What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork
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0:17 - 0:21We need to change the culture
in our jails and prisons, -
0:21 - 0:24especially for young inmates.
-
0:24 - 0:26New York state is one
of only two in the U.S. -
0:26 - 0:30that automatically arrests and tries
16- to 17-year-olds as adults. -
0:31 - 0:33This culture of violence
takes these young people -
0:33 - 0:35and puts them in a hostile environment,
-
0:35 - 0:39and the correctional officers pretty much
allow any and everything to go on. -
0:40 - 0:43There's not really much
for these young people to do -
0:43 - 0:46to actually enhance their talent
and actually rehabilitate them. -
0:47 - 0:50Until we can raise the age
of criminal responsibility to 18, -
0:50 - 0:54we need to focus on changing
the daily lives of these young people. -
0:54 - 0:56I know firsthand.
-
0:56 - 0:58Before I ever turned 18,
-
0:58 - 1:02I spent approximately
400 days on Rikers Island, -
1:02 - 1:03and to add to that
-
1:03 - 1:07I spent almost 300 days
in solitary confinement, -
1:07 - 1:09and let me tell you this:
-
1:10 - 1:13Screaming at the top of your lungs
all day on your cell door -
1:13 - 1:15or screaming at the top of your lungs
out the window, -
1:15 - 1:17it gets tiring.
-
1:17 - 1:20Since there's not much for you to do
while you're in there, -
1:20 - 1:22you start pacing
back and forth in your cell, -
1:22 - 1:24you start talking to yourself,
-
1:24 - 1:26your thoughts start running wild,
-
1:26 - 1:30and then your thoughts
become your own worst enemy. -
1:30 - 1:33Jails are actually supposed
to rehabilitate a person, -
1:33 - 1:36not cause him or her
to become more angry, -
1:36 - 1:38frustrated, and feel more hopeless.
-
1:38 - 1:42Since there's not a discharge plan
put in place for these young people, -
1:42 - 1:46they pretty much
reenter society with nothing. -
1:47 - 1:51And there's not really much for them to do
to keep them from recidivating. -
1:52 - 1:54But it all starts with the C.O.s.
-
1:55 - 1:57It's very easy for some people
-
1:57 - 1:59to look at these correctional officers
as the good guys -
1:59 - 2:01and the inmates as the bad guys,
-
2:01 - 2:03or vice versa for some,
-
2:03 - 2:05but it's a little more than that.
-
2:05 - 2:08See, these C.O.s are normal,
everyday people. -
2:08 - 2:13They come from the same neighborhoods
as the population they "serve." -
2:14 - 2:16They're just normal people.
-
2:16 - 2:19They're not robots,
and there's nothing special about them. -
2:19 - 2:23They do pretty much everything
anybody else in society does. -
2:23 - 2:27The male C.O.s want to talk
and flirt with the female C.O.s. -
2:27 - 2:30They play the little high school kid
games with each other. -
2:30 - 2:32They politic with one another.
-
2:32 - 2:36And the female C.O.s gossip to each other.
-
2:36 - 2:42So I spent numerous amounts of time
with numerous amounts of C.O.s, -
2:42 - 2:45and let me tell you about
this one in particular named Monroe. -
2:45 - 2:47One day he pulled me
in between the A and B doors -
2:47 - 2:51which separate the north
and south sides of our housing unit. -
2:51 - 2:53He pulled me there because
I had a physical altercation -
2:53 - 2:55with another young man in my housing unit,
-
2:55 - 2:59and he felt, since there was
a female officer working on the floor, -
2:59 - 3:01that I violated his shift.
-
3:01 - 3:03So he punched me in my chest.
-
3:03 - 3:05He kind of knocked the wind out of me.
-
3:05 - 3:08I wasn't impulsive,
I didn't react right away, -
3:08 - 3:11because I know this is their house.
-
3:11 - 3:13I have no wins.
