Prison Unlocked

Karen Gedney

5.0 (2)
Society & Culture

Prison Unlocked pulls back the curtain on life behind prison walls through raw conversations with incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and those impacted by the system. Hosted by former prison physician Dr. Karen Gedney, the podcast explores the human stories, hard truths, and unexpected lessons from both sides of the wall.

Sep 23

The Gate Opens, but the Barrier's Remain

“Your past has consequences, but it does not have to decide your future” – Jacquin Webb After spending 20 years incarcerated, Jacquin Webb walked out of prison knowing that freedom would mean much more than simply making it through the gate. In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with Jacquin - someone she knew during the final seven years of her career inside the Nevada prison system- to talk candidly about incarceration, transformation, accountability, reentry, redemption, and what it really takes to build a life after decades behind bars. Jacquin remembers the moment his sentence stopped being something written on paper and became his life. Prison took twenty years of relationships, opportunities, and experiences he can never get back. But during those years, he also began confronting who he had been, who he wanted to become, and how he could use his time differently. He describes what people on the outside often do not understand about incarceration: the exhaustion of remaining constantly alert, the accumulation of small losses over many years, and the struggle to hold onto your humanity in an environment where vulnerability can sometimes be dangerous. Then, after twenty years, the gate opened. And Jacquin discovered that release and freedom are not the same thing. Something as ordinary as standing in a Walmart aisle trying to choose toothpaste became overwhelming after decades of limited choices. Technology had changed. Relationships had changed. The pace of everyday life had changed. At the same time, he was expected to navigate parole requirements, curfews, transportation, employment, housing, identification, fees, family relationships, and countless decisions he had not been able to practice making for years. As Jacquin explains, the gate opens, but the barriers remain. Those barriers became the reason he created Reconnect 180. Reconnect 180 grew directly out of Jacquin’s own experience of coming home. Within days of his release, he began returning to help other people prepare for the same transition he had just experienced himself. He wrote down what he had learned, made copies of the information, shared his phone number, and tried to give others the practical guidance he wished had been available to him. That effort eventually grew into an organization focused on one of the most vulnerable periods in the reentry process: the transition immediately before and after release. Reconnect 180’s 90/90 model begins 90 days before someone leaves prison and continues through the first 90 days after release. The program addresses the realities that can determine whether someone successfully rebuilds a life or quickly falls through the cracks, including housing, employment, identification, transportation, mental health, family relationships, life skills, accountability, and access to resources. Jacquin explains why that preparation matters. Without identification, someone may not be able to work. Without transportation, they may miss an appointment. Without stable housing or mental-health support, every other challenge becomes harder. A missed appointment, technical parole violation, lost job, or transportation problem can potentially undo months of progress. Reconnect 180 is designed to begin addressing those problems before the prison door opens, rather than expecting someone to figure everything out once they are already outside. The program now includes a 12-week life-skills curriculum developed with assistance from the Nevada Department of Corrections, and Jacquin discusses how the program can be made available through correctional tablets so preparation for reentry can begin while someone is still incarcerated. Karen and Jacquin also revisit their years together inside Northern Nevada Correctional Center. Jacquin worked as a clerk in Karen’s Health-Related Recovery program, participated in hospice care so incarcerated men would not have to die alone, and created an exercise program that helped other men improve their health. Karen remembers him not only as someone who changed his own life, but as someone who became a leader and influenced both incarcerated men and prison staff. Their conversation ultimately reaches one of the central questions surrounding incarceration and second chances: how do we hold people accountable without believing that their worst decision should control the rest of their lives? Jacquin puts it this way: “Your past has consequences, but it does not have to decide your future.” That idea is at the heart of both his personal story and the mission of Reconnect 180. Accountability matters. Consequences matter. But so do preparation, support, opportunity, growth, and the possibility of becoming someone different. When Karen asks what he hopes people will someday say he did with his second chance, Jacquin’s answer captures the purpose behind everything he has built: “I used my second chance to make sure other people had a real one.” This episode is about incarceration, but even more importantly, it is about what comes next: the difficult space between release and true freedom, and what becomes possible when accountability is matched with preparation, support, and opportunity. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Sep 19

