing iswas by I know a lot, a lot of
people shit on mental health,like being my age and everything
, but in all honesty, it helpedme out a lot for my brother when
(02:26):
he was over there in iraq.
When he was over there in iraqand like dealing like with his
ptsd I don't mean like tearingup, but we can share that.
So you'll be like helping outvets like on a later on a later
thing what branch was yourbrother in?
oh, he was in the army.
He was in the army.
Yeah, he was uh like like.
I don't know that much abouthis service.
(02:47):
All I remember was he was insolder city and he was with the
82nd airborne airborne now, henever told me about it, but the
effects of of like when, uh,when they come home of your
family members, man, it's rough.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Was he your older brother or younger brother?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Oh, he was younger, your younger brother.
So like the worst part was likedealing with him was his
drinking.
Like, oh man, I hated it.
So he got like so bad like Iliterally had to tell him hey,
you know what, man, I'm notgoing to be funding your alcohol
habit Like I'll fund like otherstuff.
Man, I'm not going to befunding your alcohol habit Like
(03:26):
all fun like other stuff, likefor you to go do this or go do
that.
But that was hard.
The hardest thing with mybrother, with his PTSD, was this
about how you always got tolove him was he was super, super
drunk.
It was the year 2012, 2012,.
And he was just blitzed out ofhis mind, out of his mind.
So I went over there to hisplace place and he pulled a gun
(03:50):
out on me and I've had gunspulled out of me before, but
that's just because of my family.
They were, they were alwaysreally, really big into guns,
guns.
And then my brother told mestop or I'll shoot you, identify
yourself.
And then I'm like my brothertold me stop or I'll shoot you,
Identify yourself.
So that was hard.
I was like, hey, hey, I'm aseaman bonner with the USS Kitty
Hawk.
(04:10):
Here's my ID card, oh, okay,okay, then like dealing with
that that was hard.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Did your brother change as a person before and
after?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Oh, he changed 100%, 100%.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
How did you view him before Easygoing Calmer?
What were the changes.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Some of the changes was about like it pisses me off
of our federal governmentBecause here was somebody good,
don't get me wrong.
Wrong, he wasn't no boy scout,but typical high schooler.
He liked to party, he had agirlfriend.
I go, I go, I I pain in the ass.
You know, like typical teenagershit, right, uh, typical
(05:00):
teenager stuff.
And uh, seeing him going forthat and seeing him being so
changed in the way for ourgovernment trying to go through
the va, oh my gosh, that's apain in the asses itself, like
like no, no, he's legitimatelyfreaking disabled, but it was
more of a pain in the ass to tryto prove the fact, to get his
(05:21):
disability right.
Right, and that was a golly man, that was a pain in the ass,
but it was such a pain in theneck and so just dealing with
that, helping him, helping himand then, just like a couple
years ago I'm not trying to getpolitical, it doesn't matter who
the president was going to beat that time, but just seeing
(05:42):
the pullout in Afghanistan, itreally, really, really makes you
question your own federalgovernment like you don't I
don't question it, bro, I justdon't flat out trust it at all
yeah, yeah, so I don't trust itat all.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
There's no more questioning.
Yeah, I've made up my mind,dude.
Yeah, yeah, so like to me.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
To me it was just a slap in the face.
So now, I'm all like yeah, so.
So now, when I tell anybodythey should join the military, I
just tell them do you mindbeing the federal government's
puppet?
I?
Speaker 1 (06:09):
mean, it's a job that has to be done, right, but I
think we're trying to enlightenpeople as to what they're
getting themselves into.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, but you have to know what you're really really
doing, right, yeah?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
So did you find yourself as like, a caregiver
for your brother?
Did you find yourself as like acaregiver for your brother?
Did you find yourself having totake care of him?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
No, not really, because my mom told me that was
her job.
Okay, that was her job and thatmy job is just to make money
and just give her money whenevershe needs it.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Were those discussions you had with your
mother about your brother.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh yeah, yeah, completely, completely.
It was a lot of discussionswith her.
It was very, very, very deepand then also, too, was about
you got to look at it from mymother's point of view was about
she had three sons.
Like I joined the Navy in 06.
My brother joined in 07.
(07:00):
And then my other brotherjoined in 08, in 08, in 07, and
then my other brother joined in08 and 08 and 08.
So we were all right thereduring the middle of the height
of the iraq, afghanistan war,saving private ryan man yeah, so
the sons?
yeah, so that's what it was.
And then, like to me, likegrowing up up was about, it
really was never my goal to bein the military and the only
(07:22):
reason why I I did it wasbecause on my dad's side was
every single male has alwaysfought in the war, ever since
the Revolutionary War.
So like I'm part of the Sons ofthe American Revolution, my
mom's part of the Daughters ofthe American Revolution, so
every single member of theBonner family was I'm half white
(07:45):
and I'm half Mexican.
So like my mom is Mexican.
So everybody on the Aguilarside, on the Aguilar side they
fought on every single war.
And then a really greatinfluence was my great
grandfather, armando Ballesteros.
Steros was because he earned asilver star over there in North
Africa or in Italy during WorldWar II yeah, world War II.
(08:08):
So like to me, I thoughteverybody served in the military
, like my uncles did it, my daddid it, my grandfather did it.
Not all of them served, but Igo, they all served during the
wartime.
They may not have been directlyin combat, right, but to me I
thought everybody served incombat, right, but to me I
thought everybody served.
So like to me it was more ofall, like what?
Speaker 1 (08:27):
were you raised, dude , huh, what?
Where were you raised, likewhat?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
what city?
Oh, my father was in the marinecorps, so we moved around a lot
, okay, a lot.
But if I was gonna claim, claimanything, it would probably be
dot city.
Really, yeah, but that's whereI went to high school at.
Is there a Marine base inKansas?
No, no, no, no.
He retired in like 2002 or2003,.
(08:54):
And then I did a year of highschool for the Los Angeles
Unified School District.
I did my ninth grade year overthere at Sylmar High School up
there, so I'm very, veryfamiliar with Los Angeles and
everything else like that.
Then I went to high school overthere in Dodge City, kansas.
But my dad, he was a major.
(09:18):
I didn't really understand theaspects of it until when I got
it wasn't until when I got intothe military, but and I'll go, I
grew up a lot in like 29 Palmsarea, a lot, because my dad
let's just face it, I go wereyou in the army or Marine Corps,
army Army?
Okay.
So imagine this.
(09:38):
So imagine somebody that'sthat's a prick at doing really
well at their job.
