Mass Incarceration: Why Should Americans Care? | Monalisa Johnson | TEDxBeaconStreet

"Monalisa Johnson spent time in jail while undercover on the hit TV show ""60 Days IN' (A & E), and she also has a daughter who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She makes the case that we are our brothers and sisters keepers, and she calls upon her audience to participate in a human rights movement of ""a major awakening in our consciousness for people of all colors"" to the right to have an education, to have opportunities to work, and have shelter and food.

In the 1970's there were 300,000 inmates in the U.S. Now there are 2.5 million. Mass incarceration is a humanitarian crisis that destroys families, creates a group of second class citizens, and costs 80 billion dollars a year. Bad conditions are not going to create good people. We must awaken to the thought that we have reasons to care about returning citizens, because it is a humanity, financial, and community issue. We are our brothers' & sisters' keepers.

Love and acceptance is what we must work towards...moving from a punitive approach to a restorative approach to return the dignity of all people, regardless of color. www.bookmonalisa.com" "Monalisa Johnson spent time in jail while undercover on the hit TV show ""60 Days IN' (A & E), and she also has a daughter who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She makes the case that we are our brothers and sisters keepers, and she calls upon her audience to participate in a human rights movement of ""a major awakening in our consciousness for people of all colors"" to the right to have an education, to have opportunities to work, and have shelter and food.

In the 1970's there were 300,000 inmates in the U.S. Now there are 2.5 million. Mass incarceration is a humanitarian crisis that destroys families, creates a group of second class citizens, and costs 80 billion dollars a year. Bad conditions are not going to create good people. We must awaken to the thought that we have reasons to care about returning citizens, because it is a humanity, financial, and community issue. We are our brothers' & sisters' keepers.

Love and acceptance is what we must work towards...moving from a punitive approach to a restorative approach to return the dignity of all people, regardless of color. www.bookmonalisa.com" This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx