In this episode, we talk to Brad Cowen who worked at the Department of Corrections in Massachusetts for over 34 years. Brad worked his way up through uniform ranks, entering a management position after 20 years. He discusses what he saw from a staff perspective, how difficult it is to discuss issues, including vicarious trauma, institutional trauma, as well as the code of silence that exist even among staff. We discuss a late, great man we both knew, Robert Sweeney, as well as the murder of his daughter and how this impacted his life, as well as his family.
Brad is open, honest and clearly invested in helping others and this really shines throughout the interview.