It's so funny because when you look at the guys, that's never a topic of conversation. Yeah. What you look like? Yeah. Did you watch the football last night? It's never about, I'll watch your skincare routine. Whereas women walk into a room and because we've been taught to be pitted against each other. Yeah. Not always, but sometimes there's, oh my God, you know, I can't. It's a bit of a barrier. Yeah, yeah. and it shouldn't be there.

We should be trying to change that stereotype. always, but sometimes there's, oh my God, you know, I can't. A bit of a barrier. Yeah, yeah, and it shouldn't be there.

We should be trying to change that stereotype, believing that there is space for everybody. If you have, let's just say, two white guys, me and you were both in there, were both inmates and we're under the politics of the whites, there's going to be repercussions for our actions. So if we just try to do a thing on our own, try to make money on our own, we'll get, what, D.Ped.

So usually DEP'd. So usually DEP is if you do something wrong, your race has to deal with it. So you got DEP, you got discipline. Stephen Tidaldi left New York to become a correctional officer in Arizona, where the real lessons began after training ended. In this episode, he breaks down prison politics, how he earned respect on the job,

and what working inside Arizona's correctional system is really like.

Stephen, welcome to Lockton, man.

Thanks for coming all the way from the West Coast Coast and thanks for being a fan on the show.

Hey, man.

I'm glad to be here.

Thank you for having me.

Yeah.

And, you know, everyone loves the prison guard stories, the correctional officer stories.

And you certainly look the part too.

You remind me of a lot of COs in prison.

Yeah.

I never in my life wanted to be working in the prison system. I don't have

any law enforcement family members. I don't have like cousins or anything. Like nobody was a cop.

Nobody was in the military. Nothing. I kind of grew an attraction for it when I graduated college in 2012.

But I guess there's a lot of things to get to before we get to that.

But, yeah, I mean, where do we start?

Like from the beginning?

Yeah, yeah, of course.

...