Episode 79 William Zalman Colorado Department of Corrections Director of Offender Services

Years of Service: 1977 - 2009

Bill began his career as an educational release specialist in Nebraska and eventually worked as a prison guard.

In 1980, Bill moved to Colorado and began a long career with the Colorado Department of Corrections where he finished his career as the Director of Offender Services.

After he retired, he was then hired by the Department of State where he served in the role of Senior Corrections Advisor. In his capacity, he traveled all over the world evaluating and providing recommendations to prison facilities in other countries so that they could bring their inmate housing to first-world standards.

In this episode, Bill discusses topics surrounding prisons such as transgenderism, race relations, gang relations, smuggling of contraband, and the difference between the levels of prisons including Super Max.

Bill also talks about the things he saw in prisons all over the world and which countries house their criminals as well as which ones do not.

00:00 Introduction
02:17 Early Career Aspirations and Setbacks
04:18 First Steps in Corrections
09:43 Transition to Colorado
11:39 Insights into Prison Dynamics
16:25 Intelligence and Security Operations
19:58 Contraband Challenges in Prisons
26:34 Handling Sensitive Inmate Populations
32:29 Unique Cases and Transgender Inmates
33:38 Transfer to Vacaville: A Routine Move
34:55 The Controversy of Gender Identity in Prisons
36:14 Understanding the Prison System
38:37 Why People Work in Prisons
42:43 Programs for Inmate Rehabilitation
45:42 International Corrections Advisory Role
50:48 Experiences in Afghanistan and Beyond
01:00:48 Reflections on a Career in Corrections