#24 After Dark - Rick Field: Working 27 Years In California's Most Dangerous Prisons

In this After Dark episode I sat down with Rick Field - a retired California Corrections Officer who served over 25 years at the highest security prisons in California including Corcoran State Prison, famously housing notorious criminals such as: Charles Manson, Joseph DeAngelo, Sirhan Sirhan & Jaime Osuna. Rick shares how his high stress life resulted in a having a stroke and being diagnosed with kidney failure all before the age of 60. After serving the state of California for decades, Field has shifted his efforts to helping his "Brothers & Sisters" through co-founding the Guardian Program which focuses on supporting employee wellness for Corrections Officers through HeartMath backed research.

Rick shares graphic stories of inmates, block searches & the mental fortitude required to show up to jail everyday alongside some the most crazed killers of all time. This episode depicts real life events that may be disturbing for some listeners but the reason for it is invaluable: To bring awareness to the importance of mental health, stress management and life saving approaches for a population of 30,000 Corrections Officers in California who have an estimated life expectancy of only 60 years old.

To find out more about helping or contributing to Rick's mission, please visit the following:

https://www.ccsfnet.org & http://ccpoabtf.org

This episode is sponsored by Red Dot Fitness Training Programs.

Timestamps:

00:00 Iron Sights Intro
00:34 Introducing Rick Field
01:55 Welcoming Rick To The Show
02:24 Rick’s Background
03:38 Working with Dr. Robert Floyd
05:22 Leaky Gut Solutions
07:13 Rick on His Background
10:22 Rick’s Kidney Failure Diagnosis
12:19 Law Enforcement & Alcohol Abuse
14:24 Lifespan For Corrections Officers
15:09 Working In High Security Prisons
17:45 Why People Want To Work In Prisons
19:39 The Attica Prison Riot
23:43 What Goes On Inside A Prison
27:21 Gang Affiliation & Weapons
29:44 Getting Stabbed As A Breach Officer
34:58 Physical Preparedness
36:28 The Daily Stress As A Prison CO
45:47 The High Risk Adrenaline Filled Lifestyle
49:30 Being Reassigned To Another Prison
52:15 Discussing Officer Suicide
54:47 Why People Hate Corrections Officers
55:55 The Guardian Program
1:01:14 Finding HeartMath Research
1:06:38 Officer Incidents, Stress & Effective Training
1:14:27 Mentorship with The Guardian Program
1:18:26 The Identity of Being A Cop
1:28:25 Why Cops Are Quitting & What To Do
1:32:26 The New Retirement Deal
1:35:13 What Civilians Do To Contribute
1:40:32 Firearms Training & Active Shooters
1:42:00 How To Learn More About The Guardians Program

More Iron Sights Interviews:

Triple Feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMTc7AE0KaQ&t=384s
Kayley Gunner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfGqHxCv7Vc&t=522s
Mike Salemi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq-Nj6M0EBI&t=335s
Adam Schafer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiyrdWdO1y8&t=8s
Sal Di Stefano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBdKdSjQ0BM&t=4425s
Jason Khalipa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTiq-sID-EM
Byron Rodgers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrtEyuVNNpw
Donnie Oliver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKY1_TLKHlI
Chris Cheng: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr0zSGSTzKM&t=2s
Traver Boehm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_NLdIg3zBc&t=1394s

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