And they spent 28 out of their30 years over there at Fort
Orwin.
It's not a good duty stationeverybody.
It's a crap hole.
So my dad spent the majority ofhis career over there in 29
Palms.
Great person, great officer,but he just didn't have the
(10:01):
personality to be somewhere nicelike San Diego, Hawaii.
He was straight up artilleryand all that good stuff.
So he spent a lot of time in 29Palms and a lot of people don't
realize in the Marine Corps youonly have to go to 29 Palms
once because it's considered ahardship tour.
Oh, I didn't realize that.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, I know it kind of sucks to be there, but I
didn't realize it was a hardshiptour.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, and then this is a joke, everybody.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
but Lake Dambidini does not smell good, so I could
kind of see how you got pavedinto like corrections now,
coming from that background.
Did you have?
Were you initially tested bythe inmates?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Oh, all the time man.
What were some of the ways thatthey tested you, so so so this
is about what's about like.
Like like.
The basic instance was was whenI first started, I went to the
tdc academy hands down, in myopinion, the best academy out
there for corrections becausethey were that, they were
(10:58):
realistic with you, like theydidn't sugarcoat it.
It wasn't like when I went togo.
It wasn wasn't like when I didthe Colorado Academy, where it
was like hey, you're here tomake a difference, I go
normalization, I'm all likegoing from Texas to Colorado.
That was two completelydifferent worlds, that's, we'll
(11:23):
be here like forever.
So going from that.
So it's more of like hey, youknow what, you know what you can
be an inspiration for theseguys guys, I'm being serious.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
I know you're laughing.
I don't mean to laugh, bro, butyou're blowing me away right
now.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
No, no, no trust me, trust, trust me, it was blowing
me away.
So over there at the texasacademy, they were more real
with you, don't get me wrong.
The instructors, they werepricks and I didn't want to talk
to them, right, but they weremore real to you.
They'd be like so you wouldhave, so you have like a class
of 50 and I've literally seenthis with my own eyes, with my
(11:58):
own eyes, which is about youhave, you have 50 people.
Maybe about three months afterthe academy, maybe about one or
two people would still be leftover after the academy as a high
turnover rate.
But the advantage is, what'sabout in Texas corrections?
They don't pay you well, butit's the prestige of doing it.
(12:19):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, in my opinion.
What kind of guards are theylooking for?
What kind of correctionalofficers are they looking like
for firm individuals, fairindividuals?
Do you have a pulse that?
Really Okay, that seems to bethe consensus everywhere.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah, but they stress to you in the academy to be
fair, firm, consistent, and Iknow this is going to shock a
lot of people, but in my 10years of doing corrections I've
only had three uses of force.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
In 10 years, you've only had three uses of force.
Yeah, I've only had three.
What were they?
Pepper spray?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah, it was all pepper spray and then one time
was due to a medical emergency.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You had to use force as a result of the medical
emergency.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, well, the freaking idiot.
He decided to go get high andhe was just out of his mind.
I'm like, stand up for countand this is going to come in
Europe.
This is when I was working overthere at the feds.
This is why you've got toremain composure.
You got to lift weights.
(13:32):
You have to exercise the COs.
I know you've seen it.
Where you see the COs wherethey just eat like three buckets
of Kentucky fried chicken andthey don't move.
I go, that's literally like Ithink the amount of walking that
some of them do, they just walkfrom the car to the cell block,
absolutely, I kid you, notpeople.
So anyways, so this one guy Igo, this is over here at FCI
(13:55):
Englewood.
This one guy.
He comes along, he was higherthan a kite he took I don't know
what he took.
It's about like, look, man, ifyou want to get high, stand up
for count.
I don't really really ask forthat much.
Stand up for count.
He was high, he couldn't move.
Great, great, great.
Now I got to call up thelieutenant.
(14:17):
Like, look, when you're incorrections you start becoming
like an inmate because you don'twant to talk to the lieutenant.
Right, like I know, effectiveif you, chain of command.
Yeah, if you were my lieutenantHector, I wouldn't want to talk
to you.
I'll say good morning to you,unless I physically, physically,
have to call you and call youup.
(14:38):
I don't want to talk to you.
It's nothing personal, right,but I want him to have an easy
job Drink coffee nothingpersonal, but, but I want him to
have an easy job.
Drink coffee, drink coffee andI go.
And he has the harder job thanI do of dealing with inmates,
because you gotta deal with theadministration, I go.
I've dealt with theadministration a little bit and
I'm just all like that's a factit's easier to deal with inmates
(15:00):
than it is administration.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Let me.
Let me make that an officialright now yeah, it is a whole
lot easier.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
So, anyway, so, so, so back to my story.
I know in fact I jump back andforth a lot.
I'm like a what's what I like?
Well, I've liked that one movie.
The dog goes squirrel, and thenI go along and I go off what
movie is that?
uh, I think it's like a dog'slife or something.
I haven't seen it, I can'tremember.
Well, I saw it, it was a goodmovie, so anyway, so this one
guy hired.
So I called up the lieutenant.
I was like, hey, what's about?
(15:27):
I'm not going to say theinmate's name because I believe
in, because I believe in inmatesprivacy, because it's not my
business absolutely don't saythe name yeah.
So I don't believe in saying thenames.
So I was like, hey, get up, no,I don't want to move.
And my lieutenant saw like, ohgreat, I'm like right, that's it
.
So I had enough of him.
So I went along, I went to theback of him, I put him in a, put
(15:50):
him in a half, I put him in afull Nelson stood him up and I
was literally making him walkand then the lieutenant told me
hold on, bonner, hold on Bonner,let's go grab the stair chair,
stair chair.
So he grabs his stair chair andeverything else like that.
He pukes, he pukes, I get hispuke on me.
Oh God, the smell of the backof his hair.
So anyway, it's like whateverGo along, the lieutenant goes
(16:14):
get some anesthetized, they godo whatever, go along and I go
sit down.
Then I go sit down, I'm likegreat, I actually had to earn my
paycheck today and I actuallyhad to talk to the lieutenant.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Is there a rank between CO and lieutenant or is
there like a sergeant?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
In the feds there's no sergeants.
There isn't.
There is no sergeants in thefeds, but for the state of Texas
and the state of Colorado therewere sergeants.
So I go along, I type up myreport, report, report, and then
I just forget all about it, andthen I never had any issues
after I really hardly ever haveissues.
