Today at 3pm, WNEM TV-5's newest segment "Focus on Five" will feature Robert T. Hinds and spotlight his fight for freedom, along with one of his latest books “Taking the Reign: A Guide to Overcoming Emotions Authors' Expanded Edition”.
This book is the first in a new three-part mental health book series designed to help boys ages 11-18 learn how to properly identify and manage the myriad of emotions they will face on their journey to manhood. Written by lead author, Robert T. Hinds, a Detroit native who was wrongfully convicted at the age of 17, and co-authored by Assegid Mersha, a licensed master’s level social worker and accomplished mental health practitioner, the project boasts of decades of invaluable practical experience for young men to relate to.
The series was inspired by a 2017 study from the University of California, Berkeley, where researchers concluded that there are 27 varieties of reported emotional experiences. Composed of the real-life accounts of 26 men from the Michigan Department of Corrections who anonymously and honestly share some of their teenage experiences prior to prison, each book features 9 distinct emotions and corresponding narratives followed by professional mental health summaries and exercises for the reader.
Hinds, a social justice advocate and motivational speaker, has been maintaining his innocence for over 21 years. Having entered prison at the age of 17 with a third grade reading level, Hinds is now the author of several other books including "Peter the Praying Mantis", "Taking the Reign: 27 Reflections on Overcoming Emotions for Teen Boys," and "The Vault: A Simple Guide for Building Your Entertainment Empire". In addition, he is certified in legal investigation, victim advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution. He is also a certified paralegal and fitness trainer. Mersha currently does counseling and therapy from his newly formed private practice ReEnvision You Counseling and Therapeutic Services in Saginaw Michigan, where he utilizes a plethora of therapeutic interventions including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), to help his clients process and heal from severe trauma and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Hinds and Mersha hope to use their collaboration on this project, as well as their individual social platforms to help create greater awareness about the mental health concerns of incarcerated persons, in addition to assisting in national efforts to reduce the number of youth who fall prey to the school-to-prison pipeline.
“Taking the Reign” was published by A Life for A Life Urban Initiative, a grassroots non-profit in Michigan founded in 2013 to aid in the ongoing fight against social injustice in America through education, information, and advocacy and is also a collaborative effort of the University of Southern California Dornsife Prison Education Project. The final two books of the series will be officially released Friday, October 6, 2023. For more information visit www.alifeforalife.org/bookstore
Click below at 3pm to watch the show LIVE.