The human stories behind mass incarceration
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0:01 - 0:03I have never been arrested,
-
0:03 - 0:05never spent a night in jail,
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0:05 - 0:09never had a loved one
thrown into the back of a squad car -
0:09 - 0:10or behind bars,
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0:10 - 0:15or be at the mercy of a scary,
confusing system -
0:15 - 0:18that at best sees them with indifference,
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0:18 - 0:20and at worst as monstrous.
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0:20 - 0:24The United States of America locks up
more people than any other nation -
0:24 - 0:26on the planet,
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0:26 - 0:29and Louisiana is our biggest incarcerator.
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0:29 - 0:32Most of you are probably like me --
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0:32 - 0:33lucky.
-
0:33 - 0:38The closest we get to crime and punishment
is likely what we see on TV. -
0:38 - 0:39While making "Unprisoned,"
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0:39 - 0:42I met a woman who used to be like us --
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0:42 - 0:43Sheila Phipps.
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0:44 - 0:46(Recording) Sheila Phipps:
Before my son went to jail, -
0:46 - 0:48I used to see people be on television,
-
0:48 - 0:52fighting, saying, "Oh, this person
didn't do it and this person is innocent." -
0:52 - 0:55And you know, you snub them
or you dismiss them, -
0:55 - 0:57and like, "Yeah, whatever."
-
0:57 - 0:58Don't get me wrong,
-
0:58 - 1:00there's a lot of people
who deserve to be in prison. -
1:00 - 1:02There's a lot of criminals out here.
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1:02 - 1:05But there are a lot of innocent
people that's in jail. -
1:06 - 1:10EA: Sheila's son, McKinley,
is one of those innocent people. -
1:10 - 1:15He served 17 years of a 30-year sentence
on a manslaughter charge. -
1:15 - 1:16He had no previous convictions,
-
1:16 - 1:19there was no forensic
evidence in the case. -
1:19 - 1:23He was convicted solely
on the basis of eyewitness testimony, -
1:23 - 1:25and decades of research have shown
-
1:25 - 1:28that eyewitness testimony
isn't as reliable -
1:28 - 1:30as we once believed it to be.
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1:31 - 1:34Scientists say that memory isn't precise.
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1:34 - 1:37It's less like playing back a video,
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1:37 - 1:39and more like putting together a puzzle.
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1:40 - 1:45Since 1989, when DNA testing
was first used to free innocent people, -
1:46 - 1:51over 70 percent of overturned convictions
were based on eyewitness testimony. -
1:52 - 1:53Last year,
-
1:53 - 1:57the district attorney whose office
prosecuted McKinley's case -
1:57 - 2:01was convicted of unrelated
corruption charges. -
2:01 - 2:05When this district attorney
of 30 years stepped down, -
2:05 - 2:08the eyewitnesses
from McKinley's case came forward -
2:08 - 2:12and said that they had been pressured
into testifying by the district attorneys, -
2:12 - 2:15pressure which included
the threat of jail time. -
2:15 - 2:18Despite this, McKinley is still in prison.
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2:19 - 2:21(Recording) SP: Before this happened,
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2:21 - 2:22I never would've thought it.
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2:22 - 2:26And well, I guess it's hard
for me to imagine -
2:26 - 2:29that these things is going on, you know,
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2:29 - 2:31until this happened to my son.
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2:32 - 2:33It really opened my eyes.
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2:34 - 2:36It really, really opened my eyes.
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2:36 - 2:38I ain't gonna lie to you.
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2:39 - 2:42EA: Estimates of how many innocent
people are locked up -
2:42 - 2:45range between one and four percent,
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2:45 - 2:47which maybe doesn't sound like a lot,
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2:47 - 2:51except that it amounts
to around 87,000 people: -
2:51 - 2:54mothers, fathers, sons locked up,
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2:54 - 2:56often for decades,
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2:56 - 2:58for crimes they did not commit.
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2:58 - 3:01And that's not even counting
the roughly half a million people -
3:01 - 3:03who have been convicted of nothing --
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3:03 - 3:05those presumed innocent,
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3:05 - 3:08but who are too poor to bail out of jail
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3:08 - 3:12and therefore sit behind bars
for weeks upon months, -
3:12 - 3:14waiting for their case to come to trial --
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3:14 - 3:16or much more likely,
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3:16 - 3:18waiting to take a plea just to get out.
-
3:19 - 3:22All of those people
have family on the outside. -
3:23 - 3:27(Recording) Kortney Williams: My brother
missed my high school graduation -
3:27 - 3:28because the night before,
-
3:28 - 3:29he went to jail.
