Changing our approach to criminal justice | Jess Nichol | TEDxSonomaCounty

NOTE FROM TED: This talk only represents the speaker’s personal views and experiences. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/t...

Jess Nichol has been on a journey of healing and justice since her sister Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in 1993. She advocates for replacing our current system of punishment with a system of care, and offers ways for that change to happen in our justice system as well as our individual lives. Jess is a survivor of the kidnapping and murder of her sister, Polly Klaas. Public outrage around the case was used to pass the Three Strikes law in Polly’s name, increasing mass incarceration in the U.S., often for low-level crimes. Jess does not support Three Strikes and in 2020, began a podcast to help shift our beliefs about those incarcerated by connecting with people who have suffered because of Three Strikes and disrupting cycles of harm through social action. 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