Show Notes
In this episode, we interview San Quentin State Prison correctional officer “Mikey” who separated from the department and is now in law school. He discusses his history of depression, which he traced back to early childhood. He recalls the impact of being a latch-key kid and being home alone frequently. His depressive symptoms were exacerbated over time, as he experienced the deaths of several significant male role models, most recently Sgt. Polanco who passed away in 2020.
More from The Tactical Debrief with Dr. Massimino
In this episode, I interview Josh Cook - the founder of ETL - Enter the Lion. Josh joined the Baltimore Police Department as a police officer, eventually transferring to the Anne Arundel County Police Department. Feeling called to minister to law enforcement directly, he separated from his department, relocated to Tennessee and began Enter the Lion (ETL). ETL is a Christian ministry that provides a completely free retreat to first responders and law enforcement who are desiring re...
On June 14th, 1991 at 2:15am, five armed teenagers broke into a home in Salinas, CA, believing there was a safe with cash inside the house. For 48 minutes, they tortured a mother, a father, and their 17 year-old daughter. When the family did not produce a safe, they began raping the daughter, causing her father to resist and fight. The father was shot and killed. Twenty years later, I sat in a prison visiting room with one of the five inmates and witnessed his attempt to make amends to the ...
In this episode, I interview Valentino and Irma Rodriguez, the parents of Correctional Officer Valentino Rodriguez, Jr. Val Jr. worked as a correctional officer at both San Quentin State Prison and California State Prison Sacramento for over five years before he died of a fentanyl overdose in 2020. We discuss his family history, how Val Jr.’s death impacted their family, and get to know Val Jr. posthumously through the eyes of his parents. We also discuss the familiar topics of harass...
In this episode, we interview Tyler Caffee, the brother of Correctional Officer Jami Bowechop. Jami worked at the California State Prison, Corcoran for nine years before she died by suicide in 2016. Tyler shares about their family history, how Jami’s death impacted their family, and reasons why he believes Jami took her own life: Jami reported a use of force incident as a whistleblower and kept a detailed journal about the harassment and retaliation she experienced at work. After being fired ...
Episode 49: Selena In this episode, we interview “Selena,” a female correctional officer who works in a maximum security correctional setting. She discusses growing up with a distant mother and an alcoholic father, and the impact these early relationships had when she became a parent herself. We explore her post-partum depression, lack of emotional connection with her child, and her suicidal thoughts. She also discusses her anxiety related to commuting to work, particularly during inclement w...