We need to change the culture in our jails and prisons, especially for young inmates. New York state is one of only two in the U.S. that automatically arrests and tries 16- to 17-year-olds as adults. This culture of violence takes these young people and puts them in a hostile environment, and the correctional officers pretty much allow any and everything to go on. There's not really much for these young people to do to actually enhance their talent and actually rehabilitate them. Until we can raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18, we need to focus on changing the daily lives of these young people.
Moramo da promenimo kulturu u našim zatvorima, naročito za mlade zatvorenike. Država Njujork je jedna od samo dve u SAD koja automatski hapsi osobe od 16 i 17 godina i sudi im kao odraslima. Ovom kulturom nasilja ovi mladi ljudi smeštaju se u neprijateljsko okruženje, a čuvari dozvoljavaju da se dešava skoro sve. Ovim mladim ljudima ne preostaje baš puno toga kako bi zapravo pojačali svoj talenat i kako bi se pokušala rehabilitacija. Dok ne budemo mogli da podignemo granicu kriminalne odgovornosti na 18, moramo se usredsrediti na to da promenimo svakodnevnicu ovih mladih ljudi.
I know firsthand. Before I ever turned 18, I spent approximately 400 days on Rikers Island, and to add to that I spent almost 300 days in solitary confinement, and let me tell you this: Screaming at the top of your lungs all day on your cell door or screaming at the top of your lungs out the window, it gets tiring. Since there's not much for you to do while you're in there, you start pacing back and forth in your cell, you start talking to yourself, your thoughts start running wild, and then your thoughts become your own worst enemy. Jails are actually supposed to rehabilitate a person, not cause him or her to become more angry, frustrated, and feel more hopeless. Since there's not a discharge plan put in place for these young people, they pretty much reenter society with nothing. And there's not really much for them to do to keep them from recidivating.
Znam to iz ličnog iskustva. Pre nego što smo napunio 18 godina, proveo sam otprilike 400 dana na ostrvu Rajkers, i pored toga, proveo sam skoro 300 dana u samici, i da vam kažem: kada vrištite svom snagom na vratima svoje ćelije i kada vrištite svom snagom sa svog prozora, izmorite se. Pošto nema baš puno toga što tamo možete da radite, počnete da marširate napred-nazad po svojoj ćeliji, počnete da pričate sami sa sobom, misli počinju da vam divljaju i onda vam sopstvene misli postanu najveći neprijatelj. U zatvorima ljudi zapravo treba da dožive rehabilitaciju, ne da postanu ljutiti, isfrustrirani i da se osećaju još beznadežnije. Pošto za ove mlade ljude ne postoji nikakav plan o otpuštanju, u društvo se vraćaju bez ičega. Zaista ne postoji mnogo toga što bi ih sprečilo da ponovo pogreše.
But it all starts with the C.O.s. It's very easy for some people to look at these correctional officers as the good guys and the inmates as the bad guys, or vice versa for some, but it's a little more than that. See, these C.O.s are normal, everyday people. They come from the same neighborhoods as the population they "serve." They're just normal people. They're not robots, and there's nothing special about them. They do pretty much everything anybody else in society does. The male C.O.s want to talk and flirt with the female C.O.s. They play the little high school kid games with each other. They politic with one another. And the female C.O.s gossip to each other.
Ali sve počinje sa čuvarima. Za neke je veoma lako da ove čuvare vide kao dobre, a zatvorenike kao loše momke, a neki to vide i obrnuto, ali to nije cela priča. Ovi čuvari su normalni, obični ljudi. Dolaze iz istih delova grada kao i populacija kojom "upravljaju". Oni su samo normalni ljudi. Nisu roboti, i kod njih ne postoji ništa posebno. Otprilike rade sve ono što rade i drugi u društvu. Muški čuvari žele da pričaju i flertuju sa ženskim čuvarima. Igraju se jedni sa drugima kao u srednjoj školi. Raspravljaju se međusobno. A ženski čuvari tračaraju međusobno.
So I spent numerous amounts of time with numerous amounts of C.O.s, and let me tell you about this one in particular named Monroe. One day he pulled me in between the A and B doors which separate the north and south sides of our housing unit. He pulled me there because I had a physical altercation with another young man in my housing unit, and he felt, since there was a female officer working on the floor, that I violated his shift. So he punched me in my chest. He kind of knocked the wind out of me. I wasn't impulsive, I didn't react right away, because I know this is their house. I have no wins. All he has to do is pull his pin and backup will come immediately. So I just gave him a look in his eyes and I guess he saw the anger and frustration just burning, and he said to me, "Your eyes are going to get you in a lot of trouble, because you're looking like you want to fight." So he commenced to taking off his utility belt, he took off his shirt and his badge, and he said, "We could fight."
Proveo sam dosta vremena sa priličnim brojem čuvara i ispričaću vam o jednom koji se zvao Manro. Jednog dana dovukao me je između vrata A i B koja odvajaju severnu i južnu stranu jedinice gde smo bli smešteni. Tamo me je dovukao jer sam imao fizičku razmiricu sa drugim mladićem iz naše jedinice i osećao je, pošto je na tom spratu radio i jedan ženski čuvar, da sam mu ugrozio smenu. Pa me je udario u grudi. Izbio mi je vazduh. Nisam bio impulsivan, nisam reagovao odmah, jer znam da je to njihova kuća. Ne mogu da pobedim. Samo je trebalo da pritisne dugme i odmah bi došla podrška. Stoga sam ga samo pogledao i pretpostavljam da je video kako mi u očima gore bes i frustracija i rekao mi je: "Imaćeš problema zbog svojih očiju jer izgledaš kao želiš da se tučeš." Počeo je da skida svoj opasač, skinuo je košulju i značku i rekao: "Mogli bismo da se tučemo."
So I asked him, "You gonna hold it down?" Now, that's a term that's commonly used on Rikers Island meaning that you're not going to say anything to anybody, and you're not going to report it. He said, "Yeah, I'm gonna hold it down. You gonna hold it down?" I didn't even respond. I just punched him right in his face, and we began fighting right then and there.
Pitao sam ga: "Nećeš da drukaš?" To je izraz koji se često koristi na ostrvu Rajkers i koji znači da nikome nećeš ništa reći i da to nećeš prijaviti. Rekao je: "Neću da drukam. A ti?" Nisam ni odgovorio. Samo sam ga odalamio u lice i počeli smo da se tučemo na licu mesta.
Towards the end of the fight, he slammed me up against the wall, so while we were tussled up, he said to me, "You good?" as if he got the best of me, but in my mind, I know I got the best of him, so I replied very cocky, "Oh, I'm good, you good?" He said, "Yeah, I'm good, I'm good." We let go, he shook my hand, said he gave me my respect, gave me a cigarette and sent me on my way.
Pri kraju tuče, priklještio me je uza zid i dok smo se tukli, pitao me je: "Dobro si?" kao da me je dobio, ali sam znao da sam ja dobio njega, pa sam arogantno odgovorio: "O, ja sam dobro, a ti?" Rekao je: "Da, da, dobro sam." Pustili smo jedan drugog, rukovali se, rekao mi je da me je ispoštovao, dao mi cigaretu i poslao me dalje.
Believe it or not, you come across some C.O.s on Rikers Island that'll fight you one-on-one. They feel that they understand how it is, and they feel that I'm going to meet you where you're at. Since this is how you commonly handle your disputes, we can handle it in that manner. I walk away from it like a man, you walk away from it like a man, and that's it. Some C.O.s feel that they're jailing with you. This is why they have that mentality and that attitude and they go by that concept. In some instances, we're in it together with the C.O.s. However, institutions need to give these correctional officers proper trainings on how to properly deal with the adolescent population, and they also need to give them proper trainings on how to deal with the mental health population as well. These C.O.s play a big factor in these young people's lives for x amount of time until a disposition is reached on their case. So why not try to mentor these young people while they're there? Why not try to give them some type of insight to make a change, so once they reenter back into society, they're doing something positive?
Verovali ili ne, na ostrvu Rajkers naići ćete na neke čuvare koji će se tući sa vama jedan na jedan. Osećaju da razumeju kako je to i da ću se suprotstaviti njima kako treba. Pošto se rasprave ovako često rešavaju, možemo to da rešimo na taj način. Ja odatle odem kao muškarac, ti odeš kao muškarac, i to je to. Neki čuvari se osećaju kao da robijaju sa vama. Zato imaju taj mentalitet i stav i vode se tim konceptom. U nekim slučajevima, u istom smo problemu kao i čuvari. Ipak, institucije moraju da pruže ovim čuvarima pravilnu obuku za to kako da se na pravi način ophode sa populacijom adolescenata i moraju da im daju pravilnu obuku za to kako da se ophode sa populacijom sa mentalnim problemima. Ovi čuvari igraju veliku ulogu u životima ovih mladih ljudi za X količinu vremena dok ne dođe do razrešenja u njihovim slučajevima. Zašto onda ne pokušati sa mentorisanjem ovih mladih ljudi dok su tamo? Zašto ne pokušati da im se da neka vrsta uvida u promene, tako da kada se vrate u društvo rade nešto pozitivno?
A second big thing to help our teens in jails is better programming. When I was on Rikers Island, the huge thing was solitary confinement. Solitary confinement was originally designed to break a person mentally, physically and emotionally. That's what it was designed for. The U.S. Attorney General recently released a report stating that they're going to ban solitary confinement in New York state for teens.
Druga velika stvar kako bi pomogli našim tinejdžerima u zatvoru je bolji raspored. Kada sam bio na ostrvu Rajkers, samice su bile velika stvar. Samice su prvobitno osmišljene kako bi se osoba slomila mentalno, fizički i emotivno. Za to su smišljene. Državni tužilac SAD nedavno je objavio izveštaj u kome se tvrdi da će se zabraniti upotreba samica u državi Njujork za tinejdžere.
One thing that kept me sane while I was in solitary confinement was reading. I tried to educate myself as much as possible. I read any and everything I could get my hands on. And aside from that, I wrote music and short stories. Some programs that I feel would benefit our young people are art therapy programs for the kids that like to draw and have that talent, and what about the young individuals that are musically inclined? How about a music program for them that actually teaches them how to write and make music? Just a thought.
Dok sam bio u samici, ono što me je držalo razumnim bilo je čitanje. Pokušao sam da se obrazujem koliko god sam mogao. Čitao sam sve čega sam mogao da se dočepam. Pored toga, pisao sam muziku i kratke priče. Mislim da bi mladim ljudima koristili programi terapije umetnošću za klince koji vole da crtaju i imaju taj talenat, a šta je sa mladima koji su skloni muzici? Na primer, muzički program gde bi ih neko zaista naučio kako da pišu i stvaraju muziku? To je samo pomisao.
When adolescents come to Rikers Island, C74, RNDC is the building that they're housed in. That's nicknamed "gladiator school," because you have a young individual coming in from the street thinking that they're tough, being surrounded by a bunch of other young individuals from all of the five boroughs, and everybody feels that they're tough. So now you have a bunch of young gentlemen poking their chests out feeling that I have to prove I'm equally as tough as you or I'm tougher than you, you and you. But let's be honest: That culture is very dangerous and damaging to our young people. We need to help institutions and these teens realize that they don't have to lead the previous lifestyle that they led when they were on the street, that they can actually make a change.
