"Once a Thief, Always a Thief?" TEDx Talk on the "Ex-Offender" Label

Submitted by Heather Erwin on Sat, 01/25/2014 - 12:54
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Hello All,

Below is another great TEDx Talk from TEDxCoventGardens.  Baillie Aaron, an entrepreneur and social innovator from Boston, works in criminal justice reform.  She's put together an interesting and thought-provoking talk here about the power that labels have to limit a person's success.  We've had this conversation before on the group and I'd love to hear thoughts on this continuing theme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGsYBbLVFTY

Comments

Hi Heather, 

 

Thank you for sharing this post. It is always encouraging to hear others seeking counter-narratives to life stories of those who experienced incarceration. Speaking from my own personal experience, I reflect back to the periods in my life when I had to disclose my past and when I did not have to disclose because it was not specifically asked. In the latter scenarios I often struggled with feeling I was not being truthful etc. However, after a mentor provided insights to me about personal privacy I began to slowly realize in my own life how much I was disclosing when I did not necessarily have to be sharing anything. To that end, of the past several years, I began to frame my experiences from the context of my higher education accomplishments. I would then follow up with my past if this was a requirement. Have I encountered barriers? Absolutely.  Yet, I have continued moving forward. Like I shared recently to some men I mentor, "reintegration" is a process... a life of learning, continually seeking ways to navigate through the barriers and not giving up. Much like living in recovery.

 

Thanks for sharing!

Hi Luis!

Thanks for your thoughtful insights.  I think a shift in our thinking, and therefore our understanding, only comes when we consciously, actively address the most powerful aspects of our experiences.  How we perceive ourselves and others is really important.  Media is a great driver of this phenomenon.  What if the Ad Council, the sponsor of all of those great Public Service Announcements, right now started bombarding our airwaves with positive messages about "rehabilitated" community members returning to society, ready to "share the communal load," or "strengthening the weakest link through education," "adding value to the community by contributing in meaningful ways," ready to "mentor those in need of support" or any other great catch phrases like the "Just Say No" or "Don't Text and Drive" campaigns, or simply began spouting all the value adding -- both financial and societal -- ways in which allowing our incarcerated population access to education benefits communities?

-- Heather

Hi Heather,

An Ad Council PSA would be a step in the right direction, especially framing through education. For many I know, including myself, it took many continued hard lessons to finally grasp our potential, yet, it has been access to education that has allowed us a path to a new life.