-
3:13 - 3:18All he has to do is pull his pin
and backup will come immediately. -
3:19 - 3:22So I just gave him a look in his eyes
-
3:22 - 3:25and I guess he saw the anger
and frustration just burning, -
3:25 - 3:27and he said to me,
-
3:27 - 3:29"Your eyes are going to get you
in a lot of trouble, -
3:29 - 3:32because you're looking
like you want to fight." -
3:32 - 3:34So he commenced
to taking off his utility belt, -
3:34 - 3:36he took off his shirt and his badge,
-
3:36 - 3:38and he said, "We could fight."
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3:38 - 3:41So I asked him, "You gonna hold it down?"
-
3:41 - 3:44Now, that's a term that's
commonly used on Rikers Island -
3:44 - 3:47meaning that you're not going to say
anything to anybody, -
3:47 - 3:49and you're not going to report it.
-
3:49 - 3:53He said, "Yeah, I'm gonna hold it down.
You gonna hold it down?" -
3:53 - 3:54I didn't even respond.
-
3:54 - 3:56I just punched him right in his face,
-
3:56 - 3:59and we began fighting
right then and there. -
3:59 - 4:03Towards the end of the fight,
he slammed me up against the wall, -
4:03 - 4:07so while we were tussled up,
he said to me, "You good?" -
4:07 - 4:09as if he got the best of me,
-
4:09 - 4:11but in my mind, I know
I got the best of him, -
4:11 - 4:13so I replied very cocky,
-
4:13 - 4:15"Oh, I'm good, you good?"
-
4:15 - 4:17He said, "Yeah, I'm good, I'm good."
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4:17 - 4:22We let go, he shook my hand,
said he gave me my respect, -
4:22 - 4:25gave me a cigarette and sent me on my way.
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4:26 - 4:29Believe it or not, you come across
some C.O.s on Rikers Island -
4:29 - 4:32that'll fight you one-on-one.
-
4:32 - 4:34They feel that they understand how it is,
-
4:34 - 4:37and they feel that I'm going to meet you
where you're at. -
4:37 - 4:40Since this is how you commonly
handle your disputes, -
4:40 - 4:42we can handle it in that manner.
-
4:42 - 4:45I walk away from it like a man,
you walk away from it like a man, -
4:45 - 4:46and that's it.
-
4:46 - 4:48Some C.O.s feel that
they're jailing with you. -
4:48 - 4:51This is why they have that mentality
and that attitude -
4:51 - 4:53and they go by that concept.
-
4:53 - 4:57In some instances,
we're in it together with the C.O.s. -
4:57 - 5:00However, institutions need to give
these correctional officers -
5:00 - 5:03proper trainings on how to properly deal
with the adolescent population, -
5:03 - 5:05and they also need
to give them proper trainings -
5:05 - 5:09on how to deal
with the mental health population as well. -
5:09 - 5:12These C.O.s play a big factor
in these young people's lives -
5:12 - 5:15for x amount of time until a disposition
is reached on their case. -
5:15 - 5:20So why not try to mentor
these young people while they're there? -
5:21 - 5:24Why not try to give them some type
of insight to make a change, -
5:24 - 5:28so once they reenter back into society,
-
5:28 - 5:31they're doing something positive?
-
5:32 - 5:37A second big thing to help our teens
in jails is better programming. -
5:38 - 5:42When I was on Rikers Island,
the huge thing was solitary confinement. -
5:42 - 5:44Solitary confinement
was originally designed -
5:44 - 5:48to break a person mentally,
physically and emotionally. -
5:48 - 5:51That's what it was designed for.
-
5:52 - 5:54The U.S. Attorney General
recently released a report -
5:54 - 5:57stating that they're going to ban
solitary confinement -
5:57 - 5:59in New York state for teens.
