An innocent man who survived 22 years in solitary confinement on death row has spoken out about living among some of America’s most dangerous criminals.

Nick Yarris was stabbed, strangled and beaten during his time at Huntingdon Prison in Pennsylvania after being wrongly sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Linda Mae Craig in 1981.

Mr Yarris said despite having spent most of his life inside prison, he feels “extremely lucky” that his conviction was overturned.

“Look at the physical features. I faced the death penalty but got out, acclimatised to society, overcame Hepatitis C, and went on to stand next to some of the most brilliant actors in the world performing in the Colosseum in Rome,” he told Metro.co.uk.

“Guess what? There are 160 other men who have been proven innocent off death row. Not all of them are getting the same play. A lot of them go and die in abstract, terrible ways and they don’t get anything.”

The 56-year-old also told how he dedicated himself to transforming his life inside a prison cell. He believes he read around 9,400 legal books to help him prove his innocence.

A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates Show all 7 1 /7 A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570472.bin Sixteen-year-old Abdul Sesay was jailed at Freetown's notorious jail - known as 'Pademba Road' - after he was given a stolen radio and subsequently charged with the robbery Fernando Moleres A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570468.bin Some of the 1,300 prisoners at Pademba; nearly all suffer from chronic scabies Fernando Moleres A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570469.bin A prisoner being intimidated about a petty theft by fellow inmates at Pademba Road Fernando Moleres A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570470.bin A 25sq m cell sleeps about 60 prisoners, with only a bucket as a toilet Fernando Moleres A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570471.bin Prisoners queueing for their one daily meal of rice and leaves at Pademba Road. They receive only one small plastic bottle of dirty water each day, which they have to ration carefully until they get their next one 24 hours later Fernando Moleres A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570467.bin Abdul Sesay awaiting his 'trial' in court. Before his incarceration he lived alone in Freetown, doing odd jobs and sleeping at night inside a car in a graveyard for wrecked vehicles on the edge of town Fernando Moleres A boy named Abdul: Sierra Leone's child inmates 570473.bin Life in the prison is beset by problems including sickness, absence of medicine and lack of washing facilities Fernando Moleres

“When they imagine someone on death row they think of some terrible loser guy, who isn’t going to have anything to say,” he said. “I was showing them an unbelievable brilliance beyond what they would expect.”

Mr Yarris now campaigns against the death penalty and even objected to its use in the case of Ted Bundy, who was placed in a cell next to him for a time.

Bundy was put to death in 2012. His lawyer claimed he murdered more than 100 people.

“I think we’ve got to realise there’s a lot more you can do to somebody than put them to death,” Mr Yarris said.

“[Bundy] was insane. What’s the point of killing crazy people? The true definition of a crazy person is someone who repeats a pathological behaviour without a mind to be able to correct it.

“Well, that’s what he was doing. He couldn’t stop killing mummy. He hated mummy his whole life and he wanted to kill her over and over. So that’s a crazy person, that’s not some diabolical genius.”

Mr Yarris was eventually released from prison in 2004 after DNA proved his innocence. He has lived in the UK since 2005.