Kada adolescenti dođu na ostrvo Rajkers, smeštaju se u zgradu C74, RNDC. Ovo se naziva "školom za gladijatore", jer imate mladu osobu koja dolazi sa ulice i misli da je žestoka i bude okružena gomilom drugih mladih osoba iz svih pet krajeva grada, i svi misle da su žestoki. Sada imate hrpu mladića koji se busaju u grudi i osećaju da moraju da dokažu da su jednako opaki ili opasniji od tebe, tebe i tebe. Ali budimo iskreni: ta kultura je veoma opasna i škodi našim mladima. Moramo da pomognemo institucijama i ovim tinejdžerima da shvate da ne moraju da žive svojim pređašnjim životom koji su živeli na ulici, da zapravo mogu da se promene.
It's sad to report that while I was in prison, I used to hear dudes talking about when they get released from prison, what type of crimes they're going to commit when they get back in the street. The conversations used to sound something like this: "Oh, when I hit the street, my brother got this connection for this, that and the third," or, "My man over here got this connection for the low price. Let's exchange information," and, "When we hit the town, we're going to do it real big." I used to hear these conversations and think to myself, "Wow, these dudes are really talking about going back in the street and committing future crimes." So I came up with a name for that: I called it a go-back-to-jail-quick scheme because really, how long is that going to last? You get a retirement plan with that? Nice little pension? 401(k)? 403(b)? You get health insurance? Dental? (Laughter)
Tužno je reći da kada sam bio u zatvoru, čuo sam tipove da pričaju o tome šta će raditi kad izađu napolje, kakve zločine će činiti kada se vrate na ulice. Ti razgovori su zvučali pomalo ovako: "O, kad krenem na ulicu, moj brat ima ovu vezu za ovo, ono i nešto treće", ili: "Moj burazer tamo ima vezu za nisku cenu. Hajde da razmenimo informacije" i "Kad krenemo u grad, ima da radimo na veliko." Slušao sam ove razgovore i u sebi sam mislio: "Čoveče, ovi likovi stvarno pričaju o tome da idu nazad na ulicu i da počine nove zločine". Smislio sam ime za to, nazvao sam to šemom za brzi povratak u zatvor, jer stvarno, koliko će to da traje? Je l' se uz to dobije plan za penziono? Lepa penzijica? Beneficirani staž? Zdravstveno, socijalno osiguranje? (Smeh)
But I will tell you this: Being in jail and being in prison, I came across some of the most intelligent, brilliant, and talented people that I would ever meet. I've seen individuals take a potato chip bag and turn it into the most beautiful picture frame. I've seen individuals take the state soap that's provided for free and turn them into the most beautiful sculptures that would make Michelangelo look like a kindergartner made it.
Ali da vam kažem ovo: kada ste u zatvoru, sretnete neke od najinteligentnijih, najbriljantnijih i najtalentovanijih ljudi koje bih ikada sreo. Viđao sam ljude koji bi uzeli kesicu od čipsa i od nje napravili prelep ram za slike. Viđao sam ljude koji bi uzeli državni sapun koji dobiju besplatno i od njega naprave prelepe skulpture koje bi učinile da Mikelanđelo izgleda kao dete iz vrtića.
At the age of 21, I was in a maximum-security prison called Elmira Correctional Facility. I just came out of the weight shack from working out, and I saw an older gentleman that I knew standing in the middle of the yard just looking up at the sky. Mind you, this older gentlemen was serving a 33-and-a-third-to-life sentence in which he already had served 20 years of that sentence.
U svojoj 21. godini bio sam u zatvoru sa maksimalnim obezbeđenjem koji se nazivao Popravna ustanova Elmira. Upravo sam se vratio iz teretane gde sam vežbao i video sam starijeg gospodina kojeg sam znao kako stoji nasred dvorišta i gleda u nebo. Imajte na umu da je ovaj gospodin služio kaznu 33 godine do doživotne i da je već odslužio 20 godina od toga.
So I walk up to him and I said, "O.G., what's going on, man, you good?"
Prišao sam mu i rekao: "Šta ima stari, jesi li dobro čoveče?"
He looked at me, and he said, "Yeah, I'm good, young blood."