22 Years in Solitary – The Torture of Being Alone

“I was not born to hurt or kill, yet it became my way” – Frank DePalma At just 18 years old, Frank De Palma entered the Nevada prison system after an impulsive attempt to avenge the killing of his beloved dog. No one was injured in the incident. He received a ten-year sentence and entered prison believing that, with good behavior, he could be home in approximately two years. Instead, Frank would spend nearly 43 years behind bars - including an almost unimaginable 22 years and 36 days in solitary confinement. In this deeply personal episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with Frank and Mary Buser, the former Rikers Island mental-health professional who helped him tell his story in the book Never to Surrender: 22 Years in Solitary - The Battle for My Soul in a U.S. Prison. Frank does not minimize the violence he committed during his years in prison. Instead, he describes how an initially frightened 18-year-old became immersed in the survival culture of maximum-security prison - facing gang pressure, threats, violence and eventually becoming someone prison officials considered extremely dangerous. Then came solitary. Frank describes what happened as the years of isolation accumulated: the terror of open spaces, hearing voices, believing his food was being tampered with, retreating into elaborate imaginary worlds and eventually losing years of memory. For a period estimated at five to six years, he became nearly unresponsive to the world around him. When officials finally removed Frank from solitary after more than two decades, simply getting him out of his cell took hours. He had become so accustomed to confinement that the open world overwhelmed him. During his transport, he kept his eyes closed because the sheer amount of space was too much to process. Later, after seeing his own reflection for the first time in years, he struggled to recognize the man looking back at him. But this episode is about more than what happened to Frank. It is also about what happened afterward. Frank talks about the people who helped him begin the long process of returning to human connection - Associate Warden Lisa Walsh, psychologist Dr. Nathaniel Wood, friends and advocates who supported him after prison, and Mary Buser, whom Frank says taught him that he could trust another person again. Mary brings another perspective to the conversation. Having worked inside the 500-cell solitary confinement unit at Rikers Island, she challenges the assumption that everyone placed in isolation represents the “worst of the worst” and discusses alternatives to prolonged solitary confinement being used elsewhere. The conversation asks a larger question at the heart of Prison Unlocked: If most incarcerated people will eventually return to society, what do we want prison to do to them before they come home? Frank’s experience has now reached far beyond the prison walls. His life is chronicled in Never to Surrender, written with Mary Buser, and he is one of three survivors featured in Nathan Fagan’s award-winning animated documentary Inside, The Valley Sings, which explores the psychological effects of prolonged solitary confinement and the imagined worlds people created to survive isolation. Frank ultimately describes himself not simply through what he did decades ago, but through what he has learned since: “I was not born to hurt or kill, yet it became my way.” His story forces us to consider what punishment does, what rehabilitation could look like, and whether isolation can fundamentally change the human beings we eventually expect to return to our communities. Learn More Never to Surrender: 22 Years in Solitary — The Battle for My Soul in a U.S. Prison Frank De Palma and Mary Buser https://www.nevertosurrender.com/ Inside, The Valley Sings Directed by Nathan Fagan https://www.insidethevalleysings.com/ 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Aug 31

The Truth Between the Lines

“We have this moment to recreate who we are.” – Shaun Griffin Nevada Poet Laureate Shaun Griffin has spent decades walking into prisons with an unusual expectation: if you enter his writing workshop, you are there to do the work. No grades. No good-time credit. No easy praise. Through the Razor Wire Workshop, Griffin created a space where incarcerated men were expected to write honestly, respect one another, accept constructive criticism, and eventually move beyond the stories they told the outside world - and themselves. Over time, he watched men who initially resisted vulnerability begin writing what he calls their “real work”: poems that confronted loss, responsibility, identity, regret, hope, and the lives they had left behind. In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney talks with Shaun, a friend and colleague she has known for more than 30 years, about what happens when writing becomes more than an exercise and instead becomes a way to uncover the person underneath a prison sentence. Their conversation includes the story of Robert Gonzalez, an incarcerated man who became a lay chaplain and whose poem Still reflected a remarkable journey through imprisonment, faith, aging, and acceptance. Karen and Shaun also discuss the difficult realities of growing old behind bars and what happens when men serving long sentences begin searching for purpose through creativity, service, education, music, and writing. But the conversation also returns to a much darker chapter they share. One of Shaun’s writing students was Kenneth Miller - the man who would later take Karen hostage during a violent 10-hour ordeal inside the prison in 1989. Before his death during the rescue, Miller had written a poem for Shaun’s workshop that, in retrospect, carried a meaning neither Shaun nor the other men recognized at the time. Years later, Shaun and Karen revisit that poem together and talk about the warning hidden between its lines, the trauma that followed, and the impact Miller’s actions had not only on Karen but on the incarcerated men who knew both of them. The episode ultimately asks a larger question: What happens when incarcerated people are given both compassion and expectations? Shaun’s answer is not about excusing what someone has done. It is about requiring something harder - honesty, accountability, self-reflection, discipline, and the willingness to become something more than the worst thing in their past. The conversation also explores the Nevada Prison Education Project and the growing effort to expand writing, music, higher education, technology, and meaningful programming inside Nevada prisons. Because sometimes the most important part of a prison story isn't immediately visible. Sometimes, you have to read between the lines. This is Prison Unlocked: Raw Conversations from Both Sides of the Wall. Hosted by Dr. Karen Gedney, who spent 30 years practicing medicine inside the Nevada prison system. Learn more, listen to additional episodes, explore resources, and find Dr. Gedney’s book, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, at PrisonUnlocked.com. Organizations featured by Prison Unlocked: Reconnect 180 — supporting successful re-entry after incarceration. Nevada State Prison Historical Society — preserving the history and stories of Nevada State Prison. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Aug 20

