Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, this is life inside Christ. Do you want the
real deal, homie? This is what you miss when the
sale lights. Get your mind right and thinks straight. You
know the perspectives to see. Oh, it's in the inmates.
This is life now. Just want to survive? Now when
the light's out, keep quiet, better, bite down if you're
ready for less getting you want to know the truth,
(00:20):
take a pusy life inside Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome everyone to our first episode. This is retired Captain
of Rankers Prison, Kevin Flynn. Welcome sir.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
How you doing? Call? How you doing everybody that's listening
out there? Great?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Thank you so much for joining us, for doing this.
This is your first episode and I'm really excited to
learn about Today. We're going to be looking at fact
or fiction within the prison system. As you mentioned earlier,
there's a lot of misconception about the life inside of prison,
isn't there.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Yes, there's a lot of callers, I mean varying from
the terminology between them a population and correction officers.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Now prison guards.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
That's that's who who that that's that's curse of calling
us prison guards is a hoof Yeah, I'm not gonna
use that word. Yeah, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Calls.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
See, that's the first thing.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
It's a good thing.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
The first topic we write off the get go is
the names and terminology and prison guards as are no
known correction officers as a go go.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Absolutely absolutely, Kevin, you were there? How many years in RECs?
Speaker 4 (01:34):
I did? Actually, uh twenty eight years, seven months and
twenty four days.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Wow. Yeah, And how that came to be.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
When I got tired of it, you know, I'm not
gonna lie when it stopped being fun, when it actually
we started becoming a job, I said, this time for
me to call it a career. And I went down
to the retirement board, and I was really trying to
do thirty years. My father, who I lost six years ago,
he worked for the train authority, and he beat me
at everything, Carlos. He beat me at bowling, he beat
(02:04):
me at chess, he beat me. He even beat me
out here with all my so I had it. I
wanted to beat him at something, and I knew he
did at least twenty years with a transit authority here
in New York. So when I went down to her
retirement board, I said, I'm trying to do thirty years.
And they say, well, Kevin, you know you have twenty
eight years, seven months and twenty four days.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I said, I'm trying to do thirty years. He said, well,
the difference between twenty.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Eight years and sony change and thirty years is about
one thousand dollars. I said in my pension. I said
a month. He said, no, a year. I said, that's
about that's about thirty dollars a month. He said, yeah,
I said, what do I sign? So that's how I
know the specifics.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
All right, Well that's good.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Now, so you have plenty of experience. You've seen a
lot of things because you know, there's a lot of shows,
there's movies. There's always a fascination. Human beings are always
fascinating about the world. They don't want to be a
part of, but they definitely want to learn about from
a right, we like to see murder movies or murder mysteries.
Obviously we don't want to be involved. We don't have
anybody who's close to us to be murdered.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
We like to watch that stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
And same thing with prisons. It's the world, as you
mentioned that the city within a city. Yeah, so I
guess the first thing is you hear a lot is
that there are moral codes within the prison system. Yes,
and how does that work between the inmates what's going
on there?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Well, legally, we're not supposed to know what the inmate
has been charged with or convicted of. But as I
said before, it's a city within the city, and individuals talk.
Some criminals brag about their incarceration, and that's how you
find out information. And I hate to say it, but
you have some offices that notice information and.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Have a big mouth.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
And one thing that is we call it jailhouse It's
called jailhouse justice. Is that the inmate population really don't
tolerate crimes against children or or the elderly. That's that's
worse than calling us prison guards. And it's to the
point where it wants to once the officers find out
(04:10):
or administrative staff find out that particularly innovative that's been
incarcerated has to be monitored to maybe put in a
certain area, because the inmates will try to manipulate their
way to get to the housing area to assault the
individual that create that committed a crime against a child
or an order or an elder That's that that's what
they call the jail house justice. And the violence is
(04:33):
call us the violence is real.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Do they have to kill them or is it just
it depends, you know, it depends.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
And well, first of all, with regards to correction in
here in New York City, specifically right as Island, your
only sentence to a year once you get it, once
you commit a crime, go through the process. And just
since it us to some jail time finds you guilty
of a crime, he can only send to a year.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Anything over a year.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Then you have to go to another facility upstate saying
saying green Haven, things of that nature. But right now,
only how the individuals for one year, and they also well,
first of all, another thing that people might not know
is that Ryker's Island is comprised of at least seven
different facilities. It's just not one business like it's just
(05:23):
not one big jail.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
But it's a lot of people think I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So when the inmates they let's say they have a
cellmate and they've been notified, right they said, hey, Jack, Bob,
and your cell vates it's a pedophile, So now Jack
has to take care of business. Do they have to
kill them? Do they just have to severely beat them?
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Sometimes they really sometimes they really try to kill them.
It's just my opinion. I think they really tried to
kill them. I really don't think they try to just
assault them to send a message. I think that's once again,
it's just my opinion that they really try to do
some serious damage where they they are no longer using
gaio terminology, no longer on the count because in corrections, we.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Paid the count.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Got to sound cold or disheartening, but we're paid the count.
