Tom “Huck” Finn has a wild and crazy persona on social media. But during the day he’s a correctional officer.
Right now the world is facing unprecedented times. A world crisis has brought the global economy to a halt and locked down various nations. In the wake of this global threat, the death of George Floyd has also sparked worldwide protests by the Black Lives Matter Movement. While not a police officer, Finn is an extension of law enforcement as a career correctional officer. With prisons being hot spots for the spread of Coronavirus, we wanted to get an inside look at the life of being a bodybuilding correctional officer during such turbulent times. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Huck Finn details the toll of being a correctional officer.
It goes without saying that being a correctional officer or any sort of law enforcer can take a mental toll on an individual. To be so often faced with illegal and wrongful acts every single day can rewire the very way you look at life. This is why it’s important for law enforcement to be well screened and psychologically prepared for such a demanding and potentially dangerous job.
Tom “Huck” Finn might be best known in the bodybuilding world for his insane weightlifting stunts but his day job is as a correctional officer. This is a job that’s already mentally strenuous for any individual. But now with the world in a crisis and prisons acting as hot spots for health risks – there is an even heavier weight placed on these essential workers.
That’s why when we spoke with Finn during our video interview, we asked him to share his behind the scenes take on what life is like as a bodybuilding correctional officer. Does the job take a mental toll on him? And has the recent pandemic made that toll worse?
Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly if you know Huck Finn’s personality), he says that the job rarely takes a toll on him at all. In fact he loves it. He says he likes telling people what to do. He admits that he can’t go into much detail about specific stories or confrontations with inmates – as he would lose his job. But the bottom line is that Huck Finn is perfectly suited for this kind of work.
He goes on to describe that it can certainly take a toll on some people who are not quite cut out for it. Even for some who seem cut out for it but succumb to being worn down over the long term.
It’s a totally different story in regards to the recent pandemic. With prisons being essentially lock boxes that can spread the virus. The precautions aren’t clear on how to keep both the inmates and the correctional officers safe. In a more serious tone, Finn says that he’s just taking it day by day and hoping that everything works out. It seems it’s all he can do. And for many across the country and the world – this holds true as well.
You can watch Tom “Huck” Finn’s full response to being a bodybuilding correctional officer in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