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3:29 - 3:32My brother missed my birthday dinner
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3:32 - 3:35because that day, actually,
he went to jail. -
3:35 - 3:38My brother missed his own birthday dinner
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3:38 - 3:41because he was in the wrong place
at the wrong time. -
3:41 - 3:44(Recording) EA: So all these times
when he ended up going to jail, -
3:44 - 3:46were charges pressed
or did he just get taken to jail? -
3:46 - 3:48KW: The charges would be pressed
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3:48 - 3:51and it would have a bond posted,
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3:51 - 3:53then the charges will get dropped ...
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3:53 - 3:54because there was no evidence.
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3:55 - 3:58EA: I met Kortney Williams
when I went to her college classroom -
3:58 - 4:00to talk about "Unprisoned."
-
4:00 - 4:03She ended up interviewing her aunt,
Troylynn Robertson, -
4:03 - 4:04for an episode.
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4:05 - 4:08(Recording) KW: With everything
that you went through -
4:08 - 4:09with your children,
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4:09 - 4:11what is any advice that you would give me
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4:11 - 4:13if I had any kids?
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4:14 - 4:17(Recording) Troylynn Roberston:
I would tell you when you have them, -
4:17 - 4:20you know the first thing
that will initially come to mind is love -
4:20 - 4:22and protection,
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4:22 - 4:24but I would tell you,
-
4:24 - 4:27even much with the protection
to raise them -
4:27 - 4:30with knowledge of the judicial system --
-
4:31 - 4:34you know, we always tell our kids
about the boogeyman, -
4:34 - 4:37the bad people, who to watch out for,
-
4:37 - 4:41but we don't teach them
how to watch out for the judicial system. -
4:42 - 4:45EA: Because of the way
our criminal legal system -
4:45 - 4:48disproportionately targets
people of color, -
4:48 - 4:51it's not uncommon for young people
like Kortney to know about it. -
4:51 - 4:55When I started going into high schools
to talk to students about "Unprisoned," -
4:55 - 4:59I found that roughly one-third
of the young people I spoke with -
4:59 - 5:01had a loved one behind bars.
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5:02 - 5:05(Recording) Girl: The hardest part
is like finding out where he's at, -
5:05 - 5:06or like, when his court date is.
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5:07 - 5:09Girl: Yeah, he went to jail
on my first birthday. -
5:10 - 5:12Girl: My dad works as a guard.
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5:12 - 5:14He saw my uncle in jail.
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5:15 - 5:16He's in there for life.
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5:16 - 5:19EA: According to the Annie E.
Casey Foundation, -
5:19 - 5:25the number of young people with a father
incarcerated rose 500 percent -
5:25 - 5:28between 1980 and 2000.
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5:28 - 5:32Over five million of today's children
will see a parent incarcerated -
5:32 - 5:34at some point in their childhoods.
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5:35 - 5:39But this number disproportionately
affects African American children. -
5:40 - 5:43By the time they reach the age of 14,
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5:43 - 5:47one in four black children
will see their dad go off to prison. -
5:47 - 5:51That's compared to a rate
of one in 30 for white children. -
5:51 - 5:56One key factor determining the future
success of both inmates and their children -
5:56 - 6:01is whether they can maintain ties
during the parent's incarceration, -
6:01 - 6:05but prisoners' phone calls home
can cost 20 to 30 times more -
6:05 - 6:07than regular phone calls,
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6:07 - 6:10so many families
keep in touch through letters. -
6:11 - 6:13(Recording: Letter being unfolded)
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6:13 - 6:16Anissa Christmas: Dear big brother,
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6:16 - 6:17I'm making that big 16 this year, LOL.
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6:18 - 6:20Guess I'm not a baby anymore.
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6:20 - 6:21You still taking me to prom?
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6:21 - 6:22I really miss you.
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6:23 - 6:25You're the only guy
that kept it real with me. -
6:25 - 6:28I wish you were here so I can vent to you.
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6:29 - 6:31So much has happened since
the last time I seen you. -
6:33 - 6:35(Voice breaking up) I have some good news.
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6:35 - 6:37I won first place in the science fair.
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6:37 - 6:38I'm a geek.
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6:38 - 6:40We're going to regionals,
can't you believe it? -
6:40 - 6:42High school is going by super fast.
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6:43 - 6:44In less than two years,
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6:44 - 6:47I hope you'll be able to see me
walk across the stage. -
6:47 - 6:50I thought to write to you
because I know it's boring in there. -
6:50 - 6:52I want to put a smile on your face.