Bodies live, breathing bodies. That's where we pay the count.
That's what So you know, that's one off the count.
If they kill somebody, that's one off the count. So
they usually with the pedophiles and the assaults on the seniors,
they want to try to take them off the count.
So if anybody in the program or the department give me,
say off the account, taking them off the account and
(06:32):
take them off account, that means they either got discharged,
they did their time, they got discharged or bailed themselves out,
or they might have been subject to some type of violence.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Folks, I'm telling you right now, it's going to be
a fascinating series. We're going to have an episode of
the month Correction City within a city. We're going to
be having another episode talking about prison terminology, what it means,
the culture within the prison. Kevin's also going to give
a situational awareness tips that he learned with during his
twenty eight years in the system. So you definitely don't
want to miss future episodes. Leave us a comment, hit
(07:04):
that like and help us out and tell us what
you think. If you have questions for Kevin, I can
always send them to them, so just make sure you
let me know. So Kevin fascinating stuff because that's something
people always hear about. They don't really know if it's
true or not. We don't hate to hear a lot
of it. I do see it on the news, though
usually local news or report pedophile killed in the prison
(07:25):
system whatnot. Now, this is going to be kind of
an odd question, but that individual who's got that responsibility,
obviously they're going to have an increased sentence because of
that behavior. So is it annoying to them in the
sense of man, why does this person have to be
put in my cell? Because now I'm going to be
(07:46):
stuck here for another three years because I have to
do this. If not, I'm going to.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Get beat up by everybody else.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
How does that mentality you think.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
It happens and it is peer pressure, you know, and
you know pressure bus a take can and you know what.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
We just found out that inmate Joe Blow has been.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Locked up because he assaulted a three year old in
a park, a three year old girl in a park,
or he raped a sety five year old grandmother that
was just bunding her business.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
What you're gonna do about it?
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And that's how the pressure comes into That's how the
pressure comes into the fold. What are you gonna do
about it? Some people I don't do anything. Well, listen,
you've got to do something or we're gonna do something
to you. Going back to that pressure aspect, and it's
unfortunate for the correctional officer in that, especially in corrections
in New York City corrections. You have two officers in
(08:41):
this in the housing area, but of maybe twenty to
thirty different inmates of various nationalities, racist, creeds and colors, religious.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
But you have two officers. Now that's on paper.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Realistically speaking, you have one officer that's on an and
he or she has the keys to the housing area.
You have the b officer who's actually behind the gate
with the inmate population.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
So in actuality, the bolls behind.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
The gate with fifteen to twenty maybe twenty five individuals
by themselves. So it's really one person on it, one
person in the old area. Now it's unfortunate that it
when it goes bad, and it has gone bad, the
a officer with the keys cannot if he sees his
or her partner in trouble with the other inmates, they
(09:32):
also with the keys cannot go behind that gate because
now it creates the house of situation because so we
have what they call that person body along and we
have pepper spray. But one thing we teach, and I'm
also retired instructed. Also one thing we teach and I
teach about physical conditioning.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
I taught it about what I taught.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I'm retired now. I taught physical conditioning. Because the inmates
have two jobs. One is to work out and the
others to watch you. And with pedophile or the elderly
person that was assaulted in the street, they wait for
that one officer to either get complacent or they'll they'll
distract him or her to get to this particular individual.
(10:17):
When the cellers given it open, when the sells give
it any close in the day room, and constantly you
have to have your head on the swivel as the
city was in the city and when it goes left,
some more jail terminology. When it goes left, the officer
has to. Basically, we don't break up fights. A lot
of people have their misconception that as a correctional officer
(10:38):
when it when that situation happens in the housing area.
That also for the running. No, we do not break
up fights. All we can do is give direct orders,
call the policy and procedure. Stop stop stop, stop stop,
identify the key players, press our personal body along, do
a lot of chemical agency we have to, and then
way for help to arrive.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Now going back to the physical condition.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Going back to the physical conditioning, help is going to
take at least two minutes. And when I taught in
the academy, I used to tell the in service and
the recruits, I used to give them an exercise. And
anybody in your audience callers can try this at home.
To get a regular box fan, turn it on medium
(11:21):
and with everything you got, punch at that air with
everything you have for two minutes and hear what condition
and see which conditioning is. Now this is air that's
not coming back at you. And see how you feel
putting that air that's not really hurting you for two minutes.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
See which conditioning.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Now I multiply that with a serious incident going on
in the housing area. You've got ten to fifteen individuals.
Try to get at one individual or get at the officer,
and you have to wait two minutes for help to arrive.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
And it's a minimum of two minutes.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yes, in sense, stup to a lot of insight on that.
Let's move over to our second factor.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Fiction.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
This is another one people wonder about. And I know
we can go off on a lot of different tangents,
but just for this particular one, do they really separate
themselves within the prison? The Latino gangs go one side,
the African American gangs on another side. Do they really
separate themselves? I've heard mixed stories on this. What was
your experience?
