December 16, 2024 • 35 mins
Unlock the secrets of successful correctional leadership as we recap an incredible year for the Prison Officer Podcast. We've reached new heights by launching on YouTube, and growing our audience worldwide. I tackle pressing issues like staffing challenges, emphasizing the crucial role of a positive workplace culture that prioritizes safety, leadership, and growth. By fostering an environment of trust and teamwork, leaders can unlock potential and drive innovation within their teams.
As we reflect on a year of growth and connection, our gratitude for your support knows no bounds. The holiday season serves as a reminder to nurture personal relationships and leave workplace stress behind, cherishing the support of family and loved ones. We are eager to continue this journey with you into 2025, featuring more fascinating stories and individuals from the corrections field. Warm holiday wishes to everyone in our community—your enthusiasm fuels our passion, and we can't wait to bring you more compelling content in the new year.
Leadership Field Manual For Correctional Professionals by Bryan Antonelli
Guard: A True Story of Duty, Sacrifice, and Leadership in Kentucky's Maximum Security Penitentiary by Phillip Parker
Trained To Change: The Unfortunate and Unintentional Consequences of the Correctional Curriculum by William Young
Keys to Your New Career: Information and Guidance to Get Hired and Be Successful as a Correctional or Detention Officer by Michael Cantrell
From crowd control to cell extractions, the PepperBall system is the safe, non-lethal option.
OMNI
OMNI is cutting-edge software designed to track inmates and assets within your prison or jail.
Command Presence
Bringing prisons and jails the training they deserve!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Contact us: mike@theprisonofficer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficer
Take care of each other and Be Safe behind those walls and fences!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome back to the Prison Officer
Podcast.
My name is Mike Cantrell andtoday's episode.
I got a bunch of topics tocover but we're going to kind of
do a rundown of 2024 about thepodcast, about corrections and I
got a few other things to throwin there.
But I've done this I thinkalmost every year, year where
(00:22):
we've talked about how thepodcast is doing and maybe talk
a little bit about correctionsas a whole, where it's going A
lot of changes.
This year I think there's goingto be a lot of changes coming
up in corrections.
But let me start off with thepodcast.
It was a good year for us Grew.
(00:43):
It was a good year for us Grew.
You know it was a good year forus.
We've grown quite a bit.
You know it was a good year forus here at the Prison Officer
Podcast.
We've grown quite a bit.
If you aren't aware, the PrisonOfficer Podcast is now on
YouTube, so that was a big stepfor us this year.
It was also quite a bit morework to to post to multiple
(01:06):
platforms.
Now we're doing the audio andthe video.
So that does take a little bitof extra work but I think it's
worth it.
A lot of people are usingYouTube, uh, to tune into the
prison officer podcast.
Um, if you've been over thereon YouTube, do me a favor, reach
up and hit that subscribebutton.
That does help us in paying forsome of the bills and stuff
(01:29):
that have to do with having andbuilding and creating and
keeping a podcast.
So if you can reach up thereand just hit that subscribe
button, I'd appreciate it a lot.
Um, so far, since we came up onYouTube, we've had 25,000 views
on there, which is reallyexciting.
I like that, and on YouTube youcan listen to the audio podcast
(01:53):
if that's what you want to do,if you're driving, or you can
listen and watch the videopodcast.
So multiple options there.
Both of them are uploaded, soscoot on over to YouTube the
Prison Officer channel and checkthat out.
(02:17):
One of our podcast hosts thatgives us updates and gives us
analysis of traffic and stuff isSpotify, and so I just thought
I'd let you know if you you know, spotify said this year we've
had 48% new followers, which isreally cool.
70% of our listeners are newlisteners, so I'm glad to have
(02:41):
them on board from all over thecountry, and I know that because
the Prison Officer Podcast onSpotify has been streamed in
more than 40 countries this yearand on Spotify we are one of
the top 10 shows for 884 ofthose fans.
We're the number one show for143 of those fans, so that's
(03:05):
really nice.
And people have rated us onSpotify.
We have a 4.6 rating, which I'mhappy with that.
Apparently, the people thatlisten are mostly enjoying this
podcast, and so that makes ushappy.
But, as well as, like we talkedabout with YouTube, if you're
on Spotify, go ahead and clickthat like, click that, follow.
(03:27):
It helps us a lot.
Now, our main host where I'vehosted since I started this is
Buzzsprout, and right now thePrison Officer podcast is in the
top 25% of all Buzzsproutpodcasts, so that's really a
great thing.
I'm happy about that.
All Buzzsprout podcasts sothat's really a great thing.
I'm happy about that.
We've been downloaded in 67countries on Buzzsprout, which
(03:51):
is just unreal.
I never expected that when Istarted the podcast.
I knew there was correctionsother places, but I just never
thought of it on that globalscale.
So it's really cool that 67countries have downloaded us and
, matter of fact, the number onecity that tunes into the Prison
Officer podcast is Melbourne,australia.
(04:12):
Now that doesn't mean there'snot other cities in the US and
that the US is the number onelistenership, but, as far as
cities, melbourne Australiatunes in more than any other
city by itself of the 67 thatlistened to us on Buzzsprout.
So, um, what do we got coming up?
(04:33):
So in 2025, I've already gotsome guests lined up and I'm
excited about uh getting them inhere and getting them
interviewed.
And, uh, one of them is Danscene.
He is the St Charles.
Uh, one of them is Dan scene.
He is the St Charles.
Uh Missouri County jailadministrator, and we talked to
him a little bit while we wereat the Missouri corrections
(04:53):
association conference.
Uh, so I really am excited toget him in there.
He's passionate about what hedoes, he's passionate about
corrections, and so I'm lookingforward to having a longer
conversation with him andlearning a little bit more.
Um, we're also going to have atalk.
The other day by email to uhPhillip Parker.
He is, uh the author of guardand uh, that's one that's a new
(05:19):
book that's out there, and hewas a Kentucky state
penitentiary Warden for many,many, many years and back in the
70s, 80s, 90s, I think, even upinto the 2000s.
So I just started that book.
A couple of days ago I got itback in on Amazon.
I'm trying to get it readbefore we have the interview,
but I'm really excited to havehim on here, hear about the book
(05:43):
, hear about the journey he took, and so we'll have him on here
hear about the book, hear aboutthe journey he took, and so
we'll have him on after thefirst of the year.
I've also got a CERT team leader, connor Fredericks.
I've got him lined up.
We're going to do an interview.
We're going to talk about a lotof stuff with him.
He's been leading CERT teamsout there, seen a lot and was
(06:07):
recently attacked.
So I'm interested to hear hisstory, hear how that went.
