Search
Shaka Senghor
Writer and Criminal Justice Activist
In 1991, Shaka Senghor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and spent the next 19 years behind bars, seven of them in solitary confinement. Today, Senghor has become a vocal advocate for prison reform, and tackling the problem of mass incarceration, in all its complex ugliness, head on. Senghor’s memoir, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison, was released in March 2016 and debuted on The New York Times Best Seller List as well as The Washington Post Best Seller List.
6 min
Shaka Senghor explains how he found inner peace after life in prison
“I was incarcerated well before I was in prison and I was free before the gates of prison opened up and let me out.”
Unlikely Collaborators
11 min
How to master antifragility for a happier life
"Resilience" is being able to withstand hardship; "antifragility" goes one step further.
COVID-19: What’s happening in US prisons?
Join Big Think Live for a discussion with human rights advocate and best-selling author Shaka Senghor. Learn how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting the prison population and why it has […]
6 min
Why toxic relationships are so draining. And when to break them off.
Who you let into your mental space matters.
4 min
The 13th Amendment: How companies are turning prisons into cash cows
Here's how the 13th Amendment allows companies make a dubious profit off the backs of prisoners.
8 min
How Prison Sets Inmates Up for Failure after Their Release
Shaka spent nearly two decades in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, and spent 7 of those years in solitary confinement. But he says that it's life after prison that can be much more shocking.