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Yes, they do, and it's now documentation where inmate comes
into the facility.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
And he we call it.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
They classify the SRG Security risk groups and we identify
them to the process where they have to be searched
in every identified market, documented and it's compared to whatever
information we already have with regards to gangs or security
risk groups. Gang, We're gonna be candidate gang, but in
(12:54):
documented terms is srgs security riskroups? But they said what
game they affiliated with? And the department has tried to
put gang members with other gang members, you know, crips
with crips, bloods with bloods, Latin Kings and the like.
But it's come to find out that different gangs, these
(13:18):
various gangs have different sets and in my experience in corrections,
I've had gang members of the same gang have beef
with a different set of the same gang. So it
became kind of complicated. Yeah, you know, and then you
have anything. Then you have individuals that will say there,
(13:40):
let's say their their blood and well, I'm gonna give
you an exact story that took place with me as
a supervisor.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Uh an inmate say, cat, you.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Gotta get me out of you gotta get me out
of here because I'm a blood.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
I said, Okay.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Policy says, once I'm informed that I have to move them,
I had I did. I had a problem with that
because if you get locked up for a prime you
got to paint the h on the handlet more jail
terminology paint on the age and handle it. But I said,
are you willing to fill out a card that says
that you're a blood? Remember this security risk group?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
He said yes.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
I said, okay, he filled out the documentation. I processed it.
I put him in a housing area that was predominantly blood.
He got in a predictlar the housing area and didn't
feel comfortable and said, no, cap, I'm really a crypt.
I'm like, well, listen, I'm sorry. I don't know what
to tell you. You got to stay here now. He said, well,
you're jeopardizing my life. I said, I'm not jeopardizing your
life because you just document it with your own your
(14:32):
own sendature. Then you said your blood, So I'm covered.
I'm covered legally, I'm covered. And this is what this
is the process they actually have to go through. But
they they're trying to manipulate the system to get to
where they want to be. And then if they're not comfortable,
they'll try to manipulate the system to once.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Again, they will get the office in order to revise it.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
That's complacent or feel sorry for what doesn't no policy
and proceed cuture and and they will wait till they
come up, wait till they come to work, wait till
they go like like say, hype speaking me myself. You
know what, Captain clen He's going on vacation. So we
got three weeks to play. Like when they when they
with that phrase when the cats away the mice to
(15:17):
play it was it was that time of that time
of atmosphere times out there crazy stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, we're gonna wait another month.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
There's so much going on, because that's another topic too
we can talk about. We'll see what the feedback is
with this, with with this showing. How was that? I
was that?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
No, perfectly fine, But this is another great show too,
because I know you've mentioned it before, the mistakes the
correctional officers can make if they're too kind. Yes, so
Kevin switching gears. Now, there's always the notion of the
dropping of the soap in the shower. Uh, yeah, I've
(15:58):
seen himmates tall wa No, that's not really true.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Call us. It's true. I got a sneak. It's mm hmm.
It's true.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
And that's just not that's just one of them.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
You have individuals that live alternative lifestyles and.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
The there's that there they're wearing other pants, sagging in
the prison system. It sends a uh, it sends a
message in that uh, those the individuals living alternative lifestyle,
which it didn't it it didn't just start in prison.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
It really didn't.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Just a little history and somebody had to educate me
on this is that in the slavery days, alternative lifestyle
didn't just happen first of all, and I thought it
happened in the prison system, but somebody said, keV, no,
check your history. In a slavery day, these the slave
masters that live that alternative lifestyle used to have their
(17:04):
slaves walk around with their pants hanging in that fashion
to let other slave owners know that listen, this slave,
you can indulge in whatever you want to indulge in.
So I was in pral like you're shaking your head, Wow,
I was doing the exact same thing.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
Oh wow, I think exactly. I say the exact team
to you words. Oh wow.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
So in the prison system, what happens when you first
your first time being processed through the through receiving room
or intake area or jail house lingo. You have to
wear a certain uniform. There are different colors of uniform
based on your the age or your the location where
(17:45):
you're going to be housed at or facility that your
your your the facilion facility that you're being housed in,
so there's uniform in that fituation. We have to take
all your speeding clothes and put them in a storage
area and we give you what we have at the moment.
We do not have any tailors during an initial processing system,
so we give you what you have at the moment,
(18:05):
and sometimes it doesn't fit. And you have individuals that
either deal with it until they can go to the
closed box and get the right uniform, or they might
live in that that alternative lifestyle. And this is a message.
But you have some individual that already incarcerated that know.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
How to jail.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
More on jail house lingo, that know how to jail.
We'll see that individual with his pants sagging in that
manner and just automatically assume that he is living that
lifestyle and will make advances to them, and sometimes it
resources to violence.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
So it's not just dropping the soup anymore.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Oh wow, So yeah, I guess the question is if
you do drop this, so what should they do take
it around?
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Ye I don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
I've never had the experiences, but I don't know, uh,
I don't know, but from the office standpoint, you know
the inmate will report it and it has to be investigated.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
But once again pure pressure. You have to be subgested to.
You got old phrase, snitches, get stitches, more jail house lingo.