I know that he's back to workand he's okay, but anytime one
of the correctional officers orjail officers is attacked,
that's very traumatic.
It's traumatic for that person,it's traumatic for the shift,
(06:29):
and so we'll hear more from him.
So that's some of the stuffcoming up in January and
February next year.
I've got a couple of otheremails out to a few people and
we'll be talking to them also.
I'd be remiss if I didn't talkabout my sponsors.
They're what keep us going onhere.
Like I said, it does cost alittle bit to do this, Of course
(06:52):
, my first sponsor that I had,and they're still a sponsor with
us and I'm also a masterinstructor for them, so it's
nice to be able to have them onboard and support me.
I mean, they support me at workas an instructor, but it's nice
to have them on the podcast andhave them support me here.
You know, and and this year wasfull of examples of how good
(07:15):
pepper ball is you know, um,it's a non-lethal platform.
You can use it to deescalateand overcome almost any use of
force challenge.
There's just so many things anda lot of new stuff.
I mean, you've got to take alook at the new launchers, new
glass breakers, which gives us awhole new way to utilize these
(07:37):
systems, these launchers, andanother way to engage those
suspects, those inmates thataren't being compliant, and um,
so go over to wwwpepperballcom,take a look at the new launchers
that came out this year and thenew stuff that Pepperball is
offering, and, uh, tell them.
(07:58):
I said hi.
Um, I've also got to talk about,uh, omni, omni real-time
locating system.
It's a company that I'm part of.
I've been working with them forseveral years and this has been
a big year.
Everything's moving,everything's going.
We've got that real-timelocating system Inside several
(08:22):
jails this year.
It's the best way to track andrecord the locations and
interactions of all your inmates, all your assets.
I've noticed that a couple ofthe agencies that have brought
in Omni, you know they'relooking at the fact that we can
monitor a heart rate and we cantell when that drops too low or
when it goes too high.
You know, in custody deaths arebecoming such a hot topic in
(08:48):
corrections.
Fentanyl is a big part of thatand with the Omni RTLS we can
tell you the moment, withinthree times a second, when
somebody's heart rate changes ordrops off.
So that's been a big thing.
But new agencies coming onlineevery month with Omni and if you
(09:08):
want to set up a meeting withus from your agency, reach out
to wwwomnirtlscom.
That's omnirtlscom.
And then finally, I guess all ofthis has happened this year
with command presence.
So I took a position as aninstructor, as the director of
(09:32):
training for corrections forcommand presence, and this year
we've developed a lot of newclasses.
They're designed forcorrections by corrections,
they're taught by correctionsclasses.
They're designed forcorrections by corrections,
they're taught by corrections.
So this isn't a law enforcementclass that we're going to bring
to your jail or prison and andmodify just for corrections.
(09:53):
These classes are put togetherwith corrections in mind and
we've got several of them outthere.
We've had a.
It's been a great year.
I've got to teach several ofthem already and I'm just
excited about the response we'vehad and what people are getting
out of these classes.
So go on over to commandpresencenet,
(10:14):
wwwcommandpresencenet, and checkthem out.
A couple other things I want totalk about is I got some books
for you to read this year.
Okay, of course I mentionedPhilip Parker.
You can go on Amazon.
Of course I'll put all thesebooks in the show notes so you
can go down there and click onthem and it'll take you to them.
(10:35):
But his book Guard I mean I'mabout a third of the way into it
.
It's about Kentucky StatePenitentiary.
It's about Kentucky StatePenitentiary, his life, starting
and becoming a correctionalofficer in that environment, and
for me who started at MissouriState Penitentiary, there's a
(10:59):
lot in that book that resonateswith me.
I went through a lot of thesame things that he talks about.
So it's been a very good bookso far and I would definitely
recommend it.
And it's called guard and whenyou get inside the book you'll
see why he calls it guard.
He talks about that Um, butit's definitely a worth a read.
(11:19):
Uh, another book out this yearis by a friend of mine that I
used to work with at the Bureauof Prisons, brian Antonelli.
He has put out the LeadershipField Manual for Correctional
Professionals and I can't thinkof a better person to write that
book.
You know Brian has been aroundcorrections longtime warden.
(11:40):
He knows corrections.
He knows how to lead people.
He's often been used to come inand where there were problems
and he does a great job ofidentifying the challenges,
working together with the peopleand bringing them on board and
(12:00):
getting that going.
He's definitely someone who canwrite about leadership and
knows about it.
So if you'll check that out inthe link, leadership Field
Manual for CorrectionalProfessionals by Brian Antonelli
.
Another one that came out thisyear that I'm excited about a
friend of mine.
We've had him on the podcastWilliam Young.
He's from the JusticeCorrections podcast.
(12:22):
He wrote Trained to Change theUnfortunate and Unintentional
Consequences of the CorrectionalCurriculum and I got to read
that book.
I got to read it before it cameout.
He let me have a copy so that Icould take a look at it.
A very insightful book, comingfrom kind of a different thought
(12:44):
process than we've had before.
Why do we do some of the thingswe do?
And you know he talks about howwe're taught that not only from
each other and from the peoplealready in the agency, but a lot
of the agency training is setup to take our feelings and we
suppress them and that causes alot more problems.
(13:05):
And if you don't know any ofWilliam Young's stuff, he's
really into officer wellness andhe's got a few other books out
there but I'll put some links tothem.
But check it out Train toChange the Unfortunate and
Unintentional Consequences ofthe Correctional Curriculum.
That's by William Young at theJust Correction podcast.
And if you haven't listened tohis podcast, I love his podcast.
(13:27):
It's so full of excitement andhe gets so passionate about it.
I love I click over there allthe time just to listen to him.
And one more book finally, andthis one is by me, if you had
looked at the career guide thePrison Officer Podcast Career
Guide I've done some updatingand changed it around a little
bit.
It is now called the Keys toyour New Career.
(13:50):
Keys to your New CareerInformation and Guidance to Get
Hired and Be Successful as aCorrectional or Detention
Officer.
And you know I sat down.
I put a lot of my thoughts intowhat I saw.
I put a lot of my thoughts intowhat I saw not only hiring
people, reviewing resumes, andjust some common sense stuff on
(14:14):
how to get hired in corrections,how to excel in corrections and
how to make this a long-termcareer.
So it also in the back of thatbook I have an appendix that
lists all 50 state agencies andtheir minimum requirements.
So if you're looking to getinto corrections, this is a
great book and the feds are inthere and I've got some.
Some of the big county jailsare in there.
(14:34):
So if you want that information, if you're looking to get into
corrections and you want to knowhow to be a good correctional
officer, that's definitely abook for you to pick up and I'll
have the link also in there.
