How Do You Survive Solitary Confinement?
Episode 56: How Do You Survive Solitary Confinement? – features Leon Benson, who shares his journey from wrongful conviction and 10 consecutive years in solitary confinement to eventual exoneration.Episode Summary: This episode of The Simple Questions Podcast features a conversation between Dylan Carnahan and Leon Benson, the Director of the Solitary Justice Project, who was wrongfully convicted and spent 12 years in solitary confinement.Listen as Leon shares his story of being wrongfully incarcerated, what it was like surviving years inside for a crime he did not commit, and the psychological toll of losing time, freedom, and identity. In this episode we discuss:00:30 – Introducing Leon Benson01:34 – Wrongful arrest and murder conviction03:47 – Eyewitness misidentification and flawed evidence07:13 – 60-year sentence, entering prison young19:23 – False accusation, sent to solitary20:53 – Solitary confinement conditions and isolation23:29 – Personal loss, appeals denied, breaking point33:13 – Indefinite isolation, “existential purgatory”37:21 – Finding meaning through philosophy, mindset42:49 – Turning isolation into mental survival59:24 – Advocacy, growth, release from solitary1:07:07 – Mentorship, leadership, prison programs1:18:58 – Clemency effort leads to legal help1:22:00 – Conviction Integrity Unit takes case1:23:10 – Exoneration and release in 20231:23:45 – Reentry advice and mental wellness1:31:10 – ConclusionResources:Exoneration RegistryLeon's WritingThis episode includes the track 'RSPN' by Blank & Kytt. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. You can find more of Blank & Kytt's music here.