And so, and then, like yearslater, I will say, like two or
(16:59):
three years later, inmates,they're going to remember
everything which you guys do,trust me, they're going to
remember everything that you do,everything.
So, like years later, this oneinmate came up to me.
He was all like, oh, wait aminute, you're Officer Bonner.
I'm like, yes, yes, I'm OfficerBonner, hey, hey, hey, this one
inmate just wants to say thathe's sorry for throwing up on
(17:22):
you and not standing up forcount.
And he was just all like yeah,yeah.
So he says he's very, verysorry.
So this one inmate deliveredthis other inmate and they were
talking to me in another prison.
I go, trust me, guys, inmatestalk, so whether you're a good
CO or you're a bad CO.
So after that I was like, okay,that's pretty good, because
(17:42):
I've forgotten all about it, andthen that's part of the CO.
And then, of course, after thatshift, my mom was all like what
happened to you?
I was like, oh, I had to earnmy paycheck, can you please get
the washer ready?
And then she smelled my clothes.
She was like, ugh, that guyneeds to take a shower.
I'm all like, trust me, me, mom, it smelled a whole lot worse
(18:07):
so, of course.
So that's just prison, man.
And then, and so you got tokeep your head underneath,
pressure, pressure.
You got to keep yourself selfcool, cool.
You have to be physicallystrong.
Strong, like if you can't, youcan't live.
If you can't deadlift like 135,get on there and go deadlift at
least 135.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Why did you choose 135?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Because that's 45 pounds on each plate and then
not everybody can do like 225.
Not everybody can do 315.
315 should be a standard andreasonable goal that people
should do Right?
No, that's good, yeah, and solike.
So, after dealing so afterdealing with that inmate, inmate
(18:52):
and all that other stuff, allthat other stuff, stuff, I came
along, kept my head cool, noproblem.
Ever after that then all theinmates are like oh crap, oh
bonnet, here we gotta.
We got to stand up for count,but go along like when you're
dealing with inmates.
They don't make the bestchoices in life.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
What type of inmates were housed in that Texas
facility?
Like what level and what crimeswere they in there for?
Speaker 2 (19:18):
In the state of Texas , they kind of throw everybody
and everything, and the inmatesthat you need to look out for
are the G3 inmates.
Now, don't forget too, I workedTexas corrections from 2014 to
2017.
So stuff may have changed inthe past eight or nine years.
(19:38):
So G3 inmates and I didn't haveany G3 inmates over there at my
first prison, but my secondprison they're doing anywhere
from 50 years to life withoutparole, 50 years to life without
yeah yeah, so that's the that'sG3.
And then that's like theclassification.
But that was at the secondTexas prison I went to.
The first one I went to wasinmates where they were doing
(20:03):
anything from two years to life.
From two years to life, yeah,life, but you had to work your.
It was a great, great prison tobe at, called Dalhart.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
The G3 inmates.
Are they housed in cells?
Is their living, is theirhousing units more secured?
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Well, it just depends .
Like I go in Texas, in Texas,when I worked over there at the
Bill Clements unit, you actuallyhad G3 inmates that actually
lived in dorms.
No way, yeah, yeah.
Well, you got to think about it.
If you're doing life withoutparole, you kind of want to have
the best living conditions.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
A dorm is not a best living condition.
A lot of people don't like tolive with other individuals.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Texas and California is two completely different
worlds.
I've learned that.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
What are some of the differences that you've seen or
observed?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
The number one thing that trips me out the most about
California Corrections wasabout how many people actually
say the organization's names InTexas.
You don't say theorganization's names, it's just
something you just don't do.
It's like the old saying from JEdgar Hoover there's no sex
(21:10):
thing as the mafia Like whatit's about, even if like Are
there organizations in Texas.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Yeah they have organizations in Texas but I
mean, are they that strict thatthey will come after somebody
for mentioning their name?
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah, man, because in , like Texas was about.
I don't know if Texas stilldoes it, but in Texas, if you
were a member of an organization, they just locked away you in
SHU forever.
Right, yeah, or SHU, or wecalled it high security, or ECB,
and ECB stands for extendedcell blocks, and that's just for
having a tattoo.
(21:47):
And you were locked downforever.
So nobody ever wanted to saythey were part of an
organization.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
So one of the differences you see between
California and Texas is that youfeel that they loosely say the
names of organizations inCalifornia as opposed to Texas.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Well, they say the names To me.
That's just weird, now is it?
Speaker 1 (22:09):
loosely.
Now who says the name YouTubepodcasters?
Yeah, like.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
YouTube podcasters like hey, this prison
organization, that prisonorganization, there's some that
don't say the names though.
Yeah, there's some, there'ssome, but don't forget too
everybody.
Look, man, I don't reallyfollow all of prison YouTube.
I hate prison YouTube.
I've been working in prisonsfor 10 years, yeah, and I don't
really watch that much of it.
I just see like little clips.
(22:33):
I go, you're the only channelthat I watch.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Who's your favorite YouTube prison genre channel.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
There's actually two.
One is about yours, don't saymine, somebody else.
Okay, believe it or not, it wasJD Rutherford.
Really, yeah, I forget what hecalled it, because what I liked
about JD Rutherford was about myneighbor.
He turned me on to him.
Jd Rutherford was is about myneighbor.
(23:01):
He turned me on to him and whatI liked about him was when he
said this is my war story, warstory.
War story he came along withabout like CEOs, like they need
to be compassionate, I go.
They need at least like like Igo.
Like they need to like listento us, like not give us
everything.
So after hearing that, I waslike he really really helped me
out a lot because he wasactually real with his content.
So after hearing that, I waslike he really really helped me
out a lot because he wasactually real with his content.
(23:22):
So I always liked, I liked him,I liked him.
So I liked him a lot.
Now, with his YouTube drama, Istay out of YouTube drama.
I really I don't care.
Do you ever see drama on theYouTube?
Oh God, my golly man, my justthe I.
Oh God, mike Golly man, I go.
Just the little stuff of whatmy neighbors send me.
(23:44):
My mom sends me I'm talkingabout prison YouTube.
I kid you, not everybody.
That really really is howprison is, with all the drama
and all the high school stuff.
That's a fact.
I go.
That really really is real lifenow, now, now, what, whether or
not and I go.
(24:04):
I've seen in prison prisonwhere I heard about it if you
say something about somebody,you don't know how they're gonna
react or they'll fucking killyou, yeah, like possibly kill
you yeah, and they so like it'sjust better you just keep your
mouth shut and you just stay outof the drama.
