#54 | Mike Knox | From Parole Agent to Comedian

Retired parole agent Mike Knox on prison life and his move into acting, writing and comedy. Mike Knox is a retired Parole Agent and full-time actor, writer, comedian. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation on prison life and transitioning into a life in the arts. To learn more about Mike: https://linktr.ee/mikeknox Chapters 0:00 Welcome Mike Knox 2:30 Raised in a cement box 5:02 Lost in the system 7:38 Why he joined: health insurance 10:14 Collecting shanks for art shows 12:45 A maximum security prison at 27 15:16 A universe unto itself 17:51 Already dead, so deal with it 20:26 People who don't want to be on the team 22:59 An old-world model 25:29 Mind-numbing days 28:01 The same culture across 33 prisons 30:34 Kicking the can down the road 33:05 Classification and time in the cell 35:40 Release with no ID 38:14 Walking his application to headquarters 40:45 Bumped back toward the prison 43:17 Powerless to help 45:52 A culture of punishment 48:27 Co-workers who saved his life 50:59 Nothing good happens after midnight 53:31 Home visits as a parole agent 56:04 Eighteen years and a man in a tent 58:37 Mental illness and parole 1:01:08 Plotting his retirement 1:03:40 Parolees' rights 1:06:13 Writing a book about it 1:08:43 Bosses versus leaders 1:11:15 Leaving for good 1:13:45 State-run versus private prisons 1:16:18 Acting at last 1:18:55 Ryan's guests are rarely from California 1:21:25 People who give up on LA 1:23:58 Coming out the other side 1:26:33 Veterans coming home 1:29:08 Humour as survival 1:31:46 Fencing classes and all the things 1:34:17 Stand-up as therapy 1:36:52 A controversial episode The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com