But if it's reported, has to be.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Investigated, and it may that with the victim will probably
just get transferred to a different house in there. But
in corrections, it's a city within the city, it will
get out regardless of what facility you go to, whether
it's in on Rights itself or one of the other
five boroughs but have fertilities. It may call it Mays talk,
(19:33):
it mays talk, so it's it's a pressure to either
deal with it or engage even though that's not your
particular preference, or risk being assaulted because you told the
Department of Correction that you for lack of a been
afraid dropped soap.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
So crazy stuff. I guess our last one here would
be relationships with CEOs. We've seen it sometimes. We had
the one that think of in New York last year
I think it was a year and a half ago,
where she let out two individuals because she had a relationship.
Is that really is it? Is it a common phenomena?
Is it's something just that the media and the movies
(20:15):
will will HiPE it. It happens, It happens. It's not
as common as people like to think, but it does happen.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
They they it mays for lack of a better for
lack of a better word, they're predators, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
And they'll see a young lady and there's a new
officer that she's surrounded about fifteen to twenty guys, and
you know, they'll walk around inappropriately and they'll they'll wait
for see the ones that show us little side of weakness.
And you don't have to show much call us. You
don't have to show too much weakness. Well, once they
(20:54):
see that little bit of weakness, they attack it, which
is why even though the female correction offices in Deparma
creation their ladies, you know, but they got there, especially
the experienced ones, they're a little they're a little tough,
they're little rough runner edges. And it's not because they're
losing their feminity. It's because they have to maintain a
certain level of respect and dignity around a predominantly male
(21:17):
inmate population. And it goes with the female inmates as
well with the male officers. I have a new found
respect for the female correction officer in a male facility
because when I made captain, we had to go all
with the job training and they assigned me to a
female facility someplace I've never worked for my life, and
(21:39):
I felt violated.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
I mean, Carlos.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
In correction, the supervisors, we wear white shirts. So I'm
going to the cell area and all that sudden, I
hear a movie on movie on. I'm like, they got
CD players, they got DVD players in the cell.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
But then call us.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
As I'm walking, pay had to do on my inspect
I had to make sure that I said, we're correction,
we count live breathing bodies. So I just can't turn
my I can't turn the blind's eye. I have to
make sure I see a live breathing body in this
particular cell. And I'm seeing parts of the female anatomy
that I was I mean, I'm a heterosexual male, don't
(22:19):
me wrong, but I'm seeing parts of the female anatomy
that I.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
That I never expected to see in a prison.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
And I'll let you, I'll let I'll let our viewers,
let the imagination run wild, I mean dropping towels, and
it was Carlos, it.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Was it was, And then I realized I was the movie.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
So that gave me a new found respect of the
female officer in the men's institution, you know, because the
men do the same thing. They walk around with the
boxes on, and they in the shower, and we have
to monitor the showers. I mean, it's that's part of
our job because a lot of a lot of violence
happens in the bathroom, so we have to monitor the shower.
(23:01):
So you have the female officer in the housing area
and we have to be visually of our surrounded. You
got the men in the showers and they've been incrossed
and they see an attacks of female or female for whatever,
and they have a reaction, and you know, you walk
around with the boxes and things in that nation. So
I never I took it for granted as being a
male uniform staff member until I got promoted and put
(23:24):
into a female facility.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
So for all the female correction staff out there, my
hat's off to you.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
I have a new found respect for you because who
I was honestly calls I almost turning to rank down. Honestly,
it calls I was only there for a week and
I was trying to rank down I was only there
for a week.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Wow, that could be a whole new episode all on
its own. Yeah, we could probably talk about all the
different types of weapons that they make and they're the shives,
the shanks, all that stuff. Sure, that's another episode they
got countless. It'll be just so much, so much interesting stuff. Kevin, Well,
(24:04):
thank you so much again for this opportunity and for
doing your show. I think I'm really excited. I'm sure
the fans are going to be as well.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Hopefully hopefully so hopefully so. Like I said, I have
a bunch of material, you know, so we'll see how
it goes over. And you know, right now, right now,
it's once a month, but if the fans want more,
I have twenty eight years worth of experience of shit.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So and folks here, this is kind of our introduction.
So we're gonna have a little bit. We're gonna spruce
it up over time with some video clips and some
pictures that Kevin will pobably send us as well as
we'll be looking at different items and things that we've
seen in the prisons, and if not, I can find
plenty that we can show Kevin and he can give
us insight on what's happening. Again, if you want to
support our podcast on our show, make sure to share
(24:45):
and subscribe.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Thanks again, Kevin, You're welcome callers eight time. Thank you
very much for the opportunity. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
How do you guys check out in the world of
the CEO.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
We signed We just signed out. We get we actually,
we get properly relieved.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
Okay, the correction is a twenty four hours, twenty twenty
four twenty four hour day, seven days a week to
Friday business.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
So we get properly relieved.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
And then we do we shot put our civilian clothes
and take off the correction, uh moniker and become a
civilian again.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
All right, we're signing out then, all right, all
Yeah, this is life inside Christ. Do you want the
real deal, homie? This is what you miss when the
sale lights. Get your mind right and thinks straight. You
know the perspectives to see. Oh, it's in the inmates.