Oh, and then this is also toanother one of these CEOs If you
(24:24):
hang out with fellow CEOs afterwork, there's nothing wrong
with that, but do not expectCEOs, ceos to keep their mouth
shut, cause they'll telleverybody, and even the inmates
will know about what CEO gotsuper drunk, what CEO I go, I go
go, which, which CO loves,so-and-so.
It's just all like golly and Ihate to break it to you guys.
(24:46):
Inmatecom is very, very, it'sactually 90% accurate, sometimes
Elaborate.
What is the inmatecom?
Oh, you know, like when inmates, whenever they're spreading
like rumors and stuff like that.
How much did you say?
Speaker 1 (25:00):
90% accurate.
90% accurate sometimes.
What about prisonguardcom?
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Pretty accurate at times, right, oh God no, golly,
that's just like 90%, like halfthe stuff I don't even believe,
believe, like me and Hector, wecould go grab a beer together.
Well, I don't drink, but okay,okay, along with your scenario,
okay, you know what?
Uh, hiking.
You know what we'll go withhiking.
It's like me, like me andhector, if we were to go on a
hike together, together we go upon a really nice hike, we enjoy
(25:27):
it.
I post it up on his, he postsit up on his instagram on his
instagram and gram the otherguards.
Be like wait, you hang out withhector outside of work.
Yeah, yeah, no man, hector's acool dude.
And so like, oh, okay.
And then, pretty soon, andpretty soon.
And like, oh, hector got ateletubby tattoo with with
josiah.
So like, where did you get?
Speaker 1 (25:49):
like no, I could see that.
I've seen that.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I could see the whole entire drama unfold yeah, like
I'm talking about like, like,like, something like so silly,
right so.
Something like I know practice,like I don't want like, like,
like, something like so silly,right so.
Something like I know practice,like I don't want to do, like
real, real scenarios I want tomake.
No, that's perfect like.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
That's a perfect example yeah so with your
mentality, you want to come intowork in a professional setting
law enforcement agency.
How difficult is that to doyour job when you're dealing
with those type of personalities?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
the best one was about on how you do it Like with
all you new CEOs out there islearn the people that you're
working with If you know thisperson loves drama or anything
else like that learn it.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
What's a good indicator that somebody loves
drama?
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Oh, they pretty much tell you themselves Like you,
you barely sit down and they'llsay, hey, did you hear what?
I'm going to be picking on youa lot, Hector.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
No, go ahead and handle it, bro.
This is going to be theeducational portion of the
podcast.
Okay, perfect perfect, yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
So, like one of the things was, you're sitting down,
hey, bro, Like hey, what's uppal?
Hey, did you know that Hector,Did you know?
Did you know?
Did you know?
Did you know that Hector camealong and he has a big crush on
Samantha and that was what hegot Samantha's name tattooed on
his lower back.
(27:06):
I'm all like, first of all,that's not true.
Second of all, I just don'tbelieve you, pal.
They pretty much tell you, andI'm talking about I barely sat
down with them they're startingto tell me was about like how
hector loves samantha and thenhow hector has samantha tattooed
on his lower back so for a newcop going into a correctional
(27:28):
setting, a good indicator that aperson's fucking full of shit
drama.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
You stay away from it if they, right off the top,
start.
You know making up stuff aboutother people and you know what
the catch to that is.
If they're talking to you aboutsomebody, then they're sure in
the fuck going to be talking tosomebody else about you.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Exactly Now, there's some people they're more subtle
than that.
Ooh, give us some examples.
So like, some people are alllike Fucking snakes, yeah, so
like, perfect example, like meand you.
So like, let's go say and I'veseen this a lot with other COs
be very, very careful on who youhang out with outside of work,
(28:04):
work, work, work.
So like, let's go say so, let'sgo say, if let's go say Hector
tells me something private, thathe has a Teletubby tattoo, okay
, and I want to get promoted,and I'm going to say, hey,
warden, hey lieutenant, did youknow?
Did you know?
Did you know, like, we're upfor this promotion?
Did you know that Hector has aTeletubby tattoo and they'll use
(28:27):
something personal against you?
That you thought for sure thatthey would never tell anybody?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Correct.
I like the example you'regiving because it's a drastic
example, but it makes sensebecause you can fill it in with
A, b or C.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, exactly, and then like plus two.
I don't want to do extremescenarios on here, because I've
seen the way how your words gotmixed around on YouTube and
everything else like that.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Oh, don't worry, I'm going to protect you bro.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
I know you will.
I know you will.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
And you haven't messed up thus far.
No, I appreciate it, man.
So I love the advice you'regiving to the new cops, man,
because I've been trying to tellthem for two years.
They ain't nobody listening tome.
And what's crazy is that, offthe top, we're talking about.
You know how can staff protectthemselves from other staff
members in the duration of theircareer?
(29:20):
We haven't even gotten to theinmates yet, so avoiding drama,
what other advice can you givein that realm Also?
Speaker 2 (29:34):
too, was identifying factors.
Identifying factors.
Let's see If people believe itor not.
As silly as this is going tosound, if you have like a
Facebook, Instagram or socialmedia, look on the comments that
they put on other people.
And then also to anotherexample was oh, hey, Also to
(29:57):
another example, what other COswould do?
Be all like, hey, Lieutenant,so-and-so, I want to let you
know that Hector's not reallysick.
He went to a concert.
I saw it on his Instagram.
I'm like bro, why are youtelling the lieutenant and the
lieutenants leave them alone,because they get a lot of stupid
(30:19):
stuff, stuff that staff memberstell about so-and-so, thinking
that they're getting ahead.
The lieutenants, they don'tcare like literally, don't try
to make somebody else look badto go promote you are speaking
gold right now, man.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
It's almost like you were observing my career while I
was employed, dude.
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(30:52):
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So that's also another way tosupport the channel.
(31:13):
Thank you guys, appreciate allof you.
Keep pushing forward.
Make sure you hit that link inthe description below.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
You know what it is, hector, me and you, we both have
very similar ones.
This is about I'm going to handit for you wanting to promote.
I've seen it after two and ahalf years that, dealing with
the administration, I don't wantto talk to them, I'd much
rather deal with inmates all day.
Right facts, inmates all daylike and I know this is gonna
sound really, really bad, butbut you'll get this there are.
(31:41):
There are some inmates that Imuch rather have them be my
neighbor than to have certainceos to be my neighbor I'd
rather have neither, but I hearwhat you're saying yeah, yeah,
I'd rather have neither yeah,like some seals are worse than
the inmates I hear what you'resaying.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Yeah, and then I've covered that too yeah um, but
let's change the gears a littlebit to uh, inmates, inmates,
inmates, inmates.