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6:54 - 6:56Anissa wrote these letters to her brother
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6:56 - 6:58when she was a sophomore in high school.
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6:58 - 7:01She keeps the letters he writes to her
tucked into the frame -
7:01 - 7:02of her bedroom mirror,
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7:03 - 7:05and reads them over and over again.
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7:05 - 7:07I'd like to think
that there's a good reason -
7:07 - 7:10why Anissa's brother is locked up.
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7:10 - 7:14We all want the wheels of justice
to properly turn, -
7:14 - 7:15but we're coming to understand
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7:15 - 7:19that the lofty ideals we learned
in school look really different -
7:19 - 7:22in our nation's prisons
and jails and courtrooms. -
7:23 - 7:27(Recording) Danny Engelberg: You walk
into that courtroom and you're just -- -
7:27 - 7:30I've been doing this for a quite a while,
and it still catches your breath. -
7:30 - 7:33You're like, "There are so many
people of color here," -
7:33 - 7:38and yet I know that the city is not
made up of 90 percent African Americans, -
7:38 - 7:41so why is it that 90 percent
of the people who are in orange -
7:41 - 7:42are African American?
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7:42 - 7:46(Recording) EA: Public defender Danny
Engelberg isn't the only one noticing -
7:46 - 7:48how many black people
are in municipal court -- -
7:48 - 7:49or in any court.
-
7:49 - 7:50It's hard to miss.
-
7:51 - 7:53Who's sitting in court
waiting to see the judge? -
7:53 - 7:54What do they look like?
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7:54 - 7:57(Recording) Man: Mostly
African-Americans, like me. -
7:57 - 7:59Man: It's mostly, I could say,
85 percent black. -
7:59 - 8:02That's all you see in the orange,
in the box back there, who locked up. -
8:02 - 8:05Man: Who's waiting? Mostly black.
-
8:05 - 8:07I mean, there was a couple
of white people in there. -
8:07 - 8:10Woman: I think it was about
85 percent African-American -
8:10 - 8:11that was sitting there.
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8:12 - 8:16EA: How does a young black person
growing up in America today -
8:16 - 8:18come to understand justice?
-
8:19 - 8:22Another "Unprisoned" story
was about a troupe of dancers -
8:22 - 8:24who choreographed a piece
called "Hoods Up," -
8:24 - 8:26which they performed
in front of city council. -
8:27 - 8:30Dawonta White was in the seventh grade
for that performance. -
8:31 - 8:35(Recording) Dawonta White: We was wearing
black with hoodies because Trayvon Martin, -
8:35 - 8:37when he was wearing his hoodie,
he was killed. -
8:38 - 8:39So we looked upon that,
-
8:39 - 8:42and we said we're going to wear
hoodies like Trayvon Martin. -
8:42 - 8:44(Recording) EA: Who came up
with that idea? -
8:44 - 8:46DW: The group. We all agreed on it.
-
8:46 - 8:48I was a little nervous,
but I had stick through it though, -
8:48 - 8:53but I felt like it was a good thing
so they could notice what we do. -
8:53 - 8:56(Recording) EA: Shraivell Brown
was another choreographer and dancer -
8:56 - 8:57in "Hoods Up."
-
8:57 - 9:00He says the police criticize
people who look like him. -
9:00 - 9:03He feels judged based on things
other black people may have done. -
9:03 - 9:05How would you want
the police to look at you, -
9:05 - 9:07and what would you want them to think?
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9:07 - 9:08SB: That I'm not no threat.
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9:08 - 9:10EA: Why would they think
you're threatening? -
9:10 - 9:12What did you say, you're 14?
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9:12 - 9:17SB: Yes, I'm 14, but because he said
a lot of black males -
9:17 - 9:20are thugs or gangsters and all that,
-
9:20 - 9:23but I don't want them thinking
that about me. -
9:24 - 9:26EA: For folks who look like me,
-
9:26 - 9:30the easiest and most comfortable
thing to do is to not pay attention -- -
9:30 - 9:34to assume our criminal
legal system is working. -
9:34 - 9:38But if it's not our responsibility
to question those assumptions, -
9:38 - 9:40whose responsibility is it?
-
9:41 - 9:45There's a synagogue here that's taken on
learning about mass incarceration, -
9:45 - 9:47and many congregants have concluded
-
9:47 - 9:51that because mass incarceration
throws so many lives into chaos, -
9:51 - 9:53it actually creates more crime --
-
9:53 - 9:55makes people less safe.