This is life now. Just want to survive? Now when
the light's out, keep quiet, better, bite down if you're
ready for less getting you want to know the truth,
(00:20):
take a pusy life inside Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome everyone to our first episode. This is retired Captain
of Rankers Prison, Kevin Flynn. Welcome sir.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
How you doing? Call? How you doing everybody that's listening
out there? Great?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Thank you so much for joining us, for doing this.
This is your first episode and I'm really excited to
learn about Today. We're going to be looking at fact
or fiction within the prison system. As you mentioned earlier,
there's a lot of misconception about the life inside of prison,
isn't there.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Yes, there's a lot of callers, I mean varying from
the terminology between them a population and correction officers.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Now prison guards.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
That's that's who who that that's that's curse of calling
us prison guards is a hoof Yeah, I'm not gonna
use that word. Yeah, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Calls.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
See, that's the first thing.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
It's a good thing.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
The first topic we write off the get go is
the names and terminology and prison guards as are no
known correction officers as a go go.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Absolutely absolutely, Kevin, you were there? How many years in RECs?
Speaker 4 (01:34):
I did? Actually, uh twenty eight years, seven months and
twenty four days.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Wow. Yeah, And how that came to be.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
When I got tired of it, you know, I'm not
gonna lie when it stopped being fun, when it actually
we started becoming a job, I said, this time for
me to call it a career. And I went down
to the retirement board, and I was really trying to
do thirty years. My father, who I lost six years ago,
he worked for the train authority, and he beat me
at everything, Carlos. He beat me at bowling, he beat
(02:04):
me at chess, he beat me. He even beat me
out here with all my so I had it. I
wanted to beat him at something, and I knew he
did at least twenty years with a transit authority here
in New York. So when I went down to her
retirement board, I said, I'm trying to do thirty years.
And they say, well, Kevin, you know you have twenty
eight years, seven months and twenty four days.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I said, I'm trying to do thirty years. He said, well,
the difference between twenty.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Eight years and sony change and thirty years is about
one thousand dollars. I said in my pension. I said
a month. He said, no, a year. I said, that's
about that's about thirty dollars a month. He said, yeah,
I said, what do I sign? So that's how I
know the specifics.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
All right, Well that's good.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Now, so you have plenty of experience. You've seen a
lot of things because you know, there's a lot of shows,
there's movies. There's always a fascination. Human beings are always
fascinating about the world. They don't want to be a
part of, but they definitely want to learn about from
a right, we like to see murder movies or murder mysteries.
Obviously we don't want to be involved. We don't have
anybody who's close to us to be murdered.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
We like to watch that stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
And same thing with prisons. It's the world, as you
mentioned that the city within a city. Yeah, so I
guess the first thing is you hear a lot is
that there are moral codes within the prison system. Yes,
and how does that work between the inmates what's going
on there?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Well, legally, we're not supposed to know what the inmate
has been charged with or convicted of. But as I
said before, it's a city within the city, and individuals talk.
Some criminals brag about their incarceration, and that's how you
find out information. And I hate to say it, but
you have some offices that notice information and.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Have a big mouth.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
And one thing that is we call it jailhouse It's
called jailhouse justice. Is that the inmate population really don't
tolerate crimes against children or or the elderly. That's that's
worse than calling us prison guards. And it's to the
point where it wants to once the officers find out
(04:10):
or administrative staff find out that particularly innovative that's been
incarcerated has to be monitored to maybe put in a
certain area, because the inmates will try to manipulate their
way to get to the housing area to assault the
individual that create that committed a crime against a child
or an order or an elder That's that that's what
they call the jail house justice. And the violence is
(04:33):
call us the violence is real.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Do they have to kill them or is it just
it depends, you know, it depends.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
And well, first of all, with regards to correction in
here in New York City, specifically right as Island, your
only sentence to a year once you get it, once
you commit a crime, go through the process. And just
since it us to some jail time finds you guilty
of a crime, he can only send to a year.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Anything over a year.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Then you have to go to another facility upstate saying
saying green Haven, things of that nature. But right now,
only how the individuals for one year, and they also well,
first of all, another thing that people might not know
is that Ryker's Island is comprised of at least seven
different facilities. It's just not one business like it's just
(05:23):
not one big jail.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
But it's a lot of people think I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So when the inmates they let's say they have a
cellmate and they've been notified, right they said, hey, Jack, Bob,
and your cell vates it's a pedophile, So now Jack
has to take care of business. Do they have to
kill them? Do they just have to severely beat them?
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Sometimes they really sometimes they really try to kill them.
It's just my opinion. I think they really tried to
kill them. I really don't think they try to just
assault them to send a message. I think that's once again,
it's just my opinion that they really try to do
some serious damage where they they are no longer using
gaio terminology, no longer on the count because in corrections, we.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Paid the count.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Got to sound cold or disheartening, but we're paid the count.
