<p><strong>Episode 56: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Episode Summary: </strong>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.</p><p>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. </p><p><strong>In this episode we discuss:</strong></p><ul><li><em>00:30 </em>– Introducing Leon Benson</li><li><em>01:34 </em>– Wrongful arrest and murder conviction</li><li><em>03:47 </em>– Eyewitness misidentification and flawed evidence</li><li><em>07:13</em> – 60-year sentence, entering prison young</li><li><em>19:23</em> – False accusation, sent to solitary</li><li><em>20:53</em> – Solitary confinement conditions and isolation</li><li><em>23:29</em> – Personal loss, appeals denied, breaking point</li><li><em>33:13</em> – Indefinite isolation, “existential purgatory”</li><li><em>37:21</em> – Finding meaning through philosophy, mindset</li><li><em>42:49</em> – Turning isolation into mental survival</li><li><em>59:24</em> – Advocacy, growth, release from solitary</li><li><em>1:07:07</em> – Mentorship, leadership, prison program<em>s</em></li><li><em>1:18:58 </em>– Clemency effort leads to legal help</li><li><em>1:22:00</em> – Conviction Integrity Unit takes case</li><li>1:23:10 – Exoneration and release in 2023</li><li><em>1:23:45</em> – Reentry advice and mental wellness</li><li><em>1:31:10 </em>– Conclusion</li></ul><p><strong>Resources:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://exonerationregistry.org/cases/13504" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠Exoneration Registry</a></li><li><a href="https://medium.com/@leonbenson448" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Leon&#39;s Writing</a></li></ul><p>This episode includes the track <em>&#39;RSPN&#39;</em> by Blank &amp; Kytt. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. You can find more of Blank &amp; Kytt&#39;s music <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blank__Kytt/Heavy_Crazy_Serious/Blank__Kytt_-_Heavy_Crazy_Serious_-_08_RSPN/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.⁠</a></p>