Do No Harm

What does “do no harm” mean when the person in front of you is incarcerated for a serious crime? In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with former prison nurse Forest Fasig, whose unusual career took him from emergency nursing and flight medicine to law enforcement, aviation, and eventually behind the walls of the Nevada prison system. Forest entered correctional medicine with a perspective few healthcare professionals share. He had already spent years as an emergency room nurse and later as a law enforcement officer, working around people accused and convicted of serious crimes. When he eventually returned to nursing and began working at Nevada State Prison, he discovered a medical environment that challenged many of the assumptions people have about prisons, prisoners, and even danger itself. Karen and Forest talk candidly about the responsibilities healthcare professionals carry when treating incarcerated patients. For both of them, one principle remained constant: the patient's crime could not determine the quality of medical care they received. As Forest puts it: “I don’t think anywhere in that oath it says, ‘Do no harm except for this group of people.’” That principle becomes especially complicated when the conversation turns to capital punishment. Karen recalls being told she would be responsible for prescribing drugs used in an execution—and refusing. Forest explains why, as a nurse, he would have refused to participate as well. Their conversation raises a difficult question: what happens when the responsibilities of the correctional system come into conflict with the ethical obligations of medical professionals? They also explore something Forest learned during his years in both law enforcement and corrections: people and circumstances are rarely as simple as they first appear. “There’s no such thing as black and white. There are shades of gray to everything.” Forest shares stories of incarcerated men he encountered decades after their crimes—including people who had matured, changed, and expressed deep remorse for what they had done. He and Karen discuss second chances, personal responsibility, dangerous offenders, and the complicated question of whether the person serving a long prison sentence is still the same person who originally committed the crime. The conversation also goes inside the everyday realities of prison medicine. Forest describes the surprising differences between working in civilian emergency rooms and working behind prison walls, while Karen recalls the ongoing tension that could arise between medical staff and custody officers when a patient's medical needs conflicted with security concerns or staffing limitations. They discuss what happens when healthcare workers begin judging patients based on their crimes, the importance of professional boundaries inside prison, and the ways staff members themselves can become compromised when those boundaries disappear. But some of the most revealing moments in the episode come from programs that gave incarcerated men something meaningful to care about. Karen and Forest remember Nevada's horse and dog programs and the remarkable connections inmates developed with the animals. Men who might hide injuries rather than risk losing their opportunity to work with horses demonstrated how dramatically behavior can change when people are given responsibility, purpose, and something they value. The conversation ultimately turns to men who have spent decades behind bars and the profound effects of institutionalization. For someone who entered prison young and has grown old inside the system, release may not feel like freedom. With little money, few family connections, limited education, and a world outside that has changed almost beyond recognition, leaving prison can become frightening rather than liberating. Do No Harm is a conversation about medicine, punishment, judgment, responsibility, and humanity—and about the difficult work of seeing a patient as a person even when you know the worst thing that person may have done. This is Prison Unlocked: Raw Conversations from Both Sides of the Wall. Hosted by Dr. Karen Gedney, who spent 30 years practicing medicine inside the Nevada prison system. Learn more, listen to additional episodes, explore resources, and find Dr. Gedney’s book, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, at PrisonUnlocked.com. Organizations featured by Prison Unlocked: Reconnect 180 — supporting successful re-entry after incarceration. Nevada State Prison Historical Society — preserving the history and stories of Nevada State Prison. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Aug 13