So what?
Let's talk about the end of theyear for corrections, of course
.
You know I teach.
(14:56):
I don't know how many classes Itaught this year 25, 30 classes
across the country and we talkabout a lot of the same things.
You know I start most of myclasses.
With what challenges are youguys dealing with?
And the reason I do that is sothat we can have a conversation
and hopefully I can bringinformation to them and guidance
(15:17):
to them in the class to helpthem overcome some of those
challenges.
And of course, the number onechallenge is staffing.
You know recruitment andretention.
That's a tough one, it's hard.
You know people are throwingmoney at this, but it's not
necessarily always money.
I'm sure you guys have readsomewhere that people don't
(15:41):
leave because of money.
They leave because there's nopassion or they leave because of
their bosses.
There's so many other thingsthat people don't leave because
of money.
They leave because there's nopassion or they leave because of
their bosses.
There's so many other thingsthat people leave for.
People will stay and make lessmoney in a job they care about.
When they're working withpeople and under a leader who
they care about, they'll stay.
So how do we correct that?
(16:02):
And that's a question I get alot and the number one thing I
can say is culture.
It's got to be culture.
Take a look at the culture atyour jail.
Take a look at the culture inyour prison.
Are people?
Do they feel safe?
And I don't mean safephysically, although that's part
(16:24):
of it.
We all want to feel safe.
And I don't mean safephysically, although that's part
of it.
We all want to feel safe.
We all want to feel like whenwe have an idea, you know, the
boss isn't just going to bat itdown.
We want to feel like when weneed a little help, there's
people there that'll step overand help us and we can help them
.
That's the kind of safe I'mtalking about, not just the
(16:44):
emotional safe, not just thesafe from violence, although
that matters.
If you don't feel like you cango to work without getting hurt,
that's not going to be a placeyou want to be.
But I'm talking about is theleadership making this a place
where you can excel, where youcan get training, where you can
(17:06):
apply that training, where youcan use your skills.
Believe it or not, that's whatmost people want to do.
They have skills and they wantto use them and they want to be
successful.
And so many times these days andit's been going on for a long
time I think Corrections hasalways had this a little bit.
We tend to, when somebody makesa mistake, just slap them down,
(17:30):
and we've got to get away fromthat.
Mistakes are mistakes.
Now, if somebody does somethingand they do something that is
immoral, illegal, that hurtsothers, then absolutely let's
deal with that and deal with itharshly.
But when somebody makes amistake, why do we have to bring
(17:53):
the hammer down every time?
Why don't we bring them in,help them, give them whatever it
is that they were missing thatcaused that mistake?
For those of you, leaders whohave not read Extreme Ownership,
it should start with you.
If you have employees whoaren't doing what you need and
who are repeatedly doing thesame things wrong, that's not on
(18:20):
the employees, that's on theleader.
So let's take a littleself-reflection.
Let's figure out what it isthat we're not providing.
Let's figure out what it isthat we can give them to make
them successful and to let themuse the skills that they have.
What else is big?
(18:40):
Right now there's an articlecoming out in Corrections 1 that
I recently wrote on mentalhealth.
Mental health is, of course,mental health in society has
grown, so of course the amountof mental health inmates that we
have now has also grown.
The amount of inmates onmedications has also grown, so
(19:04):
this is becoming a realchallenge.
We also have the challenge ofmental health professionals
looking outside of correctionsfor a place to work and with
society having a mental healthcrisis also.
So many people going totherapists, so many people on
(19:25):
medication, so many peopleneeding help and wellness help.
A lot of the people who wouldnormally be working inside our
prisons and doing mental healthwork are working on the street,
which it's hard to blame them.
You can work in an office outhere, you can see, you know, a
(19:45):
few patients a day, or you cancome inside and deal with some
of the worst mental health.
So it's harder getting peopleinside our prisons and we've got
more mental health to take careof and that combination is a
big challenge for a lot ofplaces.
I think our jails even more sothan our prisons, because so
(20:07):
many of the people they'redealing with, the inmates
they're dealing with they'll goout on the street, feel like
they don't need the medicationsthat they were on, come off of
them, and now you're dealingwith a person who is out of
control.
Or they go out on the streetand they try to self-medicate
through illegal medications orillegal drugs, and now you're
(20:29):
dealing with that.
You know, detox, alcohol, drugscoming into our jails and the
people who are on those is adaily fight for our jail
officers.
So, um, what else?
Well, the BOPs had a reallytough year.
The Bureau of Prisons Um, youknow, just last week they they
(20:52):
talked that they're closing sixfederal camps and they're also
going to close.
Unfortunately, one of the uh?
Uh has a lot of namerecognition right now is fci
dublin, because there's been alot of uh staff sexual assaults
and a lot of charges and peoplewho went to jail, including the
warden and uh.
So that's been going on for acouple of years and they're
(21:16):
going to go ahead and close thatfacility, which is probably a
very smart plan.
Another thing that came out lastweek Rikers Island.
They're taking a look at afederal takeover of Rikers
Island because of the conditionsthere.
I don't know a lot about thatsituation.
I mean, I just know what I read.
(21:36):
I mean, I just know what I read, but the fact that you've got
the federal government takingover such a large jail that's
been around for a long time isvery worrisome.
What's going on there, you know, is this political?
Is it a lack of leadership?
It's the leaders that aremissing something.
(21:56):
So I wonder a lot about what'sgoing on there, but that could
happen pretty soon and who knowswhat kind of changes are coming
.
You know the change inadministration.
January 20th you may be gettingnew administrations across the
(22:17):
board in several areas, so we'llsee.
I think there's going toabsolutely be a change in who
they put in these top positionsand I just hope that they're
going to bring back leaders whounderstand the challenges of
corrections.
As I look out acrosscorrections and I look at a lot
of the people in the last fewyears who've been put in the top
positions, I see people whodidn't come up through the ranks
(22:39):
.
I see people who didn't work alot in prison.
They may have been attached toa prison a budget analyst, a
psychologist but they weren'tworking day in and day out in
the workings of a prison and Idon't believe that a lot of them
understand what it takes and Ithink that's where some of our
(23:00):
problems are coming from.
That's just me, but that's kindof what I see and I'm hoping we
get some administrators withsome experience.
I hope they reach back in thereand grab people there's a lot
of people out there with goodideas, there's a lot of people
out there with experience andbring them on board and let them
start leading these agenciesand I'm not picking on anyone.
(23:22):
There's a lot of agencies thatneed leadership right now and,
uh, I'm, I'm really hoping forsome changes there.
You know, um, let's see whatelse I think that's about it,
except, um, you know I'm I'dlike to give you a closing
thought, and we need leaders whotruly understand the essence of
(23:44):
leadership.
