How I Survived Texas State Jails & Prisons | Corey Simek

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Cory Simek grew up in Texas surrounded by crime and addiction, with both of his parents involved in drug dealing and his father eventually sentenced to prison. Following in his family’s footsteps, Cory found himself in and out of Texas jails before ultimately receiving a state prison sentence. In this episode, Cory shares what it was really like surviving Texas state jails and prisons, including running with an independent prison group, navigating constant violence, and learning the unspoken rules of life behind bars. He opens up about how his upbringing shaped his choices, the realities of incarceration in Texas, and the moments that forced him to confront where his life was headed. _____________________________________________ #TexasPrison #PrisonSurvival #PrisonLife #StatePrison #TrueCrime #LifeInPrison #PrisonStories #incarceration _____________________________________________ Thank you to WARBY PARKER and LUCY for sponsoring this episode: WARBY PARKER: Our listeners get 15% off plus free shipping when they buy two or more pairs of prescription glasses at https://warbyparker.com/LOCKEDIN — using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #addictionrecovery _____________________________________________ LUCY: Go to HTTP://LUCY.CO/IANBICK and use promo code IANBICK to get 20% off your first order. _____________________________________________ Connect with Corey Simek: https://linktr.ee/corywiththekeys _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Jail Respect, Survival Rules, and the Inmate Code 00:58 Meet Cory: A Life Shaped by the Streets 01:16 Growing Up in Texas: Family, Environment, and Early Influence 03:33 A Double Life, Childhood Trauma, and Loss 05:39 Early Exposure and a Parent’s Relapse 06:09 Childhood Anxiety, Pressure, and Coping Mechanisms 06:12 Teenage Years: Hustling, and Fast Money 08:22 Escalation to Street Dealing 10:31 Proving Himself, Reputation, and Street Mentality 11:08 When Street Life Turns Dangerous 12:19 Living Alone at 16 and Losing Stability 13:44 School Struggles, Chaos, and Loss of Control 14:52 First Arrest and Learning Jail Survival 15:55 Racial Politics and Jail Dynamics 17:15 State Jail Life: Gangs, Woods, and Staying Alive 22:07 Lockdowns, Group Tensions, and Constant Pressure 24:41 Standing Alone and the Cost of Independence 27:02 Culture Shock Inside State Jail 28:22 The Revolving Door: Getting Out, Getting Locked Up Again 32:31 Pregnancy, DNA Results, and Emotional Breakdown 37:00 Probation, Trap Life, and Getting Caught Again 41:35 Facing a Five-Year Prison Sentence 44:31 Inside State Prison: Daily Life and Harsh Realities 53:15 Hitting Rock Bottom: Isolation and Mental Reinvention 57:21 Unit Transfers, Prison Politics, and Power Shifts 01:05:18 Gang Politics, Violent Fights, and Survival Challenges 01:15:11 Release Day and Reentering Society 01:20:32 Rebuilding Life After Prison Against the Odds 01:23:01 Success After Prison: Real Estate, Music, and Purpose 01:25:04 Final Reflections: Change, Redemption, and Prison Reform Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	To be or not to be.
0:02.8	Right now we're offering a range of incentives across Audi models.
0:06.5	That is the...
0:07.5	But only until the 28th of February.
0:10.0	The...
0:10.7	Um...
0:12.0	So stop whatever you're doing.
0:14.4	Um... I'll be right back.
0:17.1	Just carry on without me.
0:18.3	And find yours online or at Finchley Road, Audi. Audi. four-sprung Duck Technic. Terms and conditions apply. Selected models, retail customers, and participating Audi centers only. When he gets up, he was like, any of you other whole white boys got a problem? And I'm standing over here, I'm like, man, please don't look at me. And he looks around, what about you?
0:38.3	Hey, boy, you got a problem? I'm like, because I'd already been told by my dad, you know, he'd been in prison. So he's like, you know, when you go in there, if you let anybody punk you, it's over with. No matter what, you got to be ready to fight, win, lose, or draw, you can't get punks. punks. I'm like, come on. So we start going and i start getting them i actually get him in the head like i'm just banging him up and you know i'm kind of excited i'm like i'm doing good and then uh the same black dudes that i'm cool with they come and push me off i'm like hell not home boy you can't do that i'm like what he called me out one-on-one yeah but we can't let you do that, bro. He's one of us. And I didn't understand because in the street dynamic, it's like he just beat this dude one-on-one. Nobody said anything. He called me out and we're fighting one-on-one. But that's when I learned, like, the racial dynamic is a little bit different when it goes to jail or prison. Corey Simek grew up in Texas surrounded by drugs, crime, and prison, becoming normal in his
1:32.6	family.
1:33.5	In this episode, he breaks down how that life pulled him into Texas jails and state prison,
1:38.3	what it took to survive inside, and the violence and rules no one explains until you're living
1:43.3	it.
2:02.2	Corey with the keys, welcome to Lockton. Thanks so much for coming out here today. Hey, man, it's an honor to be here with Ian Big, baby. You're here. You know, looking at you, you wouldn't think it's, you know, 15 degrees outside right now. Yeah, no. I had a sweater coming in. This is the first time I saw real snow in some years coming from Texas. Yeah. What's the weather in Texas right now? You know, it's actually just
2:07.6	barely gotten cold. It's been like 70, 80 degrees all winter. We just now are supposed to have a big
2:13.5	snowstorm coming. Oh, you're getting that too? Yes. So we'll see if I get to make it back or not or if I got to stay and hang out with you for a couple days. But it'll be all right. Didn't Texas shut down the last time that had a snowstorm like a few years ago? Dude, that was like an inch of snow. Yeah, that was like Armageddon. It was insane. Like all the power was out. Everything's frozen. And we don't have like salt trucks and stuff like that. So it was like complete anarchy during that time. That is so funny. Yeah, they seem like 15 to 20 inches this weekend. I know. I'm worried about it. Did you grow up in Texas? I did. Born and raised in Central Texas.
2:50.3	Okay.
2:51.6	What was your upbringing like?
2:52.6	So I have a pretty interesting dynamic in my childhood, and I think you got to go back to my
2:58.6	mom and dad.
	...

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