From Convict to Cop! Jelly Roll ‘Never’ Thought He Would ‘Become a Deputy’ After Prior Arrests

Jelly Roll has crossed the Thin Blue Line — the "Son of a Sinner" singer is now a Michigan cop.

"Never in his life did he think he would become a deputy!" a source exclusively tells Life & Style .

The recovering drug addict — who was arrested nearly 40 times during a misspent youth that put him behind bars on and off for about a decade — was sworn in at the Genesee County Jail after bankrolling a new recording studio at the facility to help rehabilitate inmates.

The Nashville heavyweight , whose real name is Jason DeFord, has credited music for helping him change his troubled life.

And when Sheriff Christopher Swanson pinned a bona fide badge on the 39-year-old "Save Me" singer, the lawman proclaimed, "Now that's second chances !"

The insider says Jelly Roll was humbled by the honor — as he's still recognized as a felon in his home state of Tennessee for a teenage robbery conviction.

"Jelly really believed at one point he was destined to spend the rest of his life in prison," the friend says. "He's turned his life around — and he's trying to help other convicts do the same now."