Jelly Roll, Who Spent 13 Years in and Out of Prisons, Make Surprise Visit to Minn. Jail

Jelly Roll is giving back after spending time in jail.

The “Son of a Sinner” singer visited the Adult Detention Center at Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minn. ahead of his show in Minneapolis on May 20. Jelly, 40, met the sheriff, staff and detainees and spoke to them about his time being incarcerated and how it influenced him as a father.

“When I was 13 years old I caught my first criminal charge… I would spend the next 13 years in and out of the system,” he said, per the HCSO’s Facebook page.

After he got his GED while in jail and was released, Jelly — born Jason DeFord — said that he “didn’t go home to become rich and famous. “I just wanted to be the dad I didn’t have.” 

Sheriff Dawanna Witt said that Jelly is a “great example of how jail programs can change some lives.” “Jail time shouldn’t be wasted time,” the sheriff added.

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During Jelly’s visit, he was also surprised with a commemorative key to the jail. “A big thank you to Jelly Roll and his team for making this happen!” the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office added.

Jelly Roll had been jailed over 40 times for various drug charges. He has been vocal about his experience being incarcerated and what he learned from it.

The “Need a Favor” singer told PEOPLE in 2022 about serving jail time as a teenager. “I was in and out of there for about three, three and a half years. I spent a lot of time there and eventually got charged as an adult for a crime I committed as a juvenile,” he said.

“And I just realized that was the most impactful thing that ever happened in my life, and the darkest moments of my life still were being that 15-year-old scared kid spending Thanksgiving away from his family.”

He also spoke about not being able to spend time with his daughter, Bailee Ann, after being released from jail. “I got home when she was almost 2,” Jelly said during a March appearance on the Smartless podcast.

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“Her mother, at the time, because I was rightfully so a f—ing criminal, wouldn’t let me see her. So I had to go to court. I had to get supervised visits through the courtroom.”

“I had to step that very slow, build a relationship, then six hours on Friday evening, but she had to be home before 10 p.m. I just had to I had to keep going to the court every six months and going, ‘Look, I’m continuing to prove I’m changing,’ ” he added.

“Music, like being famous, wasn’t even a thought then. I just wanted to be a good dad.”

The Grammy-nominated artist, who is also dad to 8½-year-old son Noah, also told PEOPLE in his November 2024 cover story about how important his family is. “I prioritize family, and that’s what anchors me down,” he said.

“Everything that I believe going right for me is in the fact that I’m pretty grounded in my family.”

Jelly is currently in the middle of the Big Ass Stadium Tour with Post Malone. Up next for them are stops in Philadelphia and Toronto, making more stops through North America before wrapping up in San Francisco early July.