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6:00 - 6:04One thing that kept me sane while
I was in solitary confinement was reading. -
6:04 - 6:07I tried to educate myself
as much as possible. -
6:07 - 6:09I read any and everything
I could get my hands on. -
6:09 - 6:13And aside from that,
I wrote music and short stories. -
6:13 - 6:18Some programs that I feel
would benefit our young people -
6:18 - 6:21are art therapy programs
-
6:21 - 6:24for the kids that like to draw
and have that talent, -
6:24 - 6:28and what about the young individuals
that are musically inclined? -
6:28 - 6:31How about a music program for them
that actually teaches them -
6:31 - 6:34how to write and make music?
-
6:34 - 6:35Just a thought.
-
6:35 - 6:37When adolescents come to Rikers Island,
-
6:37 - 6:41C74, RNDC is the building
that they're housed in. -
6:41 - 6:45That's nicknamed "gladiator school,"
-
6:45 - 6:48because you have a young individual
coming in from the street -
6:48 - 6:49thinking that they're tough,
-
6:49 - 6:53being surrounded by a bunch
of other young individuals -
6:53 - 6:56from all of the five boroughs,
and everybody feels that they're tough. -
6:56 - 7:00So now you have a bunch of young gentlemen
poking their chests out -
7:00 - 7:04feeling that I have to prove
I'm equally as tough as you -
7:04 - 7:06or I'm tougher than you, you and you.
-
7:06 - 7:08But let's be honest:
-
7:08 - 7:13That culture is very dangerous
and damaging to our young people. -
7:13 - 7:16We need to help institutions
and these teens realize -
7:16 - 7:19that they don't have to lead
the previous lifestyle that they led -
7:19 - 7:22when they were on the street,
that they can actually make a change. -
7:22 - 7:26It's sad to report
that while I was in prison, -
7:26 - 7:30I used to hear dudes talking about
when they get released from prison, -
7:30 - 7:33what type of crimes
they're going to commit -
7:33 - 7:36when they get back in the street.
-
7:36 - 7:38The conversations used to sound
something like this: -
7:40 - 7:42"Oh, when I hit the street,
my brother got this connection -
7:42 - 7:44for this, that and the third,"
-
7:44 - 7:47or, "My man over here
got this connection for the low price. -
7:47 - 7:48Let's exchange information,"
-
7:48 - 7:51and, "When we hit the town,
we're going to do it real big." -
7:51 - 7:54I used to hear these conversations
and think to myself, -
7:54 - 7:57"Wow, these dudes are really talking about
going back in the street -
7:57 - 7:58and committing future crimes."
-
7:58 - 8:00So I came up with a name for that:
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8:00 - 8:03I called it a go-back-to-jail-quick scheme
-
8:03 - 8:07because really,
how long is that going to last? -
8:07 - 8:09You get a retirement plan with that?
-
8:09 - 8:12Nice little pension? 401(k)? 403(b)?
-
8:12 - 8:16You get health insurance? Dental?
-
8:16 - 8:18(Laughter)
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8:18 - 8:19But I will tell you this:
-
8:19 - 8:21Being in jail and being in prison,
-
8:21 - 8:25I came across some
of the most intelligent, brilliant, -
8:25 - 8:28and talented people
that I would ever meet. -
8:28 - 8:30I've seen individuals
take a potato chip bag -
8:30 - 8:32and turn it into the most
beautiful picture frame. -
8:32 - 8:36I've seen individuals take
the state soap that's provided for free -
8:36 - 8:38and turn them into
the most beautiful sculptures -
8:38 - 8:42that would make Michelangelo
look like a kindergartner made it. -
8:42 - 8:45At the age of 21, I was in
a maximum-security prison -
8:45 - 8:47called Elmira Correctional Facility.
-
8:47 - 8:50I just came out of the weight shack
from working out, -
8:50 - 8:53and I saw an older gentleman that I knew
standing in the middle of the yard -
8:53 - 8:54just looking up at the sky.
