How did Shakespeare save the life of an inmate, literally and figuratively

In a high security prison, Laura Bates taught Shakespeare to the inmates. One of the inmates was named Larry. Larry believed that practicing Shakespeare saved his life literally and figuratively. He states,

" For so many years I had been really self-destructive, on the razor’s edge every day. I’m confident that I would’ve done something drastic and ended up on Death Row. Or I would’ve one day found the courage to take my own life. So literally, he saved my life."

Figuratively, Shakespeare gave Larry the opportunity to develop new ways of thinking through the plays they did, it gave him a new perspective on life. Proof that Shakespeare saved a life.