I Was a New Jersey Correctional Officer — Here's Why I Walked Away After 3 Years | Laquan Rouse
September 9, 2026
AI Summary
5 min read"I Was a New Jersey Correctional Officer — Here's Why I Walked Away After 3 Years"
Laquan Rouse spent three years as a New Jersey correctional officer at Trenton State Prison and later at Rahway, after surviving being shot three times as a teenager. He walked away from the job not because of the inmates, but because of how fellow officers and supervisors treated him after a personal situation turned sour. His story offers an inside view of prison operations, inmate culture, and the quiet corruption that officers navigate daily.
From Shooting Victim to Correctional Officer
Rouse grew up in Jersey City, a place he describes as "tough." His mother was a teacher for 39 years, his father worked three jobs. Despite coming from a two-parent household, Rouse drifted into trouble. He attended four different high schools, was kicked out of one, and was eventually sent to Snyder High School — a school so dangerous that students couldn't wear bookbags and had to pass through metal detectors.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Locked In with Ian Bick
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 Timestamped Navigation Outline
- 2 (00:00) **Opening Advertisements** - Upwork, Growth Therapy, and Stamps.com ads
- 3 (02:22) **Laquan Rouse's Background and Upbringing** - Growing up in Jersey City with a two-parent household and a large family
- 4 (10:50) **Getting Shot Three Times at Age 17** - The shooting occurred three days before his senior year football season
- 5 (28:40) **Returning to Football After the Shooting** - Playing his first game three weeks after being shot
- 6 (33:30) **Why He Avoided Gangs Despite Family Involvement** - Explaining the block-based street culture of Jersey City
- 7 (42:51) **Joining Corrections for the Pay** - A friend showed him a paycheck and he applied on a whim
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Laquan Rouse grew up in New Jersey associating with gang members without ever joining, was a star athlete who had every reason to believe sports would define his future — until he got shot three times his senior year of high school and had to decide who he was actually going to become. He straightened his life out and became a New Jersey correctional officer, spending three years working the floor inside Trenton State Prison and other New Jersey facilities where he earned respect from inmates, witnessed corrupt guards, and accumulated funny stories and hard truths. Then he walked away voluntarily — and is now sharing why.
_____________________________________________
#CorrectionalOfficer #PrisonGuard #PrisonStories #TrueCrime #NewJersey
_____________________________________________
Thank you to FACTOR for sponsoring this episode:
Head to https://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026.
_____________________________________________
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
_____________________________________________
Timestamps:
00:00 Crazy Smuggling Story
00:14 Meet Laquan Roose
00:37 Growing Up in Jersey City
01:13 Family and Upbringing
02:00 Only One in Law Enforcement
02:35 Views on Cops as a Kid
03:04 High School Troubles
04:36 Switching Schools
05:01 Family in Education
05:26 Why Getting Into Trouble?
06:00 Dad's Work Ethic
07:19 Struggle vs. Discipline
08:00 Getting Shot
08:51 Gang or Personal Beef?
10:49 Out at 2 AM
12:18 The Shooting Details
14:30 Hospital and Family
15:27 The Pursuit Continues
16:36 Getting Help
17:33 Wanting Revenge
19:45 Cops Investigate
20:17 Leaving the Hospital
22:03 No Retaliation
23:33 Parents Want Cooperation
24:18 Back to School and Football
27:46 Normal for the City?
28:50 Block Culture
29:18 Family Gang Involvement
29:48 Avoiding Gangs
31:03 Junior College
31:57 Impact of Environment
32:14 Protecting Younger Brother
34:01 Fixing the Community
35:13 Sponsor: Factor
36:52 After Junior College
37:27 Getting into Corrections
39:05 The Pay
39:38 Family Reaction
40:52 The Academy
42:1
More from this podcast
Locked In with Ian Bick →