I spent 12 years in prison for crimes I did not commit.
This is why I volunteer my time to social justice pro.
Finding yourself can be the ultimate challenge.
I have overcome many challenges and learned to channel my adversities into action and energy and believe this trait is within all of us.
After all I went from there to prime time television and a career in investigative journalism that has taken me around the World! I am successful in my chosen career because I am a curious individual, a skilled researcher, an experienced interviewer and a tenacious investigator of facts.
It is part of who I am and is testimony to overcoming the financial and social challenges I endured growing up in a deprived area scarred by racial discrimination and inequality.
I left school at 16, and so my academic achievements have been limited but I do not see that as a failure.
My reporting and investigative journalism about prison, crime and criminal behaviour has significantly changed people\'s perceptions and I am very proud of that achievement.
Only with greater knowledge and understanding can real reform take place.
Is it dangerous? Yes, it is, but I believe it is crucial to show an insight into how prisons around the World work.
Inside I meet with some of the world\'s most dangerous prisoners, the guards, prisoners\' families and politicians and talk to them about crime and punishment.
I have visited many high security prisons around the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Britain, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Brazil, Ukraine, Belize, Romania, Costa Rica and South Africa to name a few.
This is why I go into some of the toughest prisons in the world; people need to see what justice, injustice and reform look like around the world.
I transferred the determined questioning and methodological research skills I acquired in prison to become a respected and unwavering reporter that specialised in social and criminal justice.
I learned about criminal behaviour, crime and the law from the confines of a maximum-security prison cell.
I am scarred by my life experience but I have not allowed it to hold me back.
This is my story.
I knew, at first hand, what injustice felt like, looked like and what prison can do to a human being.
I was free...but changed forever.
Eventually, I won and my convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2000.
The only reason I am here now and able to share my story with you is because I never stopped fighting to prove my innocence.
I spent 12 years in prison for crimes I did not commit