As I look across the correctionslandscape, I see too many
individuals who treat leadershipas a game of hopscotch, and
what I mean is they hop from onejob to the next.
They're looking for the nextpolitical appointment, they're
looking for how they can promotethemselves right, and I see
(24:06):
that across the board out there,and a lot of this is being done
on the backs of theircolleagues.
You know, we talk about havinga corrections family, we talk
about being there for each other, a corrections family.
We talk about being there foreach other, but if we've got
leaders who aren't part of that,it causes a whole cycle of
(24:27):
problems.
It gets rid of the trust, andonce you don't trust your
leaders and they don't trust youbecause they don't know you or
because that trust has justbroken down, once that happens,
we're not working together wellanymore.
This self-serving approachundermines the fundamental
(24:51):
principles of true leadership.
A true leader does not simplyclimb the ladder of success
alone, but brings others alongon the journey.
Genuine leadership is aboutempowering and uplifting those
around you, fostering a cultureof collaboration, trust and
mutual respect.
Look around where you're at, doyou have that?
(25:14):
And if you don't, why not?
And if you're a supervisor andwe had this discussion last week
in class the supervisor in themiddle wanted to know you know,
I'm not the administration, I'mnot the officer how do I change
this?
So let me say this you are anexample.
You're an example every singleday, up and down the ladder.
(25:36):
The only thing you have todecide is are you a good example
or a bad example?
Right?
The leaders above you see theexample you set.
Those below you see the exampleyou set.
And that example, if you livethat, if that's who you are,
that's going to be followed.
People are going to look atthat.
(25:58):
They're going to see that'sgoing to be followed.
People are going to look atthat.
They're going to see thatthat's genuine and they're going
to imitate it because it works.
So, building that culture ofcollaboration and trust, that's
what you can do?
Do you trust your employees?
That's a hard thing for a lotof correctional people to do.
(26:20):
The correctional supervisors Doyou delegate?
And if you don't, why not?
Because you're scared thatyou'll delegate that to someone
and they won't do it exactly theway you want it and then maybe
they make a mistake.
Oh dear Lord, somebody made amistake and now you're in
(26:41):
trouble.
Is that where the fear comesfrom?
How about if we stop makingmistakes horrible things and
start making them what they are,which are learning
opportunities?
I'm not talking intentional,I'm talking a true mistake.
That should never be a careerkiller.
(27:05):
A mistake shouldn't be a careerkiller.
It should be a moment of growth, and the only way that people
get the chance to make mistakesis if their supervisors let them
Give them opportunities, Findthe skills that they're good at
and put them in a position towhere they can use those skills
to succeed and to build up theentire organization In
(27:30):
corrections.
This is extremely critical.
Leaders must be role models ofintegrity and empathy.
You know we've got to guide ourteams through complex decisions
, challenging environments, anda true correctional leader must
inspire confidence, motivateothers to strive for excellence
(27:52):
and create an atmosphere whereeveryone feels valued and
supported.
Now, I came into corrections along time ago ago and I can tell
you I had some, uh, some ofthose captains, some of those
lieutenants at the state.
Um, you'd think they were drillsergeants, you know, if they
were up in your face.
(28:12):
Um, they were, they were just.
You know, it wasn't atouchy-feely time but at the end
of the day, when I walked outof Missouri State Pan, or when I
walked out of Leavenworthhere's what I knew.
I knew that those captains andlieutenants would do anything in
(28:33):
the world to get through thatdoor, to get through that wall
to help me if I needed it right.
I knew that, although I mightget read the riot act, I might
um, you know, I might get callednames that people aren't.
Even it would put you in HRthese days, even though that
(28:53):
might happen.
If I went out and made adecision on my own, trying to do
the right thing, I wasn't goingto get fired for it.
I wasn't going to get let go.
It wasn't going to affect mycareer forever.
They gave me opportunities tomake mistakes and I made a bunch
(29:13):
of mistakes.
I still make mistakes.
Anybody that says they don't islying.
But that's what I'm talkingabout when I say build a culture
.
When I say build trust, youremployees have to trust you, and
(29:34):
this goes for wardens down toeverybody else also.
Do your employees trust you asa warden, as a superintendent,
as a jail administrator, as awarden, as a superintendent, as
a jail administrator?
Do they know that they have theability to try new things, to
have new ideas?
Do they have the opportunity totake policy and apply it and
(30:03):
not be ran out on a rail if theymake a mistake?
You want recruitment, you wantretention.
This is what we've got to do.
We've got to build these teams.
I remember days when lieutenantsor captains and we'd rotate a
shift and other people wouldrotate with that supervisor.
(30:23):
Because we were teams, weunderstood that they were there
to take care of us.
They were there to protect us.
I felt safe at work.
Do your employees feel safe atwork?
Do your employees feel safe tobring you ideas?
Do you get a lot of questionsduring the day?
I tell this to officers Ifinmates don't bring you
(30:46):
questions, if inmates aren'tcoming to you for answers,
you're not a very good officer.
They don't look upon you asknowledgeable and trustworthy.
Well, the same thing goes upthe chain of command.
If your officers and yoursupervisors are not bringing you
questions, are not bringing younew ideas, are not bringing you
questions, are not bringing younew ideas, are not bringing you
(31:07):
solutions, they don't trust you.
You need to look at that.
Take a look inside.
When leaders prioritize thewell-being and the development
of their people, they not onlyachieve greater success, but
they build a stronger, morecohesive team or shift or agency
(31:29):
or jail or prison.
It's time to redefine what itmeans to be a leader.
Let's move away from beingself-serving.
Let's move towards a modelthat's inclusive, collaborative,
focused on the greater good.
I've heard people say it foryears we come in here as a shift
.
We're going to leave as a shift.
(31:50):
Are you acting like a teamwhile you're in there?
Does the shift matter to you,or is it just words?
I hope it's not.
I hope you'll take a look.
I hope you'll do a littleintrospection and see are you
being the leader that you can be?
(32:10):
Are you being the leader thatyou should be?
When you take a look at theleaders in your life, do you
emulate them?
Are you as good as they are?
And if not, why aren't youtrying?
I'll leave you with that.
That's my thought.
I'll end 2024 with that thought.
(32:33):
I thank you so much forlistening to the Prison Officer
Podcast.
It's been a great run and I'mlooking forward to more episodes
, more guests, and I'll keeptrying to find interesting
people, because there'sthousands of them.
There's thousands ofinteresting people working in
our jails.
So it's it's not hard, it'sjust making the connection and
(32:53):
getting the interview.
But, uh, I'm looking forward togetting you more interviews for
you to listen to and hopefullylearn from.