Let's talk about how you saidthe texas academy differed from
the colorado academy, becausethe colorado one they wanted you
to be, you know, more friendlyoh, speaking of which, and then
(32:18):
in Colorado too too, is whatthey actually want us to?
actually shake hands withinmates Now knowing what you
know and the experience you'vebeen around, do you think it's a
good idea for CEOs to beshaking hands with inmates
trying to help them in a in a ina in a way that is beyond their
duties?
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Actuality, those are other people's jobs.
I go as a CO.
You're responsible for thesafety and security in the
institution and you are anauthority figure per se and the
inmates they give you that power.
I go because a lot of theinmates that I've dealt with
(32:57):
that I've dealt with.
I don't try to be their friends.
I don't sit there and try to betheir buddies, I just do my job
.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Tell the new COs why it's a bad idea to try to be an
inmate's friend.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Because if you try to be the friend, if you try to go
the friendly route, thefriendly route, it's not going
to work out.
Try to go like the friendlyroute, the friendly route.
It's not going to work outbecause it's just because I go.
If you try to do the friendlyroute, it's just not going to
work because you can't befriends.
You can't be friends withpeople Basically in prison.
(33:31):
You're like a manager and foreverybody that's in the military
, terry has a seal, you're likean E5.
You can't be one of the boys.
You got to pick one Be one ofthe boys or be a manager.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Yeah, but how does it affect safety by trying to be a
friend to an inmate?
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Okay, safety, okay, that's a good question.
I like that one.
The safety part is what this isabout.
It's about like if you see aninmate that they want to attack,
so-and-so, for whatever reason,they'll say, oh, wait a minute,
oh, wait a minute, officerso-and-so, so-and-so, he's my
buddy.
I shook his hand, hand handhand.
(34:07):
I came along, I gave him someof my spread.
I gave him some of my spread.
He'll roll the door open up forme on the next cell block and I
could go get at my ops.
That that's the reason why ithappens.
No, it does, because, like ways,how seals get corrupt it's not
everybody always thinks it'smoney and everything else.
(34:28):
Like that, you can becomecorrupt in many different ways.
Food, friendship Well, that'show it starts.
Yeah, it always starts off assomething small.
And inmates, man, they aresmart, they know how to get
their way and they know how tomanipulate people better than
you do.
Yeah, I mean, they got nothingbut time, exactly.
(34:48):
And then a lot of the inmatesthey're not as dumb as people
try to make them out to be, ifyou've seen the books that they
read, the read and then the wayhow certain ones, how they talk
to certain CEOs, oh, they'reintellectual.
Yeah, and I go.
It's just the way how it goes,man, I go.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
in order for you to live that lifestyle, a criminal
lifestyle, you have to bemanipulative, because any given
time you're done in thatlifestyle, because any given
time you're done in thatlifestyle, give advice to a new
CEO about possible ways they canbe manipulated by an inmate.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Possible ways, trying to be your friend, friend,
friend, and you got to nick thisone in the butt.
Hey, hey, pretend I'm an inmateand Hector, you're a cop.
Hey, hector, first of all, wenever call each other by our
last name, by our first name.
Be like hey, mr Bravo, hey, man, hey, I just want to let you
(35:48):
know, sir, sir, what's thisabout?
Officer Timothy was sayingsomething bad about you,
something like your was aboutyou got like a like.
Instead of you getting a greenpaint job, they gave you a red
paint job.
Man, dude, man, I think that'smessed up.
(36:09):
You should go get yourself ared paint job.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
So, right off the top , the way I would address that,
you're like hey, man, get awayfrom me, number one.
Yeah, don't be talking to meabout any of that stuff.
It doesn't involve you, that'sa wrap.
Yeah, it's that simple.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah, it's that simple.
Because a lot of people try tothink that inmates manipulate
staff through force, correctForce.
I hate to break it to youpeople.
If you try to go manipulatepeople through force, it's not
going to last that long.
You got to be subtle.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Finesse it, finesse it Kind of like spitting game to
a girl, exactly.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
You got to lie to them a little bit.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
They like it.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Exactly, exactly Like how it was about, like, look,
I'll give everybody a perfectexample.
I flew all the way fromColorado to San Diego to be on
Hector's podcast, to go help youguys out, help you guys out,
because I'm doing this, becauseI believe in it.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
I didn't realize you flew in dude.
Yeah, yeah, I did.
Thank you for that.
I didn't realize you flew inbro the last guy flew in.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Yeah, yeah, because I believe in what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Look at that, guys.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
And jumping back and forth, because the way how I see
how Hector carried himself onthe YouTube channel, I'm like
okay, okay, this guy's not beingan idiot.
He didn't force me to come hereNow.
I'm here on my own free will.
I took my own vacation time tocome and be on this show.
Oh, bro, I owe you lunch orsomething man.
Nah, man, you're good manbecause you're actually doing
something good.
But back to the point, that'show it starts For something that
simple we'd be all like.
And then they start talking toyou.
(37:39):
Now they got the friendshiproute, friendship route, and
then also too another way was Iknow to a lot of people was man
them inmates?
They make some good aspiratesLike you smell it, it smells
good.
It smells good.
You go along, you get mandatory.
You have to stay there foranother eight hours.
(38:01):
Do not accept that burrito.
Trust me that that burrito isgoing to cost you a lot.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I will say this man, and I agree with you.
I agree with you.
There was probably one time Iworked the kitchen, the culinary
, and in the morning timethey're like, hey, call me my
last name, you want one of thesebreakfast sandwiches?
And I looked and I'm dude, Iwas hungover, I was fucking
starving.
I don't even think I packed thelunch.
(38:27):
I'm like, yeah, man, hook it up.
But I remember I stood there towatch him make it the whole
entire time and I did eat it.
Right, it was fucking food fromthe colon.
It was was food from thekitchen.
None of their personal shit.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
No, that's fine.
That's fine Because I rememberwhen I worked in the kitchen
they made me like these peachdesserts.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Woo, I couldn't stop eating them, man.
Yeah, so there's a, I guess.
Yeah, it's good that you wereprobably like a different issue.
We shouldn't have probably beendoing that anyways, right.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
But it was a fucking opportunity to eat.
Man, dude, man, I don't carewhat anybody says, man them
Pisces, they sure know how tocook up really, really well.
