Locked In with Ian Bick2 Marras 2025

I Was a Rikers Island Prison Guard — Here's Why I Quit | Jelani Vanholten

Jelani Vanholten didn’t grow up wanting to work inside one of America’s most dangerous jails—but life led him behind the walls of Rikers Island. After attending college and trying several career paths, he put on the correctional officer uniform and was assigned to one of Rikers’ most feared units: The House of Pain.Inside those walls, respect wasn’t given—it was earned. Jelani became known as a CO who treated inmates with firmness and fairness, earning credibility from both staff and prisoners. But the longer he stayed inside Rikers, the darker the job became. From daily violence and psychological battles to navigating gang politics and surviving high-tension housing units, Jelani saw the brutal reality of New York City’s jail system up close. But everything changed when he felt his life was in danger—and the department didn’t have his back. #RikersIsland #PrisonStories #FormerCO #LawEnforcementLife #PrisonGuard #InsideTheSystem #WhyIQuit #truecrimepodcast Connect with Jelani Vanholten: https://www.instagram.com/broadwaycasino?igsh=MXFxMDdjc3owZTl3OQ== 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 The Rikers “House of Pain” Unit Explained 00:38 Who Is Delani? Meet Today’s Guest 02:12 Growing Up in NYC & Early Survival Skills 04:46 Childhood Friendships & Street Lessons 05:52 Dreaming of Music & Reality Hitting Hard 06:44 First Encounters with the Justice System 07:59 Choosing a Career in Law Enforcement 09:03 Applying to Work at Rikers Island 10:07 The Corrections Academy: What It’s REALLY Like 11:17 Mental & Physical Challenges in Training 12:56 The OC Spray Test — Everyone Breaks Here 14:39 Training vs. The Actual Jail… No Comparison 15:54 How Delani’s Family Reacted to the Job 20:28 Day One on Rikers Island — Shock to the System 24:19 The First Shifts: Chaos, Noise & Control 27:05 Breaking Up Fights & When Force Is Necessary 30:12 Working the Mental Health Units 32:04 A Crisis in Segregation — Life or Death Decision 36:43 Controlled Chaos & Officer Culture on the Job 42:06 How Officers Earn Respect Inside 49:20 Balancing Rapport with Inmates vs. Authority 01:03:12 Boundaries, Respect, and When to Act 01:09:54 The Moment Respect Starts to Slip 01:10:54 Why Delani Ultimately Left Rikers 01:18:16 Feeling Betrayed by the Department 01:23:52 The Breaking Point: Safety vs. Family 01:27:17 Life After Rikers — What Comes Next 01:33:01 New Work & Purpose Beyond Corrections 01:34:57 Looking Back: The Cost of the Job 01:35:32 Closing Thoughts & Takeaways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(649)

I Moved Kilos of Heroin for $30 Million+ a Year — Then the Feds Gave Me 10 Years in Federal Prison | Frankie Rosario

Frankie Rosario grew up in Florida after being born in Connecticut — raised by a good family with strong morals and an exceptional mind that made him stand out academically from an early age. He was h...

9 Heinä 1h 55min

I Was a Florida Cop Haunted by the Worst Calls — Here's Why I Finally Quit | Kasey Hagan

Kasey Hagan grew up in England — and moving to America as a teenager with his father introduced him to a culture that was completely different from everything he had ever known. He got big into sports...

8 Heinä 1h 38min

I Was a Florida Cop for 5 Years — Here's the Real Reason I Quit | Christie Leigh

Christie Leigh grew up on a military base in a strict family — and the rebellion that followed eventually led her down the wrong path before she turned everything around in her late teens and decided ...

7 Heinä 1h 31min

I Was Arrested for Bank Fraud — Then Spent $500K on Lawyers & Beat the Feds | Ryan Bloom

Ryan Bloom grew up in a good family in Oklahoma with dreams of becoming a dentist. Life took a different turn and he built an electrical contracting business instead. When the business lost a major co...

6 Heinä 2h 11min

I Was Moving Pounds of Weed in New York — Then I Ended Up In Prison | Jared Callahan

Jared Callahan grew up in New York with a father who was an illegal marijuana grower — and when your dad runs the operation getting brought into the business isn't a choice it's a family tradition. By...

5 Heinä 2h 55min

I Survived Combat in Iraq — Then the Feds Sent Me to Prison | Jeremy Harrell

Jeremy Harrell is a United States Army combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom suffered mental health and brain injuries from combat received a 70% plus Individual Unemployability disabil...

2 Heinä 2h 25min

I Was Addicted to Robbing Banks — Then Got 18 Years in New York State Prison | Tommy "Big Fatts" Sanders

Tommy "Big Fatts" Sanders grew up in Niagara Falls New York — and by the time he was 6 years old his mother had been killed. His father was in prison. What followed was a childhood spent in group home...

1 Heinä 1h 24min

I Was a New York Bloods Leader — Then Did 12 Years in Prison | James Pitt

James Pitt grew up in Rockland County New York without his mother in the picture — raised by his single father alongside two siblings while watching his dad's health deteriorate throughout his childho...

30 Kesä 1h 27min