Reginald Dwayne Betts spent nine years in prison, after being convicted of carjacking as a teenager.

Since his release 19 years ago, he has become a poet and a Yale-educated lawyer, founder and CEO of Freedom Reads which builds libraries in prisons, and a tireless advocate for those serving time behind bars.

Betts joined “The Rush Hour” on Wednesday to discuss his experience in solitary confinement, how reading books helped him survive, and the hundreds of libraries he is building in prisons and jails around the country, including Rikers Island.