Bodies live, breathing bodies. That's where we pay the count.
That's what So you know, that's one off the count.
If they kill somebody, that's one off the count. So
they usually with the pedophiles and the assaults on the seniors,
they want to try to take them off the count.
So if anybody in the program or the department give me,
say off the account, taking them off the account and
(06:32):
take them off account, that means they either got discharged,
they did their time, they got discharged or bailed themselves out,
or they might have been subject to some type of violence.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Folks, I'm telling you right now, it's going to be
a fascinating series. We're going to have an episode of
the month Correction City within a city. We're going to
be having another episode talking about prison terminology, what it means,
the culture within the prison. Kevin's also going to give
a situational awareness tips that he learned with during his
twenty eight years in the system. So you definitely don't
want to miss future episodes. Leave us a comment, hit
(07:04):
that like and help us out and tell us what
you think. If you have questions for Kevin, I can
always send them to them, so just make sure you
let me know. So Kevin fascinating stuff because that's something
people always hear about. They don't really know if it's
true or not. We don't hate to hear a lot
of it. I do see it on the news, though
usually local news or report pedophile killed in the prison
(07:25):
system whatnot. Now, this is going to be kind of
an odd question, but that individual who's got that responsibility,
obviously they're going to have an increased sentence because of
that behavior. So is it annoying to them in the
sense of man, why does this person have to be
put in my cell? Because now I'm going to be
(07:46):
stuck here for another three years because I have to
do this. If not, I'm going to.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Get beat up by everybody else.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
How does that mentality you think.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
It happens and it is peer pressure, you know, and
you know pressure bus a take can and you know what.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
We just found out that inmate Joe Blow has been.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Locked up because he assaulted a three year old in
a park, a three year old girl in a park,
or he raped a sety five year old grandmother that
was just bunding her business.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
What you're gonna do about it?
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And that's how the pressure comes into That's how the
pressure comes into the fold. What are you gonna do
about it? Some people I don't do anything. Well, listen,
you've got to do something or we're gonna do something
to you. Going back to that pressure aspect, and it's
unfortunate for the correctional officer in that, especially in corrections
in New York City corrections. You have two officers in
(08:41):
this in the housing area, but of maybe twenty to
thirty different inmates of various nationalities, racist, creeds and colors, religious.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
But you have two officers. Now that's on paper.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Realistically speaking, you have one officer that's on an and
he or she has the keys to the housing area.
You have the b officer who's actually behind the gate
with the inmate population.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
So in actuality, the bolls behind.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
The gate with fifteen to twenty maybe twenty five individuals
by themselves. So it's really one person on it, one
person in the old area. Now it's unfortunate that it
when it goes bad, and it has gone bad, the
a officer with the keys cannot if he sees his
or her partner in trouble with the other inmates, they
(09:32):
also with the keys cannot go behind that gate because
now it creates the house of situation because so we
have what they call that person body along and we
have pepper spray. But one thing we teach, and I'm
also retired instructed. Also one thing we teach and I
teach about physical conditioning.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
I taught it about what I taught.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I'm retired now. I taught physical conditioning. Because the inmates
have two jobs. One is to work out and the
others to watch you. And with pedophile or the elderly
person that was assaulted in the street, they wait for
that one officer to either get complacent or they'll they'll
distract him or her to get to this particular individual.
(10:17):
When the cellers given it open, when the sells give
it any close in the day room, and constantly you
have to have your head on the swivel as the
city was in the city and when it goes left,
some more jail terminology. When it goes left, the officer
has to. Basically, we don't break up fights. A lot
of people have their misconception that as a correctional officer
(10:38):
when it when that situation happens in the housing area.
That also for the running. No, we do not break
up fights. All we can do is give direct orders,
call the policy and procedure. Stop stop stop, stop stop,
identify the key players, press our personal body along, do
a lot of chemical agency we have to, and then
way for help to arrive.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Now going back to the physical condition.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Going back to the physical conditioning, help is going to
take at least two minutes. And when I taught in
the academy, I used to tell the in service and
the recruits, I used to give them an exercise. And
anybody in your audience callers can try this at home.
To get a regular box fan, turn it on medium
(11:21):
and with everything you got, punch at that air with
everything you have for two minutes and hear what condition
and see which conditioning is. Now this is air that's
not coming back at you. And see how you feel
putting that air that's not really hurting you for two minutes.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
See which conditioning.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Now I multiply that with a serious incident going on
in the housing area. You've got ten to fifteen individuals.
Try to get at one individual or get at the officer,
and you have to wait two minutes for help to arrive.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
And it's a minimum of two minutes.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yes, in sense, stup to a lot of insight on that.
Let's move over to our second factor.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Fiction.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
This is another one people wonder about. And I know
we can go off on a lot of different tangents,
but just for this particular one, do they really separate
themselves within the prison? The Latino gangs go one side,
the African American gangs on another side. Do they really
separate themselves? I've heard mixed stories on this. What was
your experience?