Become a Square

“If you don’t want to come back to prison, you have to become a square” – Steve Suwe In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with Steve Suwe, a longtime Nevada Department of Corrections employee whose career began in recreation and eventually took him into casework, classification, inmate transportation, and administration. Steve entered the prison system in the 1980s with a degree in physical education and no correctional experience. He wasn't looking for a career behind prison walls. He simply saw an opportunity to bring recreation into a place where boredom, isolation, and long stretches of empty time could quickly become dangerous. What followed was anything but an ordinary recreation program. Steve introduced games, contests, holiday events, athletic competitions and even live entertainment designed to give incarcerated men something positive to anticipate. His philosophy was straightforward: when people have something meaningful to do, the entire environment can change. That philosophy led to some remarkable moments - including the day the Moscow Circus came to Northern Nevada Correctional Center, complete with horses, acrobats and performers on the prison yard. But Steve's years inside also brought moments of real danger. He recounts a terrifying confrontation in the prison gym when two intoxicated inmates armed themselves with baseball bats and began smashing through the reinforced windows of his office. Trapped inside while officers struggled to intervene, Steve suddenly remembered that earlier that day he had placed one extra baseball bat behind an ice machine. What followed sounds almost cinematic - but for Steve, it was very real. The experience gives Steve and Karen an opportunity to compare something they both endured during their careers: surviving frightening incidents inside prison and then returning to work with almost no emotional support from the institution. Both describe an unexpected source of compassion afterward - the incarcerated men themselves. Steve remembers walking back across the prison yard after the confrontation and hearing inmates cheering for him from the housing units. The next day, while staff largely carried on as if nothing had happened, inmates repeatedly asked him whether he was okay. Karen experienced something remarkably similar after being held hostage in 1989. Their conversation offers a rare glimpse into the complicated relationships that can develop inside prisons, where the traditional lines between "staff" and "inmate" don't always capture the humanity that exists between people. Steve eventually moved from recreation into casework, working directly with incarcerated men on housing assignments, jobs, education, classification, parole reports and the decisions that shaped their lives inside prison. As an intake caseworker, he estimates that he completed the initial classification of more than 5,000 men entering the Nevada prison system. Those years also gave him a front-row seat to one of corrections' most difficult problems: people leaving prison only to return again. Steve began giving men a piece of advice that became almost a personal philosophy. Become a square. Get a job. Go home after work. Build routines. Take care of your family. Stop returning to the same places, people and behaviors that repeatedly lead to trouble. He shares the story of one former inmate who later spotted him on a Reno street, pulled his Cadillac to the curb and proudly announced: "I'm a square." He had a job. A relationship. A routine. A life outside prison. Steve never saw him inside again. Another man planned his release differently. With Steve's encouragement, he moved away from his old environment, enrolled in truck-driving school and began building a completely new life. Those successes reinforced something Steve had witnessed repeatedly: releasing someone from prison is not the same thing as preparing them to succeed outside of it. For much of Steve and Karen's early careers, formal re-entry support barely existed. People could serve years - or decades - behind bars and then leave without knowing how to apply for a job, manage basic financial tasks or navigate a world that had changed dramatically while they were incarcerated. The philosophy of corrections slowly began changing during their careers, but both remember an era when the prevailing attitude toward someone leaving prison could essentially be summed up as: we'll see you again. Karen offers a different vision. She describes prison reform through something resembling a medical model: prevent people from entering the system when possible, address the underlying problems while they're incarcerated, and provide meaningful support when they return to the community. Steve's stories show why that final piece matters. Throughout the conversation, Steve and Karen also reflect on the lighter moments - the humor, relationships and unexpected experiences that rarely appear in television portrayals of prison life. And Steve speaks candidly about something that followed him long after retirement. For months after leaving corrections, he dreamed about prison almost every night. Even years later, conversations with former colleagues can bring those dreams back. It's another reminder that incarceration doesn't affect only the people serving sentences. The environment can leave lasting marks on everyone who spends years working inside it. Ultimately, Become a Square is about more than one man's career in corrections. It's about purpose. It's about routine. It's about the people who quietly try to make difficult environments a little more human. And it's about the seemingly ordinary choices that can sometimes make the difference between returning to prison and finally building a life outside of it. Prison Unlocked brings you raw conversations from both sides of the wall, hosted by Dr. Karen Gedney, who spent 30 years practicing medicine inside the Nevada prison system. Learn more about the podcast, explore resources and additional episodes, and find Dr. Gedney's book 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor at PrisonUnlocked.com. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Aug 6

