I Spent 25 Years In Prison — This Is How It Turned Me Into An Animal

Ben McChesney spent 25 years behind bars, serving time in more than a dozen state and federal prisons across the country — from low-level facilities to some of the toughest penitentiaries in America. His story is one of chaos, survival, and defiance. After being accused of stealing several pallets of firearms in what became one of the largest gun heists in his state, Ben went on the run to Mexico for two years before being captured. Acting as his own attorney, he fought multiple cases, beat a federal kidnapping charge, and survived years of violence and transfers across 14 federal prisons. Inside, he ran underground poker tables, fought predators, and lived by his own code. Raw, unfiltered, and brutally honest, Ben’s story exposes the reality of long-term prison life, corruption, and what it truly takes to survive 25 years in the system. #LockedInWithIanBick #PrisonStories #TrueCrime #LifeInPrison #RedemptionStory #RealStories #PrisonLife #SurvivingPrison Thank you to BLUECHEW for sponsoring this episode: Visit https://bluechew.com/ and use promo code LOCKEDIN at checkout to get your first month of BlueChew & pay five bucks for shipping. Connect with Ben McChesney: Youtube:    / @allamericanconvict   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allamerican... Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@allamericanco... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5DoYIui... Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?h... https://ianbick.com/ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: From Wyoming State Prison to Federal Time 02:40 – Growing Up in Montana & Florida: Early Chaos Begins 06:00 – Family Life, Childhood Trauma & First Trouble 12:00 – Institutionalized Young: Juvenile Facilities & Reform Schools 19:00 – Early Criminal Mindset: Manipulation, Hustling & Survival 25:00 – Wild Behavior, Theft & the Road That Led to Prison 32:00 – First Adult Sentence: Inside Wyoming State Prison 39:00 – Maximum Security Life: Violence, Chaos & Prison Reality 46:00 – Solitary Confinement, Instigating & Survival Tactics 55:00 – Negotiating with the Warden & Gaining Prison Status 01:00:00 – Released from Wyoming: Back to the Streets 01:08:00 – Federal Case: Conspiracy Charges & Facing the Feds 01:15:00 – Federal Prison Journey: Medium Security to Camp 01:19:00 – Smuggling, Schemes & Controversy in Camp Life 01:25:00 – Fights, Transfers & Federal Prison Politics 01:32:00 – Sex Offenders, Prison Justice & Yard Rules 01:41:00 – Books, Mindset & Turning Life Around 01:46:00 – Beating a Case & Marriage Problems After Prison 01:54:00 – Financial Trouble & Planning a Major Gun Heist 02:03:00 – Gun Heist Fallout, Relationship Chaos & On the Run 02:13:00 – Life on the Run: Hiding in Mexico 02:27:00 – Captured in Mexico & Extradited Back to the U.S. 02:55:00 – Legal Battles: Kidnapping Charges & Polygraph Test 03:03:00 – Federal Trial, Sentencing & Wild Prison Stories 03:17:00 – Reentry, Parole & Learning to Live Free Again 03:24:00 – Staying Out for Good: Lessons, Redemption & Moving Forward