Yeah, correct, that's anaccurate statement.
I go.
Man them Pisces, they can cook,I go, but just don't take
anything because like me, see,like me as an individual was
about or like as an inmate, if Ican take you to get a burrito,
I can get you to get a burrito.
I can get you to bring me in apiece of gum and then the piece
(39:21):
of gum turns into a pen, andthen the pen turns into tobacco,
and then the tobacco turns intoso much other stuff.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
In your career have you seen cops get busted for
being dirty A lot?
Yeah, I heard about it and thenI've seen them in Texasas we
call it when they walk them outof the unit.
We call it the same thing incalifornia.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, in the feds, in the feds, I haven't seen it but
talk to me about the procedurein texas.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Do they go under like an investigation?
Is it a prolonged thing?
Speaker 2 (39:55):
you know what I was, that one ceo.
I just stayed out of it.
I really I can't tell you.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I really all my stuff is all through, like mainly
through hearsay how do you catchwind of it through hearsay like
, hey, did you hear so-and-sogot well, I go, I'll go hearsay,
or what's this about?
Speaker 2 (40:12):
what was about?
Or people they'll they'll tellit to you right on roll call,
like, or what's about?
When you're sitting there inTexas roll call and then you
hear other officers hey, did youhear about how officer
so-and-so was with inmateso-and-so?
Yeah, they just walked her outand that's the reason why I go,
that's the reason why we'reshort today.
(40:36):
So you've experienced a femalecorrectional just sleeping with
inmates yeah, havinginappropriate relationships I'll
consider the term inappropriaterelationships because I wasn't
there, right, right, right, Iwasn't there.
I'm not going to say no namesor which prison it was at.
Yeah, don't do that, but I go,I go.
You got to be careful, like, anda lot of people and a lot of
(40:58):
people, careful you don'taccidentally do that man no no,
you shouldn't do it at allCorrect, but let me rephrase
that If you're a female andyou're a CO, there's plenty of
COs that will give you that dick.
Oh, there's plenty of them.
Trust me, I go.
Their standards are really notthat high.
Trust me you can.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
high are like trust, like trust me like, like, like
you can go look like likefreaking um, like fiona from
fucking shrek or you know.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Yeah, yeah, like, trust me there and you're still
gonna get a good shot of yeah,if you really really want to
have a, we really want to haveintimacy, that bad.
Trust me, there's plenty ofceos that will raise their hand
and say I, I'll do her.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
There's plenty of them that will do that Correct.
Maybe they're searching for abad boy image or something.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
I don't know A thrill ?
Speaker 1 (41:44):
I don't know either.
It's like a mental illness, ifyou ask me, you know what no
disrespect you know what.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
That's just how some of them are.
I go, what's this all about?
I go, what's this about?
Like the females, like to me,that's just a scratch of it.
We can say the females, becauseit's going to lighten everybody
up.
But, man, I've heard ofofficers bringing in contraband.
I've heard of officers doingthis doing that Advice for the
(42:11):
new staff members?
Speaker 1 (42:12):
Is it a good idea for coworkers to date coworkers?
Speaker 2 (42:15):
Be very careful with that.
Personally, I've seen it work.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
I've never seen it work?
I, I've seen it work.
I've never seen it work I'veseen it work.
Speaker 2 (42:26):
I've seen it work when they're on different shifts
.
What's your?
Definition of working like so,like I know in the fed, uh, like
what's this about?
Like let's go say, uh, let'ssee, I don't like the feds.
We have like seven to three.
Uh was, we have day shift,evening shift and night shift.
So if your significant otherworks day shift, you work
(42:47):
evening shift, then it can work,work, but but you're never
seeing each other but yeah,because you're not seeing each
other.
And then there's some peoplelike we're guards, like I don't
see how people could do it.
They could work the same shiftor their partner, and then they
go home with them.
It's too much, oh, and thenalso too, and then also too.
(43:09):
This is about all you men outthere.
If you think that you're ahigh-time player, ceo and all
that other stuff, you don'treally have to be worried about
the inmates trying to get yourwomen.
It's the other staff memberthat's trying to get your women.
Well, that's kind of what I waselaborating.
Yeah, because I go like inmates, I expect inmates to act like
(43:29):
inmates.
Right, that's my job.
I don't take anything personalfrom inmates.
I don't expect that stuff froma co-worker, like certain staff
members.
I've heard stories of otherstaff members when they tell me
hey bro, hey bro, I'm trying to.
Hey, did you know?
I don't know.
We'll make up names, I don'tknow.
(43:49):
Jose and Maria, jose and Maria,but Jose forgot about Maria's
birthday.
So then he goes hey, maria, I'mso sorry that so-and-so forgot
your birthday.
Here's your birthday card.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
And then whoop, Next thing, you know, man.
Yeah, oh, do your examples areon point, bro, because it's
almost like they've happenedbefore.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Oh, trust me, Trust me they have.
I've changed a lot of change, alot of names.
We don't be dropping, bedropping no names around here.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
But this is like real-life scenarios and for all
you new COs I hate to break itto you You're going to have more
troubles with staff membersthan you are going to be with
inmates.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Now I don't know if you watch my channel or are
aware.
I like your channel, thank you.
Or are aware of what iscurrently happening in the
california department correctionand rehabilitation but we have
some kind of program called thecalifornia model.
Well, not we, because I'm acivilian.
Now, what is your advice toyoung correctional officers that
(44:50):
are going to an academy andbeing taught basically what you
were taught in colorado versuswhat you were taught in texas?
Speaker 2 (44:56):
you know you got to stand by your morals.
I go, I get it through theCalifornia model with the
Colorado model, because theseguys are going to get out and we
have to try to make themadaptive to society.
We have to.
Some of these guys, some of theinmates they really haven't had
(45:20):
any positive people that showedthem on how to like correct
behavior.
So I get it now, likepersonally, like, like, like
when you told, like when yousaid about that one seal getting
his neck, his neck, uh, oh, Ishowed you the video oh, the
video was online yeah, yeah,yeah.
First of all, I responded to youon your TikTok channel.
(45:41):
I didn't believe you at first,but then, once you told me it's
real and I heard from otherpeople nah, man, I go, that is
for, like somebody that's avolunteer or somebody should
crack your neck, I go, I don'tbelieve any necks should be
cracked in prison, volunteer ornot.
Like I could see like if you'retrying, if they're trying to do
(46:04):
an internship and they havesome volunteers doing it and
they're trying to get like theirchiropractic degree, that I get
.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
But if you're letting an inmate come along and
chiroprack, your neck, but byputting his hands all over his
mouth.
