What was Jelly Roll in prison for? Rapper sworn in as deputy sheriff during Genesee County Jail visit

American rapper Jelly Roll was sworn in as a deputy sheriff on July 27, 2024, on his visit to the Genesee Country Jail in Michigan. He was there for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate a music studio in jail aiming to rehabilitate the inmates.

Jelly Roll has a past of being in jail, having first been imprisoned at 14 and spending the next ten years in and out of facilities. He has been arrested about 40 times for charges like shoplifting, drug dealing, aggravated robbery, and drug possession.

When Jelly Roll was 16, he was arrested on charges of aggravated robbery and was charged as an adult for his involvement in a robbery of weed with a gun. Commenting on the same, the rapper told Billboard in 2023 that he didn't want to overlook that it was a heinous crime and that:

"This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid that made the worst decision that he could have made in life and people could have got hurt and, by the grace of God, thankfully, nobody did."

The Wild Ones rapper was sentenced to seven years of probation and eight years in prison wherein he only served for over a year for the charge of aggravated robbery.

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"That’s second chances"— Genesee County Jail Sheriff commented on Jelly Roll during the rapper's visit

During his visit to Genesee County Jail, Jelly Roll was praised by Sheriff Chris Swanson, who said the rapper can touch lives like no one he's ever seen. As per several reports, the sheriff then swore Jelly Roll in as a deputy sheriff, giving him his ID and badge.

"Here’s your badge man, this is the real deal. That’s second chances.”

In his interview with Billboard, the Almost Home rapper talked about the moment he turned his life around which was learning about the birth of his daughter Bailee in 2008. Talking about the life-changing moment, the rapper told the publication:

“I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now."

After his daughter's birth, the rapper was transferred to the education unit from the violent offenders unit where he studied for his GED. Jelly Roll passed the test on his first attempt and met his daughter on her second birthday after he was released.

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In other news, Jelly Roll recently announced that he will be visiting Detroit as a part of his Beautifully Broken Tour 2024 on November 6, 2024. The rapper will be joined by artists like Allie Colleen, Shaboozey, and ERNEST during his Detroit concert.