I Was a Kid… Then I Got 50 to Life in Prison | Jamel Stevens

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 79 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jamel Stevens joins Locked In with Ian Bick to share his story of being sentenced to 50 to life in the California prison system at just 14 years old. Growing up in a single-parent household after his father was sent to prison, Jamel turned to the streets and got involved in gangs at a young age. A gang-related murder charge led to him going to trial as a teenager, where he ultimately lost and was given a life sentence. In this episode, he breaks down what it was like entering prison as a kid, how he survived nearly 15 years behind bars, and the reality of facing decades in prison before his life even started. After changes in the law, Jamel was given a second chance and released, and he reflects on the lessons he learned, the mistakes he made, and how he’s rebuilding his life today. _____________________________________________ #PrisonStory #TrueCrime #ExInmate #JuvenileLife #LifeSentence #CaliforniaPrison #WrongPath #lockedinpodcast _____________________________________________ Connect with Jamel Stevens: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEzVjzHlY-Xz9Gpqg6hBouw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/big_stay_/ _____________________________________________ 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 Jamal's Early Life & Family Upheaval 03:00 School Troubles & Acting Out 07:30 Junior High and First Gang Activity 11:00 Downward Spiral: Crime & Arrest 14:30 Facing Adult Trial at 14 17:00 Juvenile Detention and Adapting 19:30 Prison Life: High Desert State 24:00 Prison Politics and Lockdowns 28:00 Turning Points: OG Advice & Positive Changes 32:00 Programs, Education & College Inside 36:00 Documentaries & Self-Help Transformation 39:30 COVID-19’s Impact & Prison Chaos 43:00 Legal Battles & New Hopes for Release 47:00 Victory, Release, and Reentry Challenges 51:00 Post-Prison Struggles & Family Life 56:30 Mistakes, Custody, and Personal Growth 01:01:00 Giving Back and Community Efforts 01:06:00 Reflection, Accountability & Advice 01:11:00 Redefining Gang Influence 01:14:00 Advice to the Next Generation & Closing _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My guest today is Jamel Stevens, who was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison at just 14 years old.
0:06.4	Today, he shares how he survived nearly 15 years behind bars and got a second chance at life.
0:15.1	Well, I grew up in Sacramento, California, Chief Parkway neighborhood, to be exact.
0:20.2	What was your upbringing like?
0:21.6	Well, originally, you know, we all start from a two-parent household.
0:26.3	So I grew up with a mother and father until about the age of six years old or seven years
0:32.5	old or eight years old, somewhere around there.
0:34.5	But then, you know, I went to Parkway Elementary.
0:37.2	So one day i'm coming
0:38.2	home from school me and then i got two brothers by the same mom and dad i got multiple siblings
0:42.9	by my dad though but specifically by my mother and my father two brothers so me and my two brothers
0:48.3	come home one day my mom waiting at the door but you could tell she's serious so when we walk in she told us to sit down at
0:56.2	the table and she told us that you know we wouldn't be seeing our father for a long time but at you
1:03.4	know at that time we didn't understand but he was on the run for for a murder so then he ended up
1:10.3	you know getting apprehended he ended up going to prison. So this was back in like
1:14.6	2001, 2002, somewhere around there. So then, of course, it goes into a single parent household.
1:21.4	So then, you know, from eight until teenage years, you know, I grew up in a single parent household two brothers my uncle's
1:31.8	there he was a I wouldn't say a role model I'm gonna say a male figure to look up to
1:42.0	because you know a role model was somebody that you like a
1:44.7	mire so I'm gonna say he was like a male figure an older male figure in my life
1:48.9	but he tried to do what he can but he was surviving itself he was still young
1:53.8	so going to elementary Parkwell Elementary I would go there but when my dad
	...

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