Speaker 2 (46:18):
Oh man, oh man, like, if you probably just took a
piss right previously, who knows?
Oh man, that should be the leastof like, yeah, like, if you're
letting an inmate do that to you, I, I, what could go wrong
Personally, if I'm an inmate andand I see you, and, and I and I
see you and I see anotherinmate do that, oh, man bro, I
(46:39):
got you.
Like I don't even.
I see.
Like, hey, you know what man,you're doing such a good job of
believing in rehabilitation.
Hey, pal, you want to make somemoney?
Or what's about like, come on,bro, come and do this for me.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I was thinking he'd have his fucking neck snapped.
Think about it.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Think about it If you're an inmate right and that,
and you see another inmatethat's allowing to crack his
neck, do you really have toresort to violence to get what
you want from him?
Oh, I like that.
I like that man.
Yeah, like like you got tothink like an inmate right.
Oof, yeah, I like that.
Yeah, I go gotta think like one.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
Yeah, you don't have to resort to violence when you
can just have your way with them.
Speaker 2 (47:18):
Yeah, I go like like think about it, hector, and I'm
really glad you brought that up,and your whole entire time in
corrections right now was nowwas violence necessary in every
single aspect of every singleinmate that you dealt with oh no
, no, dude, and I'm glad if youwant to elaborate on that now,
which is de-escalation andavoiding the violence when you
(47:40):
can avoid the violence.
Yeah, when you can, when youcan when you can.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
So can you talk about how, maybe give some examples
of where things might get heated, not to the point of fighting,
but to the point of where, hey,you can use your words like hey,
man, calm down, dude.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Okay, I'll give you a perfect example, and it was
during COVID it.
He came along and was like hey,Bonner, my family members just
died, and so his time was fromgolly.
Being a correctional officerduring COVID.
(48:14):
Oh God, that was a freakingnightmare, Fucking nightmare,
man.
That was the worst time of mycorrections.
I'll never do that again Meneither.
So there's this one inmate.
So he told me and me thinkingthat the inmate just wants some
extra phone time, phone time andI was like, wait a minute, I
think this guy's actually beingreal.
(48:34):
So I came along.
I came along, I was like, allright, man, just make it quick.
So I let him go make the phonecall.
So I let him go make the phonecall.
And so then when you hang upthe phone, you got done talking
like, hey man, hey man, hey man,hey man, you need to go back to
your cell.
And he was all like, oh, I'mreally, really depressed.
(48:54):
And I was like, hey, you knowwhat man?
I've had death in my family.
I don't know what you're goingthrough, but I got to let these
other guys out and I'm not goingto let them out if he's still
over here.
So could you please go back toyour cell Cell?
Now I know a lot of people aresaying, oh, that's
inmate-friendly or whatever.
(49:15):
So you go along, so I go along,so I put them in there, so I go
unlock the other guys and then Ijust listen to them.
For like five minutes he saidhis spiel.
I really I can't remember atall.
I don't even remember theinmate's name or anything else
like that.
So I listened to him.
So that's a way on how you canprevent it, how you can prevent
(49:38):
a situation from going tosomebody that just lost a family
member.
You still have to realize thatthese inmates are human too.
Yeah, because that could gosouth fast.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
And then also, too, what drivesme nuts as a CEO and I know
this probably drove you nuts,drove you nuts is when staff
members when they would jokewith inmates.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
What kind of joking.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
Oh, like, oh, just like joking in general.
Like to me, I can't we bejoking with these guys like hey,
I don't know, like uh, why didthe chicken cross the road to go
to get to the other side?
Speaker 1 (50:16):
like to me, I go just set you up like, or there was
times where we'd laugh with theinmates because we had that sick
morb morbid sense of humor,usually if somebody got killed
or stabbed.
Speaker 2 (50:30):
Yeah, I go.
Everybody does it differently,but to me, if you're making
jokes with somebody, you'regoing to forget that they're an
inmate, right.
And the perfect way how I couldput that at was when I worked
the kitchen a little bit a bitin Texas, in Dalhart, and I
worked there like two or threedays.
(50:50):
It was nothing major, my firstday, second day, but on my
second day I forgot I wasworking in a prison.
I thought I was in Denny's.
Denny's like, yeah, like to me,or also to another thing.
What drives me nuts is likewhen I actually seen officers
where they play pranks oninmates, I go look, you guys
(51:12):
think we're joking, but we'renot.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
Do you believe there should be a hard line in the
sand that separates staff memberversus inmates?
Speaker 2 (51:20):
Yeah, there should be like, like what's this is about
?
Like, like inmates, they giveyou that power.
Like, what's this about?
Like inmates, they give youthat power, they give you the
power to go along to go, lockthem down, lock them down and
everything else.
Like, they give you that power,I go, if people, if you like,
joke around with people andeverything else.
(51:40):
Like that.
It's just not going to work out.
Because I know me personally,like, if I see you, see you, and
you go play a prank on anotherinmate, I just look at you as a,
as as one of the boys, boys.
So so it's what you got to lookat it through through that
point of view, right View.
But yeah, like or cause, likethe inmates, you're cleaner,
(52:04):
you're cleaner and he does areally good job of cleaning.
Like, let's just face it, I go,some inmates are like man dude,
that inmate, he really reallyknows how to clean my office up
really, really well, really,really well.
That's what I mean about likinghim.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Yeah, so do you believe every correctional
officer?
Do you believe that it takes acertain type of person to be a
correctional officer, or cananybody do it?
Speaker 2 (52:32):
Not everybody can do it.
There's some people they can't,some some people they just
can't do it.
Do it.
I would probably have to say tosay, like, like, growing up,
like like my dad, like like Likemy dad was an asshole, I go, he
was a prick, very, very strict,firm, firm and everything else
(52:54):
like that.
So like he would always tell meand it wasn't until years later
when I figured it out, when hetold me, well, figure it out.
He didn't know how to do it, soI had to figure it out, so I
had to use my own problemsolving and dealing with hostile
people, People I would have tosay, probably the worse growing
(53:17):
up you are, the better CO thatyou're going to become.
Speaker 1 (53:21):
Damn dude.
You hit the nail on the headwith that and I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (53:24):
Because this one one co.
Nothing bad against him, I go.
He had a silver spoon in hismouth, mom and dad, mom and dad,
they gave him everything.
Nothing wrong with that, I go.