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Yes, they do, and it's now documentation where inmate comes
into the facility.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
And he we call it.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
They classify the SRG Security risk groups and we identify
them to the process where they have to be searched
in every identified market, documented and it's compared to whatever
information we already have with regards to gangs or security
risk groups. Gang, We're gonna be candidate gang, but in
(12:54):
documented terms is srgs security riskroups? But they said what
game they affiliated with? And the department has tried to
put gang members with other gang members, you know, crips
with crips, bloods with bloods, Latin Kings and the like.
But it's come to find out that different gangs, these
(13:18):
various gangs have different sets and in my experience in corrections,
I've had gang members of the same gang have beef
with a different set of the same gang. So it
became kind of complicated. Yeah, you know, and then you
have anything. Then you have individuals that will say there,
(13:40):
let's say their their blood and well, I'm gonna give
you an exact story that took place with me as
a supervisor.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Uh an inmate say, cat, you.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Gotta get me out of you gotta get me out
of here because I'm a blood.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
I said, Okay.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Policy says, once I'm informed that I have to move them,
I had I did. I had a problem with that
because if you get locked up for a prime you
got to paint the h on the handlet more jail
terminology paint on the age and handle it. But I said,
are you willing to fill out a card that says
that you're a blood? Remember this security risk group?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
He said yes.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
I said, okay, he filled out the documentation. I processed it.
I put him in a housing area that was predominantly blood.
He got in a predictlar the housing area and didn't
feel comfortable and said, no, cap, I'm really a crypt.
I'm like, well, listen, I'm sorry. I don't know what
to tell you. You got to stay here now. He said, well,
you're jeopardizing my life. I said, I'm not jeopardizing your
life because you just document it with your own your
(14:32):
own sendature. Then you said your blood, So I'm covered.
I'm covered legally, I'm covered. And this is what this
is the process they actually have to go through. But
they they're trying to manipulate the system to get to
where they want to be. And then if they're not comfortable,
they'll try to manipulate the system to once.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Again, they will get the office in order to revise it.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
That's complacent or feel sorry for what doesn't no policy
and proceed cuture and and they will wait till they
come up, wait till they come to work, wait till
they go like like say, hype speaking me myself. You
know what, Captain clen He's going on vacation. So we
got three weeks to play. Like when they when they
with that phrase when the cats away the mice to
(15:17):
play it was it was that time of that time
of atmosphere times out there crazy stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, we're gonna wait another month.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
There's so much going on, because that's another topic too
we can talk about. We'll see what the feedback is
with this, with with this showing. How was that? I
was that?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
No, perfectly fine, But this is another great show too,
because I know you've mentioned it before, the mistakes the
correctional officers can make if they're too kind. Yes, so
Kevin switching gears. Now, there's always the notion of the
dropping of the soap in the shower. Uh, yeah, I've
(15:58):
seen himmates tall wa No, that's not really true.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Call us. It's true. I got a sneak. It's mm hmm.
It's true.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
And that's just not that's just one of them.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
You have individuals that live alternative lifestyles and.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
The there's that there they're wearing other pants, sagging in
the prison system. It sends a uh, it sends a
message in that uh, those the individuals living alternative lifestyle,
which it didn't it it didn't just start in prison.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
It really didn't.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Just a little history and somebody had to educate me
on this is that in the slavery days, alternative lifestyle
didn't just happen first of all, and I thought it
happened in the prison system, but somebody said, keV, no,
check your history. In a slavery day, these the slave
masters that live that alternative lifestyle used to have their
(17:04):
slaves walk around with their pants hanging in that fashion
to let other slave owners know that listen, this slave,
you can indulge in whatever you want to indulge in.
So I was in pral like you're shaking your head, Wow,
I was doing the exact same thing.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
Oh wow, I think exactly. I say the exact team
to you words. Oh wow.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
So in the prison system, what happens when you first
your first time being processed through the through receiving room
or intake area or jail house lingo. You have to
wear a certain uniform. There are different colors of uniform
based on your the age or your the location where
(17:45):
you're going to be housed at or facility that your
your your the facilion facility that you're being housed in,
so there's uniform in that fituation. We have to take
all your speeding clothes and put them in a storage
area and we give you what we have at the moment.
We do not have any tailors during an initial processing system,
so we give you what you have at the moment,
(18:05):
and sometimes it doesn't fit. And you have individuals that
either deal with it until they can go to the
closed box and get the right uniform, or they might
live in that that alternative lifestyle. And this is a message.
But you have some individual that already incarcerated that know.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
How to jail.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
More on jail house lingo, that know how to jail.
We'll see that individual with his pants sagging in that
manner and just automatically assume that he is living that
lifestyle and will make advances to them, and sometimes it
resources to violence.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
So it's not just dropping the soup anymore.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Oh wow, So yeah, I guess the question is if
you do drop this, so what should they do take
it around?
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Ye I don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
I've never had the experiences, but I don't know, uh,
I don't know, but from the office standpoint, you know
the inmate will report it and it has to be investigated.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
But once again pure pressure. You have to be subgested to.
You got old phrase, snitches, get stitches, more jail house lingo.