Echoes of Nevada State Prison

"I'm a believer that something is there" - Joe Kinsley For nearly 30 years, Joe Kinsley worked inside Nevada’s prison system, beginning his career in 1985 at the old Nevada State Prison in Carson City. What started as a practical decision for steady work and a pension became a decades-long career that placed him inside maximum-security housing, death row, inmate transportation, prison industries, and some of the most difficult parts of correctional life. In this candid conversation, Dr. Karen Gedney and Joe reflect on what it was really like to work behind the walls during a very different era of corrections. Joe shares how he entered the profession, why so many officers stayed, and the physical and emotional toll the job could take. He also describes the strange adjustment of moving between ordinary life and a maximum-security environment where violence, hostage situations, and extreme behavior could become part of the workday. Joe recalls his early years at Nevada State Prison, including time assigned to death row and maximum housing. He discusses the psychological weight of working around men convicted of serious crimes, the stress that followed him away from the institution, and the complicated relationships that sometimes developed between correctional staff and the people they supervised. Karen and Joe also explore the very different responsibilities of custody and medical staff. Correctional officers were trained to remain skeptical and alert to manipulation, while medical professionals had to take complaints seriously enough to avoid missing a dangerous condition. Their conversation reveals how staffing shortages, security concerns, federal requirements, medical needs, and inmate behavior could collide inside the system. The episode also examines the programs Joe believed gave incarcerated people the greatest chance of succeeding after release. He points to education, carpentry, welding, prison industries, structured routines, communication training, and life-skills programs as some of the most valuable tools available. Joe shares examples of men who left prison with real certifications and marketable skills, as well as others who struggled to use those opportunities once they returned to the outside world. Throughout the conversation, Joe and Karen reflect on the unexpected humanity that existed within the prison environment. They remember incarcerated men who protected staff, enforced their own standards of behavior, warned officers of danger, and used their intelligence and skills to help others. Joe describes Nevada State Prison as a world of its own—a place containing people from every educational, economic, and social background, along with talents that were often hidden behind a prison number. The conversation eventually turns to second chances. After watching people change over decades, both Joe and Karen question what justice should look like for someone who committed a terrible crime as a teenager but later spent 30 or 40 years demonstrating maturity, responsibility, and change. Their discussion does not excuse the harm caused by crime, but it asks whether a person should forever be defined by the worst act of their youth. After retirement, Joe returned to Nevada State Prison in a very different role. Through his involvement with the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society, he began helping preserve the history of the institution and participating in tours, ghost walks, paranormal investigations, and the Dark Prison Haunt. Joe says he never experienced anything paranormal while he was working inside the prison. It was only after retirement that he began to notice what he describes as unusual energy in certain areas, including the former women’s housing unit near the death chamber. Although he has never personally seen an apparition, he has witnessed photographs, recordings, and other unexplained results captured by visitors and paranormal investigators. As Joe says: “I’m a believer that there’s something there.” From death row and hostage stories to rehabilitation, prison culture, second chances, and unexplained activity inside one of Nevada’s most historic institutions, this episode captures the many kinds of echoes that remain long after the prison doors close. In this episode: Joe’s path from the construction trades into correctionsNearly 30 years working in Nevada’s prison systemDeath row and maximum-security housingThe emotional toll of correctional workHostage incidents and inmate cultureThe tension between custody and medical responsibilitiesEducation, welding, carpentry, and prison industriesStructure, communication, and rehabilitationIncarcerated people who protected and helped staffThe meaning of second chances after decades in prisonThe history of Nevada State PrisonGhost walks, paranormal investigations, and Dark Prison HauntWhy Joe now believes something unexplained may remain inside the prisonTo learn more about the podcast, explore resources, hear additional episodes, or purchase Dr. Karen Gedney’s book, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, visit PrisonUnlocked.com. You can also learn more about the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society and follow Nevada State Prison Paranormal on Facebook. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Jul 30

