Crip Survives California’s Most Violent Prisons | Jose Lugo

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 745 Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2025

⏱️ 100 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jose Lugo grew up in one of Los Angeles’ toughest neighborhoods, where violence, broken family, and survival shaped his early life. After joining the Crips in high school, Jose got caught up in a string of robberies and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. From the brutal reality of L.A. County Jail to life inside a California state prison as a gang member, Jose reveals what it was really like behind bars — and what it took to walk away from the streets. In this raw and emotional interview, he shares the painful process of self-forgiveness, leaving the gang life behind, and how he’s fighting for redemption every single day. #GangLife #CripsStory #LifeAfterPrison #LACountyJail #CaliforniaPrison #PrisonRedemption #StreetToRedemption #lockedinpodcast Connect with Jose Lugo: https://therealjoselugo.com/ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Get 50% off the Magic Mind offer here: https://www.magicmind.com/IANB50. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Buy Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00:00 Jose Lugo's Struggles and Upbringing 00:05:44 Family Struggles and Foster Care Fears 00:11:38 Early School Challenges and Homeschooling 00:17:37 Understanding Intense Racial Dynamics 00:23:32 Life After High School: A Turning Point 00:30:07 Close Encounter at the Store 00:36:23 Intense Police Standoff Experience 00:42:40 Navigating Racial Dynamics in Jail 00:48:21 Navigating Early Gang Dynamics in County Jail 00:54:46 Surviving a Brutal Attack: A Raw Account 01:01:01 Finding Inner Strength and Support 01:06:59 Realizations on Gang Life and Change 01:13:01 Overcoming Anxiety and Announcing Non-Activity 01:18:49 Life Under Threat: Surviving Gang Politics 01:25:15 Embracing a New Life Away from Violence 01:31:33 Overcoming Desperation and Finding Faith 01:38:05 Finding Clarity Amidst the Noise Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I spent all night on this presentation and it still looks so boring.
0:06.1	Try Adobe Express.
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0:13.2	Nice. Where do I start?
0:15.2	You can get it for free in your app store.
0:17.0	Adobe Express, the quick and easy create-anything app, free. Just out of nowhere, the shock collar from Brams comes and just, boom. He gets on top of me and he straddles me, right? So he has all his weight down. I can't move. My arms feel like Jello. That's how hard he hit me. Like, I can't. And he looks at me and he's like, hey, you're going to row your shit up. You're going to get the fuck out of here. Jose Lugo grew up in the streets of Los Angeles, caught between an abusive home and a broken family. With his parents divorced and violence at home, he turned to the Crips in high school looking for belonging. After a string of robberies right after graduation, he was sentenced to five years in
0:55.8	prison, serving time in L.A. County Jail and California State Prison as a gang member. In this
1:02.0	powerful interview, Jose opens up about life inside, the decision to walk away from gang life,
1:07.6	and the emotional battle to forgive himself and find redemption.
1:15.6	Jose, welcome to Locked in, man.
1:18.7	Awesome. I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
1:21.7	Yeah, thanks so much for coming out here. You flew in from Denver.
1:25.0	Flew in from Denver. Is that where you grew up? That's where I live now, yeah.
1:25.8	Did you grow up there?
1:28.1	I am born and raised in Los Angeles.
1:32.7	So the part of L.A. that I'm from is San Pedro.
1:35.7	So it's the harbor area of L.A., part of Los Angeles.
1:41.5	Most people are familiar with Long Beach, but there's a cluster of cities right there.
1:47.1	So it's Long Beach, Wilmington, San Pedro, Harbor City that comprises the harbor area of L.A.
1:48.7	What was your upbringing like?
1:51.5	My upbringing was tough.
1:56.6	You know, as a kid, you know, my parents got divorced when I was five.
	...

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