Piper Kerman, author of the memoir, “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,’’ speaks about the importance of education to incarcerated individuals as an investment in rehabilitation. She compares and contrasts her time at two women's institutions: Smith College and federal prison.

Ms. Kerman currently works as a communications consultant with nonprofit, philanthropies and other organizations. She is also a frequently invited speaker to students of law, criminology, gender and women's' studies, sociology and creative writing, as well as correctional organizations and justice reform.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx