Lessons of Redemption: A Story of Drugs, Guns, Violence, and Prison

Author Bio: Kevin Shird

Kevin Shird is a nationally recognized youth advocate, author, public speaker, and humanitarian. After serving a total of twelve years in California state prison and federal prison for drug trafficking, he now advocates for young people and policy changes and he often uses the term “redemption.” Through a strategic partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, he has spoken to students at colleges and universities around the country, lecturing on the issues of substance-abuse prevention, re-entry into the community after incarceration, public-health policy and mental health as it relates to incarceration. He also tells his personal story of redemption and how one can literally walk through fire and emerge on the other side—helping to ensure better lives for others.