In Bryan Stevenson’s Ted talk he addresses the issues and injustices in the criminal justice system. The first main point that Stevenson makes is that there is a large degree of disconnect between what happens in the criminal justice system and communities of poverty, and what happens in those of affluent or middle class wealth. He illustrates that the train of thought is often, “that’s not our burden” when concerning issues of mass incarceration and poverty. He explains that we must be engaged with the issues of the poor and the suffering to fully evolve as a civilization. This disconnect is made clear when Stevenson compares the attitude of Germany to that of the United States on the topic of the death penalty. Stevenson points out that
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He explains that our character is decided by how we treat the condemned and poor, rather than the privileged and wealthy. By using a few statistics Stevenson makes it evident that the minorities, as well as the poor in the United States are prosecuted at an unequal, and unfair rate when compared to those of wealth or Caucasian descent, thus damaging the character of the country. Stevenson explains that who we are as a country is in the treatment of these groups, and that is the basis of how our country will be viewed. Stevenson’s third point is closely related to his second, in that he proclaims that all of our survival is tied to the survival of everyone else. This point connects Stevenson’s first two points, by illustrating that our countries disconnect with certain parts of society is going to damage our character, and survival as a whole, and thus we all have a reason to be concerned and care about the issues and injustices others face in the criminal justice …show more content…
He states that our current philosophy on punishment “does nothing for no one”, or in other words, it does not benefit the victim nor the perpetrator, thus failing to benefit the American people. As an alternative to the three strikes law and our current philosophy, Stevenson suggests that money should be put towards making law enforcement more efficient and effective, rather than punishment. Furthermore, he exclaims that as a country we should do more for the people who are victimized by crime, something that he feels our current system does not do adequately, and that it is our orientation of thought on criminal justice, that we need to
He explains that our character is decided by how we treat the condemned and poor, rather than the privileged and wealthy. By using a few statistics Stevenson makes it evident that the minorities, as well as the poor in the United States are prosecuted at an unequal, and unfair rate when compared to those of wealth or Caucasian descent, thus damaging the character of the country. Stevenson explains that who we are as a country is in the treatment of these groups, and that is the basis of how our country will be viewed. Stevenson’s third point is closely related to his second, in that he proclaims that all of our survival is tied to the survival of everyone else. This point connects Stevenson’s first two points, by illustrating that our countries disconnect with certain parts of society is going to damage our character, and survival as a whole, and thus we all have a reason to be concerned and care about the issues and injustices others face in the criminal justice …show more content…
He states that our current philosophy on punishment “does nothing for no one”, or in other words, it does not benefit the victim nor the perpetrator, thus failing to benefit the American people. As an alternative to the three strikes law and our current philosophy, Stevenson suggests that money should be put towards making law enforcement more efficient and effective, rather than punishment. Furthermore, he exclaims that as a country we should do more for the people who are victimized by crime, something that he feels our current system does not do adequately, and that it is our orientation of thought on criminal justice, that we need to