But if it's reported, has to be.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Investigated, and it may that with the victim will probably
just get transferred to a different house in there. But
in corrections, it's a city within the city, it will
get out regardless of what facility you go to, whether
it's in on Rights itself or one of the other
five boroughs but have fertilities. It may call it Mays talk,
(19:33):
it mays talk, so it's it's a pressure to either
deal with it or engage even though that's not your
particular preference, or risk being assaulted because you told the
Department of Correction that you for lack of a been
afraid dropped soap.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
So crazy stuff. I guess our last one here would
be relationships with CEOs. We've seen it sometimes. We had
the one that think of in New York last year
I think it was a year and a half ago,
where she let out two individuals because she had a relationship.
Is that really is it? Is it a common phenomena?
Is it's something just that the media and the movies
(20:15):
will will HiPE it. It happens, It happens. It's not
as common as people like to think, but it does happen.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
They they it mays for lack of a better for
lack of a better word, they're predators, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
And they'll see a young lady and there's a new
officer that she's surrounded about fifteen to twenty guys, and
you know, they'll walk around inappropriately and they'll they'll wait
for see the ones that show us little side of weakness.
And you don't have to show much call us. You
don't have to show too much weakness. Well, once they
(20:54):
see that little bit of weakness, they attack it, which
is why even though the female correction offices in Deparma
creation their ladies, you know, but they got there, especially
the experienced ones, they're a little they're a little tough,
they're little rough runner edges. And it's not because they're
losing their feminity. It's because they have to maintain a
certain level of respect and dignity around a predominantly male
(21:17):
inmate population. And it goes with the female inmates as
well with the male officers. I have a new found
respect for the female correction officer in a male facility
because when I made captain, we had to go all
with the job training and they assigned me to a
female facility someplace I've never worked for my life, and
(21:39):
I felt violated.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
I mean, Carlos.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
In correction, the supervisors, we wear white shirts. So I'm
going to the cell area and all that sudden, I
hear a movie on movie on. I'm like, they got
CD players, they got DVD players in the cell.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
But then call us.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
As I'm walking, pay had to do on my inspect
I had to make sure that I said, we're correction,
we count live breathing bodies. So I just can't turn
my I can't turn the blind's eye. I have to
make sure I see a live breathing body in this
particular cell. And I'm seeing parts of the female anatomy
that I was I mean, I'm a heterosexual male, don't
(22:19):
me wrong, but I'm seeing parts of the female anatomy
that I.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
That I never expected to see in a prison.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
And I'll let you, I'll let I'll let our viewers,
let the imagination run wild, I mean dropping towels, and
it was Carlos, it.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Was it was, And then I realized I was the movie.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
So that gave me a new found respect of the
female officer in the men's institution, you know, because the
men do the same thing. They walk around with the
boxes on, and they in the shower, and we have
to monitor the showers. I mean, it's that's part of
our job because a lot of a lot of violence
happens in the bathroom, so we have to monitor the shower.
(23:01):
So you have the female officer in the housing area
and we have to be visually of our surrounded. You
got the men in the showers and they've been incrossed
and they see an attacks of female or female for whatever,
and they have a reaction, and you know, you walk
around with the boxes and things in that nation. So
I never I took it for granted as being a
male uniform staff member until I got promoted and put
(23:24):
into a female facility.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
So for all the female correction staff out there, my
hat's off to you.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
I have a new found respect for you because who
I was honestly calls I almost turning to rank down. Honestly,
it calls I was only there for a week and
I was trying to rank down I was only there
for a week.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Wow, that could be a whole new episode all on
its own. Yeah, we could probably talk about all the
different types of weapons that they make and they're the shives,
the shanks, all that stuff. Sure, that's another episode they
got countless. It'll be just so much, so much interesting stuff. Kevin, Well,
(24:04):
thank you so much again for this opportunity and for
doing your show. I think I'm really excited. I'm sure
the fans are going to be as well.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Hopefully hopefully so hopefully so. Like I said, I have
a bunch of material, you know, so we'll see how
it goes over. And you know, right now, right now,
it's once a month, but if the fans want more,
I have twenty eight years worth of experience of shit.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So and folks here, this is kind of our introduction.
So we're gonna have a little bit. We're gonna spruce
it up over time with some video clips and some
pictures that Kevin will pobably send us as well as
we'll be looking at different items and things that we've
seen in the prisons, and if not, I can find
plenty that we can show Kevin and he can give
us insight on what's happening. Again, if you want to
support our podcast on our show, make sure to share
(24:45):
and subscribe.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Thanks again, Kevin, You're welcome callers eight time. Thank you
very much for the opportunity. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
How do you guys check out in the world of
the CEO.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
We signed We just signed out. We get we actually,
we get properly relieved.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
Okay, the correction is a twenty four hours, twenty twenty
four twenty four hour day, seven days a week to
Friday business.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
So we get properly relieved.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
And then we do we shot put our civilian clothes
and take off the correction, uh moniker and become a
civilian again.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
All right, we're signing out then, all right, all
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