I'm not hating on the guy guy,but he never suffered.
Like like he didn't know whatit was about.
Like was like he didn't knowwhat it was like to struggle.
(53:47):
Like he didn't know what it wasto struggle.
Like when you go to the grocerystore and all you have is $10
for the week and you're eatingnothing but ramen, noodles and
SpaghettiOs.
Or like sacrifice.
Like hey, you know what.
There's this concert that'scoming up, but I got to go pay
my electric bill.
So I'm going to go pay myelectric bill and I'm just not
(54:08):
going to go to the concert.
So I have to say that peoplehave struggled.
Speaker 1 (54:14):
For sure I agree.
Do you have any closing wordsthat you want to say to the
audience man?
The floor is yours, dude.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
I would have to say probably one of my saddest days,
say I'd have to say probablyone of them like my saddest days
, but my saddest day was was Iwas working, uh, was I was
working.
Control, or the control room,which you guys would call it
yeah let's go to all you CEOsthat are out there.
There was this one guy, he heretired.
He was retired, retired forthree years, retired for three
(54:46):
years.
There's a reason why I'mrepeating myself.
So, so he's retired for threeyears and he gives the prison a
call at 2 30 in the morning andI answer the phone.
Then he asked me hey, hey, isofficer so-and-so there because
I want to talk to him?
No, no, sorry sir, I go, I go,sorry sir, I there's.
No, the officer so-and-so isn'tworking today, today.
(55:10):
Have a good night.
And then he goes hold up, holdup man, hold up man.
He was like you probably don'tremember me, I'm such and such.
It's like yeah, I remember you.
I worked with him like once ortwice.
He's been retired now for threedays, three years, three years,
three years.
He was retired for three years.
He calls the prison at 2.30 inthe morning, 2.30 in the morning
(55:32):
.
And I was like it was like heyman, hey man, before you hang up
, can you come and just talk tome?
I'm old, I'm lonely and I don'thave any friends.
I was all like, wow.
So I listened to him for aboutlike 30 minutes to an hour, I
can't remember I just listenedto him and then when I hung up
the phone, I go, man, you guysneed to go people, you guys need
(55:56):
to get your life, you guys needto get yourself a life outside
of prison, absolutely Like.
Part of me thinking was thisabout when I was in Texas.
I kind of isolated myself.
I kind of made the job my wholeentire life.
Made the job my whole entirelife.
I didn't go to a Cowboysfootball game.
I didn't go to my high schooltenure reunion.
I regret doing that because Iput the job first like an idiot.
(56:19):
Like an idiot.
So now I don't do that anymore.
So now I call off, call off.
If I'm going to a concert, I godo stuff, what I want to go do,
what I want to go do.
What's this about?
What's about like, uh, part ofme was this about.
Now I got involved in uhvolleyball league.
So now I'm part of volleyballleagues.
(56:40):
I do that, I play.
I play volleyball withdifferent people that are not
prison guards and I go.
Am I any good?
No, no, but I have fun, nice, Ihave fun, and I go like I don't
make the life my job and it'svery, very easy to do that Don't
be that guy where you'reretired for three years and you
(57:03):
call the prison at 2.30 in themorning Because, hector, you
worked over there at Centinellaand Donovan, right yeah, would
you ever call Centinella orDonovan at 2.30 in the morning
just to talk to somebody?
No, thank God, neither would I.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
And the only reason why I do this podcast is to kill
time until I can collect myretirement in 10 more years.
Speaker 2 (57:23):
Good for you, man, I wish you the best of luck.
Retirement in 10 more years Goodfor you, man.
I wish you the best of luck.
Thank you, I wish you the bestof luck.
And also, too, as being a CO.
Co was about when I was workingsomewhere.
I was more scared of going todo a salsa class than I would be
if I had to go work in a prison.
Right, I should not be thatscared to go do a salsa class
(57:46):
instead of working in the prison.
Social anxiety yeah, exactlyBecause I go just dealing with,
and then like dealing like withgood people, surround yourself
with good people that don't workin prison, and go get yourself
and go put yourself in apositive environment.
Speaker 1 (58:02):
Dude, you dropped a lot of knowledge and wisdom on
this episode, man.
Speaker 2 (58:06):
Yeah, man, yeah, I go , of course, man, because number
one, hector, I actually believein your podcast, like you're
one of the very, very, very fewyoutubers that I actually like.
That I appreciate that and Iactually now, now, like with
your videos and stuff, wheneveryou go live and stuff, stuff.
I don't watch it all the way,but what I'll do is because I
(58:26):
believe in supporting yourchannel on your channel was
about I'll go along while I'm godoing a workout or if I'm going
to wear somewhere, I'll go putyou on my tv nice, on my tv.
Now I'm not listening, I'm notwatching you.
Well, I'm giving you like theview and I appreciate that and
the view time helps, yeah,tremendously, and and it helps
out a lot because I want to seeyou succeed.
(58:48):
Oh, and also to also to like,also to love, like officers too,
which is about these inmatesthey're going to get out one day
, whether if it's an hour fromnow or 25 years from now.
I've run into so many inmatesthat I can't count anymore
anymore, anymore, like wheneverI hear Bonner, my last name, or
(59:12):
I remember one time when I wasat Target with my mom, there was
three different inmates thatrecognized me, damn, and my mom
was like, okay, that's it, wegot to go.
Did they approach you?
Yeah, I'm not scared of them.
Speaker 1 (59:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (59:25):
They go hey, what's up, man?
Oh, and then also, too, I evenhad an inmate be my Uber driver
and he took me home one time.
Oh wait, man.
Yeah, that's an interestingstory.
So these guys are going to getout, treat them like they're
human, treat them like the wayhow you want to be treated, how
(59:48):
you want to be treated, and oncethis, these guys are going to
get out and they remembereverything.
Speaker 1 (59:51):
trust me they remember everything.
Facts, cool man.
So once again decided thank youfor flying out here, dude,
spending your time, yourvacation hours, to share the
wealth of the wisdom and theexperience.
Man, there you guys have it,folks.
Another banger dude.
This guy took time out of hisown schedule live to come and
share, you know, the experiencethat he has working in
(01:00:12):
corrections with that.
If you haven't alreadysubscribed to the channel, make
sure you hit that subscriptionbutton below.
Love you guys, keep pushingforward.
Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
Unhinged line.
Hector's legend engraved Livinglife raw, never been tamed.
From the hood to the pen.
Truth entails pen.
Hector Bravo, unhinged storynever ends you, thank you.
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