I Was a Latin King — This Is How I Survived Prison | Steven Johnson

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steven Johnson grew up in Connecticut surrounded by instability and a rough childhood that pushed him toward the streets at a young age. As a teenager, he joined the Latin Kings and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a chapter president before landing in Connecticut state prison. While serving time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Steven made a decision that could have cost him his life — walking away from the gang while still incarcerated. In this episode, he shares what prison was really like during that era, how he survived the consequences of leaving the Kings behind bars, and how that choice completely changed the course of his life. After his release, Steven never looked back, building a new path rooted in discipline, accountability, and staying out of the system for good. _____________________________________________ #LatinKings #PrisonStories #GangLife #LifeAfterPrison #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeSystem #RedemptionStory #lockedin _____________________________________________ Than you to AVA & LUCY for sponsoring this episode: AVA: Take control of your credit today. Download the Ava app and when you join using my promo code LOCKEDIN, you’ll get 20% off your first year—monthly or annual, your choice. _____________________________________________ LUCY: Go to HTTP://LUCY.CO/IANBICK and use promo code IANBICK to get 20% off your first order. _____________________________________________ Connect with Steven Johnson: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.john.247800 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@newslifeandbeyond?si=9xofBYhgZMzYNf4b _____________________________________________ 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 Worst Jail Memory That Still Haunts Him 00:36 Meet Steven: Life, Background & Podcast Journey 03:20 Growing Up in New London, Connecticut 07:00 Family Life, Poverty & Early Struggles 13:41 Drugs, Trauma & Losing Stability at a Young Age 19:49 Teenage Hustles, Survival & Dropping Out of School 25:05 Entering Street Life & First Crimes 28:59 When Gang Culture Took Over Connecticut 32:32 Deeper Gang Involvement & Losing Control 36:04 Becoming a Latin King 40:03 Gang Leadership, Power & Expanding Influence 44:00 Trying to Change — Then Getting Arrested 54:05 County Jail Reality Check 01:03:33 Leaving the Gang While Locked Up 01:09:19 Transfer to Cheshire Prison & Daily Routine 01:14:02 Getting Sent to Virginia Prison 01:18:04 Prison Politics & Surviving Without Trouble 01:25:01 Life Lessons From Prison & Walking Away From the Gang 01:27:01 Life After Prison & Staying Clean 01:33:01 Rebuilding Family Relationships & Finding Purpose 01:40:11 Final Reflections & Advice to the Next Generation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Right, that's it. Come on. Lights out. You've got a test tomorrow. Just two minutes. I'm about to reach the next level. It's going off now. Yeah, whatever. Let's see. Where's the app? Oh, here it is. What? How? Oh, no. You're out. Better look next time. Mom! It's game over for late nights on school nights. EE Wi-Fi controls help you get them off the Wi-Fi and into bed.
0:22.8	More parents are choosing EE broadband, the UK's fastest growing broadband provider.
0:27.8	To verify I see EE.com.com.
0:29.2	The worst thing that I ever seen while I was in jail, I was in Cheshire.
0:33.0	We was in the wait room, and this kid from Bridgeport had a problem with somebody prior to come into jail
0:39.3	so that kid actually ran into him in Cheshire so while he was doing the uh the pull downs on the
0:46.0	pull-down machine dude came up behind him and slid his holes you know from behind slit his holes
0:52.0	in the whole buck 50 you know you can see the meat hanging and, you know what I mean?
0:56.3	And, you know, it's funny.
0:58.0	I don't know if you witnessed, you know, going down in jail, but everything just gets
1:03.3	quiet and everybody just walks away.
1:05.9	Today, you're about to hear how Stephen Johnson went from leading a Latin King's chapter
1:10.6	to survive
1:11.5	in Connecticut State Prison and why walking away from the gang while locked up was the most
1:16.2	dangerous decision he ever made.
1:18.2	This episode dives into prison life in the late 90s, gang politics behind bars, and the
1:22.8	moment that changed his life forever.
1:24.9	Stephen, welcome to Lockton. Thanks so much for coming out here today.
1:30.5	Thanks for having me, man. Yeah. And thanks for the awesome care package. And you guys came in with a
1:34.5	full box of swag. I got my Ian Bick hoodie. It's actually a custom hoodie made just for me.
1:39.2	I made it myself. Oh, you print them out your house? Is that your business too? Well, see,
1:43.2	when we started our podcasts, we figured that we would have to have merch, right? So, you print them at your house? Yeah. Is that your business, too? Well, see, when we started our podcast, we figured that we would have to have merch, right?
	...

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