-
8:54 - 8:59Mind you, this older gentlemen was serving
a 33-and-a-third-to-life sentence -
8:59 - 9:02in which he already had served
20 years of that sentence. -
9:02 - 9:04So I walk up to him and I said,
-
9:04 - 9:06"O.G., what's going on, man, you good?"
-
9:06 - 9:09He looked at me, and he said,
"Yeah, I'm good, young blood." -
9:09 - 9:11I'm like, "So what are you looking up
at the sky for, man? -
9:11 - 9:13What's so fascinating up there?"
-
9:13 - 9:16He said, "You look up
and you tell me what you see." -
9:17 - 9:21"Clouds." (Laughter)
-
9:21 - 9:24He said, "All right.
What else do you see?" -
9:24 - 9:26At that time, it was a plane passing by.
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9:26 - 9:28I said, "All right, I see an airplane."
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9:28 - 9:32He said, "Exactly, and what's on
that airplane?" "People." -
9:32 - 9:36"Exactly. Now where's that plane
and those people going?" -
9:36 - 9:38"I don't know. You know?
-
9:38 - 9:41Please let me know if you do.
Then let me get some lottery numbers." -
9:42 - 9:45He said, "You're missing
the big picture, young blood. -
9:45 - 9:48That plane with those people
is going somewhere, -
9:48 - 9:50while we're here stuck.
-
9:50 - 9:52The big picture is this:
-
9:52 - 9:55That plane with those people
going somewhere, -
9:55 - 9:59that's life passing us by
while we behind these walls, stuck." -
10:02 - 10:04Ever since that day,
-
10:04 - 10:08that sparked something in my mind
and made me know I had to make a change. -
10:08 - 10:12Growing up, I was always
a good, smart kid. -
10:12 - 10:17Some people would say
I was a little too smart for my own good. -
10:17 - 10:22I had dreams of becoming
an architect or an archaeologist. -
10:22 - 10:24Currently, I'm working
at the Fortune Society, -
10:24 - 10:26which is a reentry program,
-
10:26 - 10:31and I work with people as a case manager
that are at high risk for recidivism. -
10:31 - 10:33So I connect them
with the services that they need -
10:33 - 10:35once they're released from jail and prison
-
10:35 - 10:38so they can make a positive transition
back into society. -
10:38 - 10:41If I was to see my 15-year-old self today,
-
10:41 - 10:44I would sit down and talk to him
and try to educate him -
10:44 - 10:48and I would let him know,
"Listen, this is me. I'm you. -
10:48 - 10:50This is us. We are one.
-
10:50 - 10:53Everything that you're about to do,
I know what you're gonna do -
10:53 - 10:56before you do it because I already did it,
-
10:56 - 11:00and I would encourage him
not to hang out with x, y and z people. -
11:00 - 11:03I would tell him not to be
in such-and-such place. -
11:03 - 11:05I would tell him,
keep your behind in school, man, -
11:05 - 11:07because that's where you need to be,
-
11:07 - 11:10because that's what's going to get you
somewhere in life. -
11:10 - 11:12This is the message
that we should be sharing -
11:12 - 11:14with our young men and young women.
-
11:14 - 11:18We shouldn't be treating them as adults
and putting them in cultures of violence -
11:18 - 11:20that are nearly impossible
for them to escape. -
11:20 - 11:22Thank you.
-
11:22 - 11:26(Applause)
- Title:
- What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork
- Description:
-
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.
As a teenager, Ismael Nazario was sent to New York’s Rikers Island jail, where he spent 300 days in solitary confinement — all before he was ever convicted of a crime. Now as a prison reform advocate he works to change the culture of American jails and prisons, where young people are frequently subjected to violence beyond imagination. Nazario tells his chilling story and suggests ways to help, rather than harm, teens in jail. - Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 11:27
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork | ||
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Ivana Korom accepted English subtitles for What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for What I learned as a kid in jail | Ismael Nazario | TEDxNewYork |