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