Pogledao me je i rekao: "Da, dobro sam, sinovac."
I'm like, "So what are you looking up at the sky for, man? What's so fascinating up there?"
Pitao sam: "A što onda gledaš ka nebu, čoveče? Šta je tamo tako zanimljivo?"
He said, "You look up and you tell me what you see."
Rekao je: "Pogledaj gore i reci mi šta vidiš."
"Clouds." (Laughter)
"Oblake." (Smeh)
He said, "All right. What else do you see?" At that time, it was a plane passing by.
Rekao je: "U redu. Šta još vidiš?" U tom trenutku, prolazio je avion.
I said, "All right, I see an airplane."
Rekao sam: "U redu, vidim avion."
He said, "Exactly, and what's on that airplane?" "People." "Exactly. Now where's that plane and those people going?"
Rekao je: "Tačno, a šta je u njemu?" "Ljudi." "Tačno. A kuda idu ti ljudi i taj avion?"
"I don't know. You know? Please let me know if you do. Then let me get some lottery numbers."
"Ne znam. Ti znaš? Javi mi ako znaš, pa mi daj i neke brojeve za loto."
He said, "You're missing the big picture, young blood. That plane with those people is going somewhere, while we're here stuck. The big picture is this: That plane with those people going somewhere, that's life passing us by while we behind these walls, stuck."
Rekao je: "Ne vidiš širi plan, sinovac. Taj avion sa tim ljudima ide nekud, dok mi ovde tapkamo u mestu. Ovo je širi plan: taj avion sa tim ljudima ide nekud, to je život koji prolazi pored nas dok smo zaglavljeni među ovim zidinama."
Ever since that day, that sparked something in my mind and made me know I had to make a change. Growing up, I was always a good, smart kid. Some people would say I was a little too smart for my own good. I had dreams of becoming an architect or an archaeologist.
Od tog dana, to je pokrenulo nešto u mom umu i znao sam da moram da promenim nešto. Dok sam rastao, uvek sam bio dobar, pametan klinac. Neki bi rekli da sam bio previše pametan za svoje dobro. Sanjao sam da postanem arhitekta ili arheolog.
Currently, I'm working at the Fortune Society, which is a reentry program, and I work with people as a case manager that are at high risk for recidivism. So I connect them with the services that they need once they're released from jail and prison so they can make a positive transition back into society. If I was to see my 15-year-old self today, I would sit down and talk to him and try to educate him and I would let him know, "Listen, this is me. I'm you. This is us. We are one. Everything that you're about to do, I know what you're gonna do before you do it because I already did it, and I would encourage him not to hang out with x, y and z people. I would tell him not to be in such-and-such place. I would tell him, keep your behind in school, man, because that's where you need to be, because that's what's going to get you somewhere in life. This is the message that we should be sharing with our young men and young women. We shouldn't be treating them as adults and putting them in cultures of violence that are nearly impossible for them to escape.
Trenutno radim u "Fortune Society" što je program vraćanja u društvo i radim sa ljudima koji imaju visok rizik vraćanja zločinu. Povezujem ih i pružam im potrebne usluge kada ih puste iz zatvora tako da mogu da naprave pozitivan prelaz u društvo. Kada bih danas video sebe sa 15 godina, seo bih i popričao s njime i pokušao da ga obrazujem i rekao bih mu: "Slušaj, ovo sam ja. Ja sam ti. Ovo smo mi. Jedno smo. Znam sve što ćeš da uradiš pre nego što kreneš jer sam to već uradio." Rekao bih mu da se ne druži sa nekim ljudima, da ne ide na određena mesta. Rekao bih mu da se posveti školi, jer tamo treba da bude, jer je to ono što će te odvesti negde u životu. Ovo je poruka koju treba da delimo sa našim mladima. Ne treba da se prema njima ophodimo kao prema odraslima i da ih stavljamo u kulture nasilja iz kojih je skoro nemoguće pobeći.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)