We Are Doing It Wrong: Nightmares and the Criminal Justice System | Isaac Bryan | TEDxUCLA

[Music] I don't sleep very well I often find myself having nightmares sometimes they are irrational full of fantasy and other times they are so real so vivid that I have to lay motionless for a few moments before I can contemplate falling back to sleep it's been like that for me since I was a child eight of my siblings and I represent the discarded The Forgotten society's blind spot with a Diaspora of the American child welfare system some of us were conceived in unspeakable violence others abuse since birth neglected malnourished and all eventually adopted one at a time into the Bryant family growing up we collectively long for the days we could escape the darkness of our origins and move into the light of the dreams we aspire to chase when I was a kid and I used to have nightmares I used to open my fearful eyes and looking down upon me would be my older brother his unwavering support always helped me transition from pain back to peace one night I asked him big brother why do you always stay up with me when I'm having a nightmare he looked at me and he said it's my duty to it's my responsibility it's wrong for me to sleep peacefully knowing that you aren't able to do the same the deeper meaning behind his words has stayed with me ever since in fact it's become a critical lens by which I evaluate he can design public policy the criminal justice system is a nightmare I know this far too well I've been published as an academic scholar I've advised policy makers I've written legislation I've been interviewed as an expert but more importantly most importantly I remember I remember the day one of my brothers came home from a juvenile detention center I remember the day one of my brothers was sentenced to jail time I remember the day one of my brothers was sentenced to prison I remember that Christmas Eve looking at my brother my hand pressed against the thick glass my soul crying my eyes unable to do the same because in this country black men aren't allowed to cry the culmination of these personal and professional experiences have left in me a resounding perpetual thought we must do better nationally 2.2 million people are incarcerated at this very moment a rate far and away exceeding all other industrialized nations in my home state of California we have compromised pieces of our humanity in the name of fear in a 20-year span beginning in 1980 we built 22 prisons and only one University of California institution of higher learning we spent $75,000 a year to incarcerate individuals and 11 billion dollars annually in state corrections expenditures money I would argue would be better used to improve public safety if it were invested in affordable housing homelessness prevention re-entry efforts imagine for a second if we diverted 11 million dollars to early childhood education [Applause] [Music] how might that impact our society still there's one facet of the criminal justice system that is especially inequitable a money bail system the money bail system exacerbates poverty it bifurcates freedom those who can afford it and those who can't it's really simple how it works if you are rich and you are alleged of commit a crime you can pay your bill and fool to the courts and have it returned to you at the conclusion of your court proceedings and if you are poor you don't have that option and you are left with two alternatives the first you can pay a percentage of your total bail in the form of a non-refundable bail bond deposit and the other more common for the least of us you remain incarcerated free trial having never been convicted of any wrongdoing I firmly believe that if we know the in justices of the criminal justice system we we are called to move called to act to look at what we're doing and redesigned reform abolish if need be that's part of my work for the mayor of Los Angeles I was fortunate to tour Lancaster state prison a few months ago with the artist the activist comic and while we toured that prison yard we looked at each other and I was hit with a deep deep sense of responsibility a black man free to walk around the yard the guards moving when I asked them to and as he performed that night in front of the crowd thousands in attendance I looked around and I didn't see inmates I saw people I saw human beings worthy of love compassion forgiveness I saw my brothers the criminal justice system is a complicated social phenomenon but in our efforts to improve society to head towards the ideal we must never compromise pieces of our humanity we have to remember our solemn duty to fight for justice the combat injustice and like my big brother taught me so many years ago with so many suffering from nightmares all around us those of us who have the option to sleep peacefully have the duty to remain woke until we are all free to chase the dreams we aspired as children thank you [Applause]

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 119,794

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Education, Crime, Criminal justice, Family, Fear, Freedom, Prison, Schools

Id: dJW5GuOkPqk

Length: 8min 22sec (502 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 13 2018