Rethinking Public Safety: A Conversation with Former Nevada Prison Doctor, Dr. Karen Gedney

In the second episode of DPIC's Rethinking Public Safety series, DPIC Managing Director Anne Holsinger interviews Dr. Karen Gedney about her 30-year career as a doctor in the Nevada prison system. Dr. Gedney speaks about how prison conditions affect the physical and mental health of prisoners, how prison bureaucracy determines the quality of care that prisoners receive, and how executions take a toll on prison staff. She tells the story of her refusal to write a prescription for execution drugs in 1989, believing that doing so violated her duty to provide medical care to prisoners. Today, Dr. Gedney is an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, and she explains how her career influenced her views on capital punishment.Content warning: This episode includes a brief mention of sexual assault.