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'I'm a death row prison guard and one chilling confession will stay with me forever'

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT David Beechy worked in a Death Row prison for months before he realised that he couldn't stand to see humans in that light anymore.

[David Beechy]

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David Beechy was a death row prison guard(Image: Rise Above with Kevin Lanning)

A former Death Row prison officer revealed the one moment which will haunt his dreams forever.

David Beechy grew up Amish before leaving his sect to start a new life, eventually training as a correctional officer and joining Tennessees Death Row prison.

What he witnessed in the 14 months he worked there still haunts him now, more than ever, The trauma ultimately led David to walk away from the job for good.

David told Rise Above with Kevin Lanning that the job was like a crazy adrenaline rush that never happened because youre always on guard, you're always watching.

He said some prisoners were allowed one hour recreation time and a 15 minute walk while others were given eight hours and were allowed to be without handcuffs outside. For the most part they were well behaved.

[David only survived 14 months]

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David only survived 14 months(Image: Rise Above with Kevin Lanning)

He said: A lot of guys had been there 15, 20, 30 years that's a lot of time to get that young vinegar out of your system and realise you're there for the long haul.

You had to behave well as a CO because their lawyers were looking for a reason to sue you. You were held at a very high standard.

The captain who ran the prison handpicked who he wanted coming through. He would try to choose guys who he knew weren't coming in to pick a fight every other day.

At the time, it just felt like a job to David. But that has changed. He said: Ive thought a lot more about death row people since Ive not worked there.

One young man was only two years older than him. He said he thought man theres not that much difference between you and me.

[Tennessee death row prison]

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Tennessee death row prison(Image: Google Maps)

He added: The other thing too that a lot of the general public dont understand is that some of those guys that have been on Death Row for 20 years are not the same person. Should they still be punished? Probably yes. But they're no longer that kid chopped up on drugs going around killing people for 60 bucks to get their next hit.

Despite getting used to the people and the day to day life. There is one moment that still haunts him. David said: They executed one inmate during my time there and the whole unit changed, in the few weeks leading up to it and about a week afterward everything was just quiet, just eerily quiet. People were not doing their rec times, it was a really high stress situation during that time.

He also had to strip search a man who was told his date was set and all of his appeals had expired. He said: It was like he had just left. His body was there but he had just checked out. That next 24 hour period he was giving out stuff he knew he could give away.

For me now it's so crazy to see someone you know is completely healthy see that date come along.

[Henry Hodges cut off his own penis in a prison cell after slitting his wrists and asking to be put on suicide watch]

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Henry Hodges cut off his own penis in a prison cell after slitting his wrists and asking to be put on suicide watch(Image: Tennessee Department of Correction)

Another story was far more bloody. David described on inmates psychosis-induced self harm when Henry Hodges tried to cut one of his own body parts off. David said: One of the inmates tried to cut his own penis off. That was probably the craziest and grossest things.

This guy was cutting at an angle and cutting back in towards his stomach and cutting several inches deep. He was having a psychotic episode. He was hearing voices telling him to go f**k his mother, and he didnt want to do it. They stitched it back on and put him on meds.

Parts of the job have stayed with David for decades. He said he still doesnt like to sit with his back not against a wall and continues to assess peoples body language and behaviour constantly.

Now a father and a husband, he said: Now looking back and realising what I was in the middle of - it's just you doing your job and you don't think about it that much. I would say it affects me more now more than it ever has, maybe it's because I have kids.

Speaking about why he left he said: I just realised it wasn't for me. If I had family in the area, possibly. At that point I kind of knew law enforcement wasn't for me. Growing up Amish and moving into such a high stress environment I just realised i dont want to see people the way that makes you see people.

He said some people that worked there had a healthy work life balance sand others eat sleep and breathe it. He added: They go through four marriages and their kids dont talk to them because they live this crazy not normal life. The way you see humans is not the same.

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