Uh, and I guess I'll just sayyou know, merry Christmas, happy
Holidays, whatever youcelebrate, and when you go in
there for the next few weeksespecially it's a tough time of
(33:13):
year for some people Make surethat you ask that person that
you're working with how are youdoing, take a moment to listen
to them and when you get home,remember to drop the
correctional officer off alittle bit.
Okay, go home as mommy or daddyor spouse or whatever it is,
(33:35):
and try to let down a little bitand really connect with those
people at your house, becausethey're the ones that are
supporting you, they're the onesthat are going to get you
through this and someday you'regoing to get retired and you're
going to stop and you're goingto look around and did you take
care of those relationships also?
That's it for now.
(33:55):
Merry Christmas, happy holidays.
I'll talk to you next episode.
Hello and welcome back to the Prison Officer
Podcast.
My name is Mike Cantrell andtoday's episode.
I got a bunch of topics tocover but we're going to kind of
do a rundown of 2024 about thepodcast, about corrections and I
got a few other things to throwin there.
But I've done this I thinkalmost every year, year where
(00:22):
we've talked about how thepodcast is doing and maybe talk
a little bit about correctionsas a whole, where it's going A
lot of changes.
This year I think there's goingto be a lot of changes coming
up in corrections.
But let me start off with thepodcast.
It was a good year for us Grew.
(00:43):
It was a good year for us Grew.
You know it was a good year forus.
We've grown quite a bit.
You know it was a good year forus here at the Prison Officer
Podcast.
We've grown quite a bit.
If you aren't aware, the PrisonOfficer Podcast is now on
YouTube, so that was a big stepfor us this year.
It was also quite a bit morework to to post to multiple
(01:06):
platforms.
Now we're doing the audio andthe video.
So that does take a little bitof extra work but I think it's
worth it.
A lot of people are usingYouTube, uh, to tune into the
prison officer podcast.
Um, if you've been over thereon YouTube, do me a favor, reach
up and hit that subscribebutton.
That does help us in paying forsome of the bills and stuff
(01:29):
that have to do with having andbuilding and creating and
keeping a podcast.
So if you can reach up thereand just hit that subscribe
button, I'd appreciate it a lot.
Um, so far, since we came up onYouTube, we've had 25,000 views
on there, which is reallyexciting.
I like that, and on YouTube youcan listen to the audio podcast
(01:53):
if that's what you want to do,if you're driving, or you can
listen and watch the videopodcast.
So multiple options there.
Both of them are uploaded, soscoot on over to YouTube the
Prison Officer channel and checkthat out.
(02:17):
One of our podcast hosts thatgives us updates and gives us
analysis of traffic and stuff isSpotify, and so I just thought
I'd let you know if you you know, spotify said this year we've
had 48% new followers, which isreally cool.
70% of our listeners are newlisteners, so I'm glad to have
(02:41):
them on board from all over thecountry, and I know that because
the Prison Officer Podcast onSpotify has been streamed in
more than 40 countries this yearand on Spotify we are one of
the top 10 shows for 884 ofthose fans.
We're the number one show for143 of those fans, so that's
(03:05):
really nice.
And people have rated us onSpotify.
We have a 4.6 rating, which I'mhappy with that.
Apparently, the people thatlisten are mostly enjoying this
podcast, and so that makes ushappy.
But, as well as, like we talkedabout with YouTube, if you're
on Spotify, go ahead and clickthat like, click that, follow.
(03:27):
It helps us a lot.
Now, our main host where I'vehosted since I started this is
Buzzsprout, and right now thePrison Officer podcast is in the
top 25% of all Buzzsproutpodcasts, so that's really a
great thing.
I'm happy about that.
All Buzzsprout podcasts sothat's really a great thing.
I'm happy about that.
We've been downloaded in 67countries on Buzzsprout, which
(03:51):
is just unreal.
I never expected that when Istarted the podcast.
I knew there was correctionsother places, but I just never
thought of it on that globalscale.
So it's really cool that 67countries have downloaded us and
, matter of fact, the number onecity that tunes into the Prison
Officer podcast is Melbourne,australia.
(04:12):
Now that doesn't mean there'snot other cities in the US and
that the US is the number onelistenership, but, as far as
cities, melbourne Australiatunes in more than any other
city by itself of the 67 thatlistened to us on Buzzsprout.
So, um, what do we got coming up?
(04:33):
So in 2025, I've already gotsome guests lined up and I'm
excited about uh getting them inhere and getting them
interviewed.
And, uh, one of them is Danscene.
He is the St Charles.
Uh, one of them is Dan scene.
He is the St Charles.
Uh Missouri County jailadministrator, and we talked to
him a little bit while we wereat the Missouri corrections
(04:53):
association conference.
Uh, so I really am excited toget him in there.
He's passionate about what hedoes, he's passionate about
corrections, and so I'm lookingforward to having a longer
conversation with him andlearning a little bit more.
Um, we're also going to have atalk.
The other day by email to uhPhillip Parker.
He is, uh the author of guardand uh, that's one that's a new
(05:19):
book that's out there, and hewas a Kentucky state
penitentiary Warden for many,many, many years and back in the
70s, 80s, 90s, I think, even upinto the 2000s.
So I just started that book.
A couple of days ago I got itback in on Amazon.
I'm trying to get it readbefore we have the interview,
but I'm really excited to havehim on here, hear about the book
(05:43):
, hear about the journey he took, and so we'll have him on here
hear about the book, hear aboutthe journey he took, and so
we'll have him on after thefirst of the year.
I've also got a CERT team leader, connor Fredericks.
I've got him lined up.
We're going to do an interview.
We're going to talk about a lotof stuff with him.
He's been leading CERT teamsout there, seen a lot and was
(06:07):
recently attacked.
So I'm interested to hear hisstory, hear how that went.
I know that he's back to workand he's okay, but anytime one
of the correctional officers orjail officers is attacked,
that's very traumatic.
It's traumatic for that person,it's traumatic for the shift,
(06:29):
and so we'll hear more from him.
So that's some of the stuffcoming up in January and
February next year.
I've got a couple of otheremails out to a few people and
we'll be talking to them also.
I'd be remiss if I didn't talkabout my sponsors.
They're what keep us going onhere.
Like I said, it does cost alittle bit to do this, Of course
(06:52):
, my first sponsor that I had,and they're still a sponsor with
us and I'm also a masterinstructor for them, so it's
nice to be able to have them onboard and support me.
I mean, they support me at workas an instructor, but it's nice
to have them on the podcast andhave them support me here.
You know, and and this year wasfull of examples of how good
(07:15):
pepper ball is you know, um,it's a non-lethal platform.
