Robert Sorensen on Law Enforcement Talk Radio and Podcast

At SoRite, expertise isn’t a talking point — it’s the foundation. That’s why we’re proud to highlight Director of Strategic Partnerships and Agency Liaison Robert Sorensen in his recent appearance on Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast with John "Jay" Wiley.

In this episode, In this podcast episode of Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, retired Federal Bureau of Prisons official Robert Sorensen joined host John Jay Wiley to discuss the tragic murder of Eric Williams, the lasting impact on officers who serve in federal prisons, and the policy changes that followed.

Listen in to hear from a leader who has worked across federal institutions, trained thousands of professionals, and remains deeply committed to advancing safety and readiness for those on the front lines.

On February 25, 2013, Senior Officer Eric Williams was working inside a housing unit at United States Penitentiary, Canaan, a high-security federal prison. During his shift, an inmate attacked him with a sharpened weapon. Officer Williams was stabbed and repeatedly struck during the assault. He was just 34 years old. Williams had built a career in law enforcement before joining the federal prison system. He previously worked as a loss prevention officer and served as a police officer with the Jefferson Township Police Department before joining the Bureau of Prisons on September 11, 2011.  He is survived by his parents, two brothers, and a sister. His name is permanently etched into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, located on Panel 12, W-29. “Eric will never be forgotten,” Sorensen said during the interview. The Federal Murder Case The inmate responsible was indicted on June 25, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The charges included: First-degree murder First-degree murder of a U.S. corrections officer Possession of contraband in prison In June 2017, a federal jury found the inmate guilty. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, but on July 10, 2017, the jury ultimately sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The Personal Impact on Federal Officers For Sorensen, the murder of Officer Williams was more than a tragic news headline. It deeply affected the officers who worked inside the prison system. “When something like that happens inside a federal prison, every officer feels it,” Sorensen explained. “It reminds you how quickly things can turn violent.”

He described the reality correctional officers face every day, supervising violent offenders in a confined and unpredictable environment. “People often forget that correctional officers are police officers too,” Sorensen said. “They just work behind the walls.”

According to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the memorial walls include the names of 528 correctional officers who have died in the line of duty.