The Music of Humanity

Episode 6: The Music of Humanity"Sometimes a guitar can reach places punishment never will." What happens when you hand a guitar to someone the world has already written off? For more than a decade, musician and songwriter Dale Poune walked through prison gates carrying guitars instead of judgments. As a volunteer music instructor in California prisons, he taught incarcerated men to play guitar, write songs, and discover something many thought they had lost - their own voice. In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with Dale to explore how music became more than an art form. It became a bridge to trust, self-expression, accountability, and hope. Drawing from ten years inside correctional facilities, Dale shares remarkable stories of hidden musical talent, unforgettable students, and the lessons he learned by treating every person with dignity, regardless of the crime that brought them to prison. Together, he and Dr. Gedney discuss prison culture, rehabilitation, correctional leadership, institutionalization, reentry, and why meaningful change often begins with something as simple as being seen as a human being. The conversation also explores why creative programs matter, how respect can de-escalate conflict, and why preparing people for life after incarceration requires more than punishment alone. In this episode: How Dale's prison music program beganTeaching guitar and songwriting inside California prisonsWhy music became a powerful tool for personal growthHidden musical talent behind prison wallsThe importance of dignity and respect in rehabilitationPrison leadership and its impact on institutional cultureInstitutionalization and the challenges of reentryWhy healing begins with human connectionWhether someone eventually returns to society or spends the rest of their life incarcerated, this conversation reminds us that every person is more than the worst decision they have ever made. Sometimes a guitar can reach places punishment never will. Featured Music This episode features excerpts from two original songs - "Better For Me" and "Cry" - written and performed by incarcerated musicians who participated in Dale Poune's prison songwriting program. Their music offers a rare glimpse into the creativity, struggle, resilience, and humanity that inspired this conversation. 🎵 Listen to Dale Poune's music and prison songwriting recordings on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/dale-poune Special Thanks Special thanks to Dale Poune for dedicating more than a decade to helping incarcerated men discover hope, purpose, confidence, and their own voices through music. His willingness to share these stories - and the songs created alongside his students - offers a rare glimpse into the humanity that exists beyond a prison sentence. His work is a reminder that while punishment may hold people accountable, compassion, creativity, and opportunity can help change lives. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Jul 23

Compassion Under Lock and Key: A Prison Nurse's Story

Guest: Pam Johnson "I never wanted to know what they did. I only wanted to know how to care for them." - Pam Johnson For nearly twenty-five years, Pam Johnson cared for patients inside Nevada's prison system. What began as a job she never expected to take became a career defined by compassion, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to doing what was right - even when it wasn't popular. In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with one of the nurses who had the greatest influence on her thirty-year career behind prison walls. Together, they revisit the early days of correctional medicine, when little training was provided, misconceptions about prison were everywhere, and healthcare professionals often had to rely on common sense, teamwork, and courage to navigate an unfamiliar world. Pam shares her journey from pediatric nursing in New Jersey to becoming an essential part of Nevada's prison medical system. She reflects on the culture shock of walking into a prison for the first time, learning to earn the trust of correctional staff and incarcerated patients alike, and why she made a conscious decision never to judge people by the crimes that brought them there. The conversation also explores the challenges of standing by professional nursing standards when shortcuts had become routine. Pam explains why she refused to compromise patient safety, even when it created conflict with coworkers, and how those decisions ultimately helped improve the quality of care inside the prison. One of the most remarkable stories in this episode is how Pam and Dr. Gedney helped pioneer an in-prison chemotherapy program for incarcerated patients with cancer. By bringing advanced cancer treatment inside the prison, they provided more compassionate care while dramatically reducing transportation costs, security risks, and the burden placed on correctional staff. Their work became an example of how innovation and collaboration can improve both patient outcomes and public resources. Along the way, they discuss the childhood trauma that shaped many incarcerated individuals, the importance of treating every patient with dignity, and why understanding someone's humanity never requires excusing their actions. This episode is about far more than prison nursing. It's about integrity, teamwork, leadership, and the quiet professionals who make difficult systems work every day. Through Pam's story, listeners gain a rare glimpse into a side of corrections that few people ever see—and an appreciation for the people who choose compassion in a place where many would least expect to find it. In this episode: How an East Coast pediatric nurse unexpectedly found a career in prison healthcareThe realities of entering a correctional facility for the first timeWhy maintaining nursing standards mattered inside prison wallsThe partnership that transformed cancer care for incarcerated patientsWhat years of caring for incarcerated men taught Pam about trauma and resilienceHow compassion and accountability can exist side by sideThe unseen work of nurses who dedicate their careers to correctional medicine🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Jul 16