You can use it to deescalateand overcome almost any use of
force challenge.
There's just so many things anda lot of new stuff.
I mean, you've got to take alook at the new launchers, new
glass breakers, which gives us awhole new way to utilize these
(07:37):
systems, these launchers, andanother way to engage those
suspects, those inmates thataren't being compliant, and um,
so go over to wwwpepperballcom,take a look at the new launchers
that came out this year and thenew stuff that Pepperball is
offering, and, uh, tell them.
(07:58):
I said hi.
Um, I've also got to talk about,uh, omni, omni real-time
locating system.
It's a company that I'm part of.
I've been working with them forseveral years and this has been
a big year.
Everything's moving,everything's going.
We've got that real-timelocating system Inside several
(08:22):
jails this year.
It's the best way to track andrecord the locations and
interactions of all your inmates, all your assets.
I've noticed that a couple ofthe agencies that have brought
in Omni, you know they'relooking at the fact that we can
monitor a heart rate and we cantell when that drops too low or
when it goes too high.
You know, in custody deaths arebecoming such a hot topic in
(08:48):
corrections.
Fentanyl is a big part of thatand with the Omni RTLS we can
tell you the moment, withinthree times a second, when
somebody's heart rate changes ordrops off.
So that's been a big thing.
But new agencies coming onlineevery month with Omni and if you
(09:08):
want to set up a meeting withus from your agency, reach out
to wwwomnirtlscom.
That's omnirtlscom.
And then finally, I guess all ofthis has happened this year
with command presence.
So I took a position as aninstructor, as the director of
(09:32):
training for corrections forcommand presence, and this year
we've developed a lot of newclasses.
They're designed forcorrections by corrections,
they're taught by correctionsclasses.
They're designed forcorrections by corrections,
they're taught by corrections.
So this isn't a law enforcementclass that we're going to bring
to your jail or prison and andmodify just for corrections.
(09:53):
These classes are put togetherwith corrections in mind and
we've got several of them outthere.
We've had a.
It's been a great year.
I've got to teach several ofthem already and I'm just
excited about the response we'vehad and what people are getting
out of these classes.
So go on over to commandpresencenet,
(10:14):
wwwcommandpresencenet, and checkthem out.
A couple other things I want totalk about is I got some books
for you to read this year.
Okay, of course I mentionedPhilip Parker.
You can go on Amazon.
Of course I'll put all thesebooks in the show notes so you
can go down there and click onthem and it'll take you to them.
(10:35):
But his book Guard I mean I'mabout a third of the way into it
.
It's about Kentucky StatePenitentiary.
It's about Kentucky StatePenitentiary, his life, starting
and becoming a correctionalofficer in that environment, and
for me who started at MissouriState Penitentiary, there's a
(10:59):
lot in that book that resonateswith me.
I went through a lot of thesame things that he talks about.
So it's been a very good bookso far and I would definitely
recommend it.
And it's called guard and whenyou get inside the book you'll
see why he calls it guard.
He talks about that Um, butit's definitely a worth a read.
(11:19):
Uh, another book out this yearis by a friend of mine that I
used to work with at the Bureauof Prisons, brian Antonelli.
He has put out the LeadershipField Manual for Correctional
Professionals and I can't thinkof a better person to write that
book.
You know Brian has been aroundcorrections longtime warden.
(11:40):
He knows corrections.
He knows how to lead people.
He's often been used to come inand where there were problems
and he does a great job ofidentifying the challenges,
working together with the peopleand bringing them on board and
(12:00):
getting that going.
He's definitely someone who canwrite about leadership and
knows about it.
So if you'll check that out inthe link, leadership Field
Manual for CorrectionalProfessionals by Brian Antonelli
.
Another one that came out thisyear that I'm excited about a
friend of mine.
We've had him on the podcastWilliam Young.
He's from the JusticeCorrections podcast.
(12:22):
He wrote Trained to Change theUnfortunate and Unintentional
Consequences of the CorrectionalCurriculum and I got to read
that book.
I got to read it before it cameout.
He let me have a copy so that Icould take a look at it.
A very insightful book, comingfrom kind of a different thought
(12:44):
process than we've had before.
Why do we do some of the thingswe do?
And you know he talks about howwe're taught that not only from
each other and from the peoplealready in the agency, but a lot
of the agency training is setup to take our feelings and we
suppress them and that causes alot more problems.
(13:05):
And if you don't know any ofWilliam Young's stuff, he's
really into officer wellness andhe's got a few other books out
there but I'll put some links tothem.
But check it out Train toChange the Unfortunate and
Unintentional Consequences ofthe Correctional Curriculum.
That's by William Young at theJust Correction podcast.
And if you haven't listened tohis podcast, I love his podcast.
(13:27):
It's so full of excitement andhe gets so passionate about it.
I love I click over there allthe time just to listen to him.
And one more book finally, andthis one is by me, if you had
looked at the career guide thePrison Officer Podcast Career
Guide I've done some updatingand changed it around a little
bit.
It is now called the Keys toyour New Career.
(13:50):
Keys to your New CareerInformation and Guidance to Get
Hired and Be Successful as aCorrectional or Detention
Officer.
And you know I sat down.
I put a lot of my thoughts intowhat I saw.
I put a lot of my thoughts intowhat I saw not only hiring
people, reviewing resumes, andjust some common sense stuff on
(14:14):
how to get hired in corrections,how to excel in corrections and
how to make this a long-termcareer.
So it also in the back of thatbook I have an appendix that
lists all 50 state agencies andtheir minimum requirements.
So if you're looking to getinto corrections, this is a
great book and the feds are inthere and I've got some.
Some of the big county jailsare in there.
(14:34):
So if you want that information, if you're looking to get into
corrections and you want to knowhow to be a good correctional
officer, that's definitely abook for you to pick up and I'll
have the link also in there.
So what?
Let's talk about the end of theyear for corrections, of course
.
You know I teach.
(14:56):
I don't know how many classes Itaught this year 25, 30 classes
across the country and we talkabout a lot of the same things.
You know I start most of myclasses.
With what challenges are youguys dealing with?
And the reason I do that is sothat we can have a conversation
and hopefully I can bringinformation to them and guidance
(15:17):
to them in the class to helpthem overcome some of those
challenges.
And of course, the number onechallenge is staffing.
You know recruitment andretention.
That's a tough one, it's hard.
You know people are throwingmoney at this, but it's not
necessarily always money.
I'm sure you guys have readsomewhere that people don't
(15:41):
leave because of money.
They leave because there's nopassion or they leave because of
their bosses.
There's so many other thingsthat people don't leave because
of money.
