Convicted of second-degree murder at age 19, Shaka Senghor served another 19 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections — including more than five years in solitary confinement. While treating his time there as if he were attending university — getting up early and making sure that every day was filled with reading, writing, and learning — he discovered two important things that served to shape his passion for prison reform: prison is a business, and prisons are not designed to rehabilitate their inmates. When Shaka got out, the odds were good that he would be back in six months. Instead, he wrote Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison (a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller), was interviewed by Oprah, gave a TED Talk, and hung out with President Obama. In this episode, we discuss what happened during those 19 years behind bars, what led to his incarceration, and how he’s strived to redeem himself — and the system — since. Listen, learn, and enjoy! ✍️ Full show notes and worksheet for this episode: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/shaka-senghor-writing-my-wrongs/ What We Discuss with Shaka Senghor: 👨‍⚖️ How Shaka’s childhood neighborhood in Detroit quickly went from idyllic to nightmarish when the crack epidemic struck in the ’80s (and what he spent his money on when he became a dealer). 👨‍⚖️ The assorted sources of trauma faced by kids who wind up in the drug-dealing lifestyle and why such a lifestyle is initially appealing to them — in spite of exposing them to very adult consequences. 👨‍⚖️ Why the current opioid crisis may actually be instrumental in helping heal societal class and racial divides widened during the crack epidemic. 👨‍⚖️ Why removing the stigma of mental health treatment is crucial to breaking the cycles of recidivism in which young people often get trapped. 👨‍⚖️ The series of events that landed Shaka in prison for 19 years, how he made use of his time there, and what he’s doing to help fix a very broken system. 👨‍⚖️ And much more… 📖 Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison -- The New York Times best seller -- available from amazon here: https://geni.us/oviV Never miss a single incredible insight by subscribing to The Jordan Harbinger Show here: http://www.youtube.com/THEJORDANHARBINGERSHOW?sub_confirmation=1 Welcome to The Jordan Harbinger Show, a video podcast where each week you get to join a conversation with some of the world’s highest performers and incredible personalities. I’ll ask them the tough questions to tease out their top tips so that you can reach levels of personal growth and mastery that you never imagined possible. Subscribe to the podcast: http://jordanharbinger.com/subscribe/ Learn more about Jordan: http://jordanharbinger.com/about