How long was Cain Velasquez in jail and prison?

Cain Velasquez said he spent nine months in jail in solitary confinement, locked in a small room 21 hours a day with three hours out for a shower and some television. He was then paroled on an ankle monitor for about a year and a half to two years, living in an RV on a friend's 300-acre property in Gilroy. A judge later gave him five years in total, which after credit for time served meant one more year at Soledad state prison.

• Velasquez said guards asked how he could be happy in solitary, and he answered that being able to breathe and feel was enough.
• Velasquez said Soledad is one of the California prisons not run by gangs, built around classes for people trying to get out.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Shawn Ryan Show (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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