At 17, Charles walked into Red Onion State Prison and was placed in long-term solitary. The cage broke him — and built the man he chose to become.

At 17, I walked into Red Onion State Prison and was placed in long-term solitary segregation. 44 cells. 44 men. Alone.

This episode is about what that cage actually did to me. The beatings in a back sally port where there were no cameras. The sound of the elephant lock closing on the door. The moment I did the math and decided one hour of rec wasn't worth who I was — and stopped going outside.

But there was one thing that never stopped: my grandmother, who sent me $20 every month for 24 years. Never missed a month.

It sounds like a paradox, and it is. Solitary broke something in me. And it's also where I found my weaknesses, my strengths, and the person I  ...