Christopher Havens was a smart kid. While it mightn’t have been the best move for his social status in the fourth grade, he was so keen on maths that he even tutored his classmates. Nerd alert! Maybe that’s why he eventually got caught up in the wrong crowd. He just wanted to fit in and be cool like everyone else. And of course, being cool meant smoking weed and drinking alcohol, which led to mushrooms and LSD. And then things eventually spiralled into pain pills and crystal meth, which spiralled even more out of control, resulting in him murdering someone. Sigh. Before going to prison, Haven’s dad gave him some helpful advice to survive incarceration - be the shark, not the clownfish. So, of course, Haven interpreted that advice as beating up another prisoner so he could join a gang. While that act might have confirmed his loyalty to the gang, it also opened the door to his new accommodation in solitary confinement. AKA Hell on earth. Nothing but blank concrete walls, the smell of your own shit, and a bright fluorescent light to keep you company all day and all night. It was enough to drive a person mad, and by the sounds of the constant kicking and screaming next door, his neighbours were already there. Thankfully Havens was thrown a lifeline…in the form of a maths puzzle. CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Horrors of Solitary Confinement 02:42 Christopher Havens' downward spiral 03:30 Algebra: A Solitary Confinement Lifeline 10:06 Flow State in the Midst of Hell 14:31 Solving the Unsolvable for Umberto Cerruti 21:36 Giving Back with the Prison Math Project 23:17 The Journal of Prisoners on Prisons 26:31 Recidivism and Rehabilitation 28:50 The Power of Education in Reducing Recidivism 32:40 Spoiler Altert: Solitary Confinement Doesn’t Work 34:04 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show? SOURCES: A conversation with Christopher Havens, Prison Mathematics Project A systematic review of criminal recidivism rates worldwide: 3-year update An inmate’s love for math leads to new discoveries How a maximum security prison offers a pathway to academic excellence and a PhD Moving from prison to a PhD Pioneering Advanced Math from Behind Bars Recidivism Rates by Country 2024 This Inmate Used Solitary Confinement to Learn Math. Now He's Solving the World's Hardest Equations Why Prison Education? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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