Power of Perseverance - Tale of a Convict Changing into a Mathematician

 Introduction

This article tells the story of a jailed convict who became a mathematician. This real-life story is about Mr. Christopher Havens, who was convicted of murdering a person and was lodged in an isolated cell of a Washington-based jail. He taught himself mathematics to pass the time in an isolated cell. He went on to co-author a research paper published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Biography of Christopher Havens

Mr Havens was a school dropout due to his fear of Mathematics. After his stint in school, he earned money by doing a job. Later on, he fell into the clutches of drugs for some reason and became a drug addict.  Being a drug addict, he frequently lost his temper and became angry over small things. He killed a person after getting into an altercation with him under the influence of a drug in 2011. He was sentenced to 25 years of solitary confinement by a local court after his conviction.

Power of Self-e+ducation in an Isolated Cell

Since he was put in an isolated cell, he could not interact with the people around and became bored. He happened to come across a book on Mathematics left by a fellow prisoner after the person's release. Initially, he flipped through the book to escape from the harsh environment. He started taking an interest in the book after casually reading it. So, he started to read it with purpose. The learning began with simple applications in Algebra, progressing then to Calculus and Number Theory. Due to his interest in the subject, he studied up to ten hours a day. He requested the jail authorities to arrange more books under the Prison Education System.

Breakthrough in his Pursuit of Education

In 2013, he wrote a letter to a journal publisher, requesting more resources. The editor forwarded it to accomplished mathematician Umberto Cerruti, working at the University of Turin in Italy, after perusing his work. Intrigued and skeptical, Cerruti perused his work and sent a complex Mathematical work related to a continued fraction to Mr Haven to test his abilities. The area of continued fractions in Number Theory was puzzling Mathematicians for centuries.

Publications and Collaborations in Mathematics

Mr. Haven worked on this problem, banking on his knowledge in that area, for months using only a pen and paper. Later, he sent a long letter back to Cerruti explaining his solution to the problem. Cerutti looked at his solution and found it to be correct. This interaction led to an unlikely collaboration through correspondence, which culminated in a co-authored research paper titled "A New Class of Continued Fraction Expansions Quadratic Irrationals". This work was published in the reputed Journal "Research in Number Theory in January 2020.

Founding the Prison Mathematics Project

Christopher Havens co-founded the Prison Mathematics Project, a non-profit organization (NGO), after gaining confidence from his peer-reviewed research paper and mentorship he received. This NGO aims to connect the incarcerated individuals with volunteer academic mentors.  This NGO  provides educational resources to convicts lodged in jails across the country to help them find purpose in their lives and provide a path for self-improvement.

Moral of the Tale  of Christopher Haven

Haven's story has become a powerful example of a person’s perseverance in attaining the human potential to transform the world. His resilience showcases the power of education and the idea that it brings changes in a person’s life, irrespective of the conditions. This tale tells that the emergence of genius can occur even in unlikely circumstance