They leave because there's nopassion or they leave because of
their bosses.
There's so many other thingsthat people leave for.
People will stay and make lessmoney in a job they care about.
When they're working withpeople and under a leader who
they care about, they'll stay.
So how do we correct that?
(16:02):
And that's a question I get alot and the number one thing I
can say is culture.
It's got to be culture.
Take a look at the culture atyour jail.
Take a look at the culture inyour prison.
Are people?
Do they feel safe?
And I don't mean safephysically, although that's part
(16:24):
of it.
We all want to feel safe.
And I don't mean safephysically, although that's part
of it.
We all want to feel safe.
We all want to feel like whenwe have an idea, you know, the
boss isn't just going to bat itdown.
We want to feel like when weneed a little help, there's
people there that'll step overand help us and we can help them
.
That's the kind of safe I'mtalking about, not just the
(16:44):
emotional safe, not just thesafe from violence, although
that matters.
If you don't feel like you cango to work without getting hurt,
that's not going to be a placeyou want to be.
But I'm talking about is theleadership making this a place
where you can excel, where youcan get training, where you can
(17:06):
apply that training, where youcan use your skills.
Believe it or not, that's whatmost people want to do.
They have skills and they wantto use them and they want to be
successful.
And so many times these days andit's been going on for a long
time I think Corrections hasalways had this a little bit.
We tend to, when somebody makesa mistake, just slap them down,
(17:30):
and we've got to get away fromthat.
Mistakes are mistakes.
Now, if somebody does somethingand they do something that is
immoral, illegal, that hurtsothers, then absolutely let's
deal with that and deal with itharshly.
But when somebody makes amistake, why do we have to bring
(17:53):
the hammer down every time?
Why don't we bring them in,help them, give them whatever it
is that they were missing thatcaused that mistake?
For those of you, leaders whohave not read Extreme Ownership,
it should start with you.
If you have employees whoaren't doing what you need and
who are repeatedly doing thesame things wrong, that's not on
(18:20):
the employees, that's on theleader.
So let's take a littleself-reflection.
Let's figure out what it isthat we're not providing.
Let's figure out what it isthat we can give them to make
them successful and to let themuse the skills that they have.
What else is big?
(18:40):
Right now there's an articlecoming out in Corrections 1 that
I recently wrote on mentalhealth.
Mental health is, of course,mental health in society has
grown, so of course the amountof mental health inmates that we
have now has also grown.
The amount of inmates onmedications has also grown, so
(19:04):
this is becoming a realchallenge.
We also have the challenge ofmental health professionals
looking outside of correctionsfor a place to work and with
society having a mental healthcrisis also.
So many people going totherapists, so many people on
(19:25):
medication, so many peopleneeding help and wellness help.
A lot of the people who wouldnormally be working inside our
prisons and doing mental healthwork are working on the street,
which it's hard to blame them.
You can work in an office outhere, you can see, you know, a
(19:45):
few patients a day, or you cancome inside and deal with some
of the worst mental health.
So it's harder getting peopleinside our prisons and we've got
more mental health to take careof and that combination is a
big challenge for a lot ofplaces.
I think our jails even more sothan our prisons, because so
(20:07):
many of the people they'redealing with, the inmates
they're dealing with they'll goout on the street, feel like
they don't need the medicationsthat they were on, come off of
them, and now you're dealingwith a person who is out of
control.
Or they go out on the streetand they try to self-medicate
through illegal medications orillegal drugs, and now you're
(20:29):
dealing with that.
You know, detox, alcohol, drugscoming into our jails and the
people who are on those is adaily fight for our jail
officers.
So, um, what else?
Well, the BOPs had a reallytough year.
The Bureau of Prisons Um, youknow, just last week they they
(20:52):
talked that they're closing sixfederal camps and they're also
going to close.
Unfortunately, one of the uh?
Uh has a lot of namerecognition right now is fci
dublin, because there's been alot of uh staff sexual assaults
and a lot of charges and peoplewho went to jail, including the
warden and uh.
So that's been going on for acouple of years and they're
(21:16):
going to go ahead and close thatfacility, which is probably a
very smart plan.
Another thing that came out lastweek Rikers Island.
They're taking a look at afederal takeover of Rikers
Island because of the conditionsthere.
I don't know a lot about thatsituation.
I mean, I just know what I read.
(21:36):
I mean, I just know what I read, but the fact that you've got
the federal government takingover such a large jail that's
been around for a long time isvery worrisome.
What's going on there, you know, is this political?
Is it a lack of leadership?
It's the leaders that aremissing something.
(21:56):
So I wonder a lot about what'sgoing on there, but that could
happen pretty soon and who knowswhat kind of changes are coming
.
You know the change inadministration.
January 20th you may be gettingnew administrations across the
(22:17):
board in several areas, so we'llsee.
I think there's going toabsolutely be a change in who
they put in these top positionsand I just hope that they're
going to bring back leaders whounderstand the challenges of
corrections.
As I look out acrosscorrections and I look at a lot
of the people in the last fewyears who've been put in the top
positions, I see people whodidn't come up through the ranks
(22:39):
.
I see people who didn't work alot in prison.
They may have been attached toa prison a budget analyst, a
psychologist but they weren'tworking day in and day out in
the workings of a prison and Idon't believe that a lot of them
understand what it takes and Ithink that's where some of our
(23:00):
problems are coming from.
That's just me, but that's kindof what I see and I'm hoping we
get some administrators withsome experience.
I hope they reach back in thereand grab people there's a lot
of people out there with goodideas, there's a lot of people
out there with experience andbring them on board and let them
start leading these agenciesand I'm not picking on anyone.
(23:22):
There's a lot of agencies thatneed leadership right now and,
uh, I'm, I'm really hoping forsome changes there.
You know, um, let's see whatelse I think that's about it,
except, um, you know I'm I'dlike to give you a closing
thought, and we need leaders whotruly understand the essence of
(23:44):
leadership.
As I look across the correctionslandscape, I see too many
individuals who treat leadershipas a game of hopscotch, and
what I mean is they hop from onejob to the next.
They're looking for the nextpolitical appointment, they're
looking for how they can promotethemselves right, and I see
(24:06):
that across the board out there,and a lot of this is being done
on the backs of theircolleagues.
You know, we talk about havinga corrections family, we talk
about being there for each other, a corrections family.
We talk about being there foreach other, but if we've got
leaders who aren't part of that,it causes a whole cycle of
(24:27):
problems.
It gets rid of the trust, andonce you don't trust your
leaders and they don't trust youbecause they don't know you or
because that trust has justbroken down, once that happens,
we're not working together wellanymore.
