In this TEDx talk, Benny Lee speaks about the American criminal system. He discusses the effects of incarceration on convicted people after they are released. Lee draws insight from his personal life, having been imprisoned thrice. According to him, going to jail increases the likelihood of being convicted again. Most prisoners are repeat offenders because when they are released for the first time, they do not receive enough support to reintegrate into society (TEDx Talks, 2018). People who spend a portion of their life in prison emerge without the skills to survive in society. For instance, Lee says he had a basic level of education until he was thirty years old because imprisonment does not allow one to continue with their studies. He is an outlier among the many who are unable to finish secondary and tertiary education. Another collateral consequence of confinement is being denied employment and housing because of a criminal record. The speaker urges the audience to question where the wrongs of a convict end and where his rights begin.
According to the video, although America has only 5% of the world’s population, 25% of convicted people are in America (TEDx Talks, 2018). This is a shocking statistic that made me wonder if the system is intentionally designed to keep some people imprisoned for long. For instance, I do not think it makes sense to place a teenager in a juvenile detention center and prevent them from completing their studies. It is also impractical to detain people for years and then expect them to have survival skills when released. When I watched this video, I was surprised and angry at the collateral consequences of being imprisoned. Benny Lee is the exception rather than the norm of how people live after release from prison. I think a prison is a form of punishment for crimes rather than a rehabilitative center. The system definitely needs many reforms because as it is, prisons do more harm than good for the convicted persons and the society at large.
Reference
TEDx Talks. (2018). When do prisoners’ wrongs end, and their rights begin? | Benny Lee | TEDxNaperville. Web.