(www.theguardian.com)
My wrists were handcuffed to my waist by a leather strap. These restraints would become standard for me for decades to come. They walked me to a car and I got in. A captain next to me started elbowing me in my chest, face, and ribs. They drove me to a building just inside the front gate that housed the reception center and death row. Inside was a cellblock called closed cell restricted, or CCR: another name for solitary confinement. In the stairwell they beat me viciously. I couldn’t fight back or defend myself because of the restraints …
This was quite the read. While reading through Albert Woodfox's struggles, I was reminded of Jordan Peterson's 12 rules, and the importance of taking on as much responsibility as is bearable in order to find meaning in life. When a person spends 40 years in solitary confinement, it may seem impossible to be granted any responsibilities at all, but it can happen. Albert persevered where most men would have crumbled.
After 40 years in solitary confinement, activist Albert Woodfox tells his story of survival