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 wallsDr. 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.