From Life Sentence to Life of Purpose

"The opposite of addiction isn't sobriety. Sobriety is the tool. The opposite of addiction is connection." - David Nyberg At twenty years old, David Nyberg was sentenced to life in prison for his role in a murder. Forty-four years later, he walked out a different man. In this powerful episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with someone she first met while serving as a physician inside Nevada's prison system. Together, they revisit David's extraordinary journey, from a childhood marked by sexual abuse and fear, to addiction, incarceration, and ultimately a life dedicated to serving others. David shares what it was like to survive some of America's most violent prisons, including decades in the Florida, Idaho, and Nevada correctional systems. He reflects on finding mentors among long-term inmates, becoming one of the nation's most accomplished jailhouse lawyers, and using the law to advocate for the rights of incarcerated people while serving a life sentence. But this conversation is about far more than prison. It is about accountability without excuses. It is about what happens when someone accepts responsibility for their actions and chooses to spend the rest of their life making amends. David speaks candidly about the childhood trauma that shaped him, the mistakes that changed countless lives, and the moment he realized he wanted to become the man who stood up for what was right instead of remaining silent. After his release in 2019, David didn't simply rebuild his own life—he committed himself to helping others rebuild theirs. Today, he serves as a pastor, mentor, and advocate, working alongside individuals returning from prison and those who are often overlooked by society. His work focuses on helping people find housing, purpose, accountability, and the support they need to build healthy, productive lives. Dr. Gedney and David also explore the realities of prison life, surviving decades behind bars, the challenges of reentry, and why successful rehabilitation benefits every community. One of David's most powerful observations comes near the end of the conversation: There will always be people who return to prison. There will always be people who succeed no matter what. But there is a large group in the middle whose future depends on whether someone is willing to help them find connection, purpose, and hope. This episode doesn't ask listeners to excuse crime. It asks us to better understand the human stories behind incarceration—and what it truly takes to prevent future victims. In this episode: Childhood trauma and its lifelong impactAddiction and the road to incarcerationSurviving 44 years in prisonBecoming a nationally respected jailhouse lawyerLife inside Florida, Idaho, and Nevada prisonsReentry after long-term incarcerationFaith, accountability, and redemptionWhy connection is essential to lasting recoveryWhether you work in corrections, healthcare, behavioral health, law enforcement, reentry services, or simply want a deeper understanding of life behind prison walls, David's story is one you won't soon forget. Prison Unlocked shares raw conversations from both sides of the wall, revealing the people, challenges, and human stories that exist behind incarceration...stories that have the power to change how we see the justice system, those who work within it, and those seeking a second chance. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Jul 9

Changing Hearts Behind Bars - Alternative Violence Project

"Violence isn't only physical. Sometimes it begins with how we see one another." For more than twenty years, Rita Sloan has walked through prison gates—not as a correctional officer, counselor, or clinician—but as a volunteer committed to one simple belief: every person has the capacity to change. In this episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney sits down with Rita to explore the Alternative Violence Project (AVP), an internationally recognized program that has spent fifty years helping incarcerated individuals develop healthier ways to respond to conflict, build trust, and discover their own humanity. Originally created inside New York's Green Haven Prison through a partnership between incarcerated men and Quaker volunteers, AVP has spread throughout the world by focusing on experiential learning rather than lectures. Participants learn through conversation, shared experiences, problem-solving exercises, and honest self-reflection. Rita shares how a desire to better understand nonviolence led her into Nevada State Prison in 2003 - and why one workshop changed the course of her life. Together, Karen and Rita discuss: How violence often begins long before physical conflictWhy empathy and human connection reduce prison violenceThe remarkable transformation that occurs during AVP workshopsHow incarcerated participants become facilitators and mentorsWhy community volunteers often leave with their own perspectives transformedThe importance of rehabilitation alongside accountabilityWhat society misunderstands about the people living behind prison wallsDrawing on her thirty years as a prison physician, Dr. Gedney reflects on watching prison culture evolve and explains why programs like AVP, Puppies on Parole, education, and volunteer involvement create safer prisons—for both incarcerated individuals and correctional staff. One of the episode's most powerful themes is that violence isn't simply an act. It can also be found in exclusion, gossip, judgment, and the ways people treat one another every day. Conversely, genuine affirmation, respect, and connection can become powerful tools for lasting change. Whether you work in corrections, healthcare, behavioral health, education, or simply want to better understand how rehabilitation happens, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at one of the most successful volunteer programs operating inside prisons today. In this episode: The history of the Alternative Violence Project (AVP)Why AVP has lasted for over 50 yearsReducing violence through experiential learningPrison culture and rehabilitationBuilding empathy across prison wallsCommunity volunteers inside correctional facilitiesAccountability, forgiveness, and personal growthWhy recognizing our shared humanity mattersPrison Unlocked shares raw conversations from both sides of the wall, revealing the people, challenges, and human stories behind incarceration...and the individuals working every day to make lasting change possible. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Jun 18

Witness to Death: A Prison Doctor and a Correctional Officer Reflect

Witness to Death: A Prison Doctor and a Correctional Officer ReflectWhat is it really like to witness an execution? Most people will never know what happens behind prison walls when an execution is scheduled. Beyond the courtroom, political debates, and media headlines are the correctional officers, physicians, wardens, and prison staff who must carry out one of the most difficult responsibilities within the criminal justice system. In this compelling episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney is joined by retired Nevada correctional officer Caterino Escobar to share firsthand experiences from inside Nevada's death row. Together, they explore the emotional, ethical, and psychological realities of capital punishment—not through politics or opinion, but through decades of lived experience. Dr. Gedney spent 30 years providing medical care inside the Nevada prison system. Early in her career, she was ordered to write the prescriptions for a lethal injection execution. Believing that a physician's responsibility is to heal rather than participate in taking a life, she refused. Officer Escobar served 26 years as a correctional officer and volunteered to participate in execution rehearsals. During one practice inside Nevada's execution chamber, what began as a routine training exercise became deeply personal as he unexpectedly experienced what it might feel like to be the condemned inmate. Decades later, he still remembers every moment. Together, they discuss: • What actually happens inside a prison before an execution • The emotional toll executions take on correctional officers, physicians, wardens, and prison staff • Why medical ethics and capital punishment often collide • PTSD and the hidden psychological impact of working in corrections • Wrongful convictions and the irreversible consequences of the death penalty • Why treating incarcerated people with dignity can change lives on both sides of the prison walls Dr. Gedney also shares several unforgettable stories from her years inside prison medicine, including caring for inmates on death row, treating a terminally ill prisoner whose execution date was approaching, and receiving a 17-page letter written by an inmate just days before his execution—a letter devoted not to his own fate, but to warning children not to make the choices that led him to prison. The conversation also examines the difficult relationship between custody staff and medical professionals. While correctional officers are responsible for maintaining safety and security, medical providers are responsible for caring for the physical and mental health of incarcerated patients. Those two missions can sometimes collide, creating ethical challenges few people outside prison walls ever consider. Yet despite the difficult subject matter, this episode ultimately becomes a story about humanity. Officer Escobar reflects on the correctional officers who mentored and protected him during his career, as well as the incarcerated men who surrounded him in prayer when they learned he suffered from debilitating migraine headaches. Years after retiring, former inmates still approach him to thank him for one simple act that left a lasting impression: treating them like human beings. This is not a debate about whether the death penalty should exist. It is an honest conversation about what carrying out the death penalty asks of the people responsible for it—and how those experiences can stay with them long after the prison gates close behind them. Whether you support capital punishment, oppose it, or have never considered what happens behind the scenes, this episode offers a rare and thoughtful perspective from two professionals whose careers were shaped by one of the least understood aspects of the American prison system. If you enjoy Prison Unlocked, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants a deeper understanding of incarceration, corrections, and the human stories behind prison walls. To learn more, explore additional episodes, access resources, or purchase 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, visit PrisonUnlocked.com. Because behind every prison sentence is a human story. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.
Jun 2

The Hostage Who Stayed

Why would a doctor stay in prison for 30 years after being taken hostage and assaulted by an inmate? In the inaugural episode of Prison Unlocked, Dr. Karen Gedney shares the extraordinary story that began her unexpected journey into one of America's most hidden worlds. Assigned to a Nevada prison through the National Health Service Corps, she arrived with no experience, no preparation, and no idea what awaited her. Just eighteen months into her assignment, a violent hostage crisis changed everything. Yet what happened afterward - not the attack itself - ultimately shaped the next three decades of her life. Dr. Gedney recounts her early days inside prison, the culture she encountered, the inmates who helped her heal, and the lessons she learned while standing between two very different worlds: the incarcerated and the people responsible for custody and security. This episode sets the stage for a podcast dedicated to revealing the realities, complexities, and human stories that exist behind prison walls. Because understanding prisons requires more than headlines - it requires hearing the stories from the people who lived them. 🌐 Visit PrisonUnlocked.com for additional episodes, resources, and updates. 📘 Dr. Karen Gedney's memoir, 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor, is available on Amazon. 🎙️ Follow, rate, and review Prison Unlocked to help more people discover the stories behind prison walls.

12 Episodes

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Prison Unlocked pulls back the curtain on life behind prison walls through raw conversations with incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and those impacted by the system. Hosted by former prison physician Dr. Karen Gedney, the podcast explores the human stories, hard truths, and unexpected lessons from both sides of the wall.

Creator

Karen Gedney
Years Active

2026
Episodes

12
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 Prison Unlocked
Show Website

Prison Unlocked