This self-serving approachundermines the fundamental
(24:51):
principles of true leadership.
A true leader does not simplyclimb the ladder of success
alone, but brings others alongon the journey.
Genuine leadership is aboutempowering and uplifting those
around you, fostering a cultureof collaboration, trust and
mutual respect.
Look around where you're at, doyou have that?
(25:14):
And if you don't, why not?
And if you're a supervisor andwe had this discussion last week
in class the supervisor in themiddle wanted to know you know,
I'm not the administration, I'mnot the officer how do I change
this?
So let me say this you are anexample.
You're an example every singleday, up and down the ladder.
(25:36):
The only thing you have todecide is are you a good example
or a bad example?
Right?
The leaders above you see theexample you set.
Those below you see the exampleyou set.
And that example, if you livethat, if that's who you are,
that's going to be followed.
People are going to look atthat.
(25:58):
They're going to see that'sgoing to be followed.
People are going to look atthat.
They're going to see thatthat's genuine and they're going
to imitate it because it works.
So, building that culture ofcollaboration and trust, that's
what you can do?
Do you trust your employees?
That's a hard thing for a lotof correctional people to do.
(26:20):
The correctional supervisors Doyou delegate?
And if you don't, why not?
Because you're scared thatyou'll delegate that to someone
and they won't do it exactly theway you want it and then maybe
they make a mistake.
Oh dear Lord, somebody made amistake and now you're in
(26:41):
trouble.
Is that where the fear comesfrom?
How about if we stop makingmistakes horrible things and
start making them what they are,which are learning
opportunities?
I'm not talking intentional,I'm talking a true mistake.
That should never be a careerkiller.
(27:05):
A mistake shouldn't be a careerkiller.
It should be a moment of growth, and the only way that people
get the chance to make mistakesis if their supervisors let them
Give them opportunities, Findthe skills that they're good at
and put them in a position towhere they can use those skills
to succeed and to build up theentire organization In
(27:30):
corrections.
This is extremely critical.
Leaders must be role models ofintegrity and empathy.
You know we've got to guide ourteams through complex decisions
, challenging environments, anda true correctional leader must
inspire confidence, motivateothers to strive for excellence
(27:52):
and create an atmosphere whereeveryone feels valued and
supported.
Now, I came into corrections along time ago ago and I can tell
you I had some, uh, some ofthose captains, some of those
lieutenants at the state.
Um, you'd think they were drillsergeants, you know, if they
were up in your face.
(28:12):
Um, they were, they were just.
You know, it wasn't atouchy-feely time but at the end
of the day, when I walked outof Missouri State Pan, or when I
walked out of Leavenworthhere's what I knew.
I knew that those captains andlieutenants would do anything in
(28:33):
the world to get through thatdoor, to get through that wall
to help me if I needed it right.
I knew that, although I mightget read the riot act, I might
um, you know, I might get callednames that people aren't.
Even it would put you in HRthese days, even though that
(28:53):
might happen.
If I went out and made adecision on my own, trying to do
the right thing, I wasn't goingto get fired for it.
I wasn't going to get let go.
It wasn't going to affect mycareer forever.
They gave me opportunities tomake mistakes and I made a bunch
(29:13):
of mistakes.
I still make mistakes.
Anybody that says they don't islying.
But that's what I'm talkingabout when I say build a culture
.
When I say build trust, youremployees have to trust you, and
(29:34):
this goes for wardens down toeverybody else also.
Do your employees trust you asa warden, as a superintendent,
as a jail administrator, as awarden, as a superintendent, as
a jail administrator?
Do they know that they have theability to try new things, to
have new ideas?
Do they have the opportunity totake policy and apply it and
(30:03):
not be ran out on a rail if theymake a mistake?
You want recruitment, you wantretention.
This is what we've got to do.
We've got to build these teams.
I remember days when lieutenantsor captains and we'd rotate a
shift and other people wouldrotate with that supervisor.
(30:23):
Because we were teams, weunderstood that they were there
to take care of us.
They were there to protect us.
I felt safe at work.
Do your employees feel safe atwork?
Do your employees feel safe tobring you ideas?
Do you get a lot of questionsduring the day?
I tell this to officers Ifinmates don't bring you
(30:46):
questions, if inmates aren'tcoming to you for answers,
you're not a very good officer.
They don't look upon you asknowledgeable and trustworthy.
Well, the same thing goes upthe chain of command.
If your officers and yoursupervisors are not bringing you
questions, are not bringing younew ideas, are not bringing you
questions, are not bringing younew ideas, are not bringing you
(31:07):
solutions, they don't trust you.
You need to look at that.
Take a look inside.
When leaders prioritize thewell-being and the development
of their people, they not onlyachieve greater success, but
they build a stronger, morecohesive team or shift or agency
(31:29):
or jail or prison.
It's time to redefine what itmeans to be a leader.
Let's move away from beingself-serving.
Let's move towards a modelthat's inclusive, collaborative,
focused on the greater good.
I've heard people say it foryears we come in here as a shift
.
We're going to leave as a shift.
(31:50):
Are you acting like a teamwhile you're in there?
Does the shift matter to you,or is it just words?
I hope it's not.
I hope you'll take a look.
I hope you'll do a littleintrospection and see are you
being the leader that you can be?
(32:10):
Are you being the leader thatyou should be?
When you take a look at theleaders in your life, do you
emulate them?
Are you as good as they are?
And if not, why aren't youtrying?
I'll leave you with that.
That's my thought.
I'll end 2024 with that thought.
(32:33):
I thank you so much forlistening to the Prison Officer
Podcast.
It's been a great run and I'mlooking forward to more episodes
, more guests, and I'll keeptrying to find interesting
people, because there'sthousands of them.
There's thousands ofinteresting people working in
our jails.
So it's it's not hard, it'sjust making the connection and
(32:53):
getting the interview.
But, uh, I'm looking forward togetting you more interviews for
you to listen to and hopefullylearn from.
Uh, and I guess I'll just sayyou know, merry Christmas, happy
Holidays, whatever youcelebrate, and when you go in
there for the next few weeksespecially it's a tough time of
(33:13):
year for some people Make surethat you ask that person that
you're working with how are youdoing, take a moment to listen
to them and when you get home,remember to drop the
correctional officer off alittle bit.
Okay, go home as mommy or daddyor spouse or whatever it is,
(33:35):
and try to let down a little bitand really connect with those
people at your house, becausethey're the ones that are
supporting you, they're the onesthat are going to get you
through this and someday you'regoing to get retired and you're
going to stop and you're goingto look around and did you take
care of those relationships also?
That's it for now.
(33:55):
Merry Christmas, happy holidays.
I'll talk to you next episode.
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