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9:56 - 9:58Congregant Teri Hunter says
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9:58 - 10:01the first step towards action
has to be understanding. -
10:01 - 10:07She says it's crucial for all of us
to understand our connection to this issue -
10:07 - 10:10even if it's not immediately obvious.
-
10:11 - 10:13(Recording) Teri Hunter:
It's on our shoulders -
10:13 - 10:17to make sure that we're not
just closing that door -
10:17 - 10:18and saying, "Well, it's not us."
-
10:19 - 10:23And I think as Jews, you know,
we've lived that history: -
10:23 - 10:24"It's not us."
-
10:25 - 10:30And so if a society
closes their back on one section, -
10:30 - 10:31we've seen what happens.
-
10:31 - 10:35And so it is our responsibility as Jews
-
10:35 - 10:38and as members of this community
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10:38 - 10:41to educate our community --
-
10:41 - 10:44at least our congregation --
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10:44 - 10:46to the extent that we're able.
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10:47 - 10:51EA: I've been using
the pronouns "us" and "we" -
10:51 - 10:54because this is our criminal legal system
-
10:54 - 10:55and our children.
-
10:56 - 10:58We elect the district attorneys,
-
10:58 - 11:02the judges and the legislators
who operate these systems -
11:02 - 11:03for we the people.
-
11:04 - 11:05As a society,
-
11:05 - 11:09we are more willing to risk
locking up innocent people -
11:09 - 11:12than we are to let guilty people go free.
-
11:12 - 11:16We elect politicians
who fear being labeled "soft on crime," -
11:16 - 11:19encouraging them to pass harsh legislation
-
11:19 - 11:23and allocate enormous resources
toward locking people up. -
11:23 - 11:25When a crime is committed,
-
11:25 - 11:30our hunger for swift retribution
has fed a police culture -
11:30 - 11:33bent on finding culprits fast,
-
11:33 - 11:37often without adequate resources
to conduct thorough investigations -
11:37 - 11:40or strict scrutiny
of those investigations. -
11:41 - 11:44We don't put checks on prosecutors.
-
11:45 - 11:48Across the country,
over the last couple of decades, -
11:48 - 11:52as property and violent crimes
have both fell, -
11:52 - 11:57the number of prosecutors employed
and cases they have filed has risen. -
11:57 - 12:00Prosecutors decide
whether or not to take legal action -
12:00 - 12:02against the people police arrest
-
12:02 - 12:05and they decide what charges to file,
-
12:05 - 12:11directly impacting how much time
a defendant potentially faces behind bars. -
12:12 - 12:16One check we do have
on prosecutors is defense. -
12:16 - 12:18Imagine Lady Liberty:
-
12:18 - 12:20the blindfolded woman holding the scale
-
12:20 - 12:23meant to symbolize the balance
in our judicial system. -
12:24 - 12:27Unfortunately, that scale is tipped.
-
12:27 - 12:30The majority of defendants in our country
-
12:30 - 12:33are represented by
government-appointed attorneys. -
12:33 - 12:37These public defenders
receive around 30 percent less funding -
12:37 - 12:39than district attorneys do,
-
12:39 - 12:42and they often have caseloads
far outnumbering -
12:42 - 12:45what the American Bar
Association recommends. -
12:45 - 12:47As Sheila Phipps said,
-
12:47 - 12:50there are people who belong in prison,
-
12:50 - 12:54but it's hard to tell
the guilty from the innocent -
12:54 - 12:57when everyone's outcomes are so similar.
-
12:58 - 12:59We all want justice.
-
13:00 - 13:03But with the process weighed
so heavily against defendants, -
13:03 - 13:05justice is hard to come by.
-
13:06 - 13:10Our criminal legal system
operates for we the people. -
13:11 - 13:13If we don't like what's going on,
-
13:13 - 13:15it is up to us to change it.
-
13:16 - 13:17Thank you very much.
-
13:17 - 13:24(Applause)
- Title:
- The human stories behind mass incarceration
- Speaker:
- Eve Abrams
- Description:
-
The United States locks up more people than any other country in the world, says documentarian Eve Abrams, and somewhere between one and four percent of those in prison are likely innocent. That's 87,000 brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers -- predominantly African American -- unnecessarily separated from their families, their lives and dreams put on hold. Using audio from her interviews with incarcerated people and their families, Abrams shares touching stories of those impacted by mass incarceration and calls on us all to take a stand and ensure that the justice system works for everyone.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 13:39
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Krystian Aparta accepted English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for The human stories behind mass incarceration |