Lessons from death row inmates | David R. Dow

www.ted.com What happens before a murder? In looking for ways to reduce death penalty cases, David R. Dow realized that a surprising number of death row inmates had similar biographies. In this talk he proposes a bold plan, one that prevents murders in the first place. (Filmed at TEDxAustin.)
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/translate
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[@StaziiaClark3]

Moral of this speach: It is better to build boys than to mend men.

[@baublittr1709]

"Speech"

[@jamesb5196]

Anastaziia Clark Nice stolen quote.

[@mary-louisa2273]

so true, great quote

[@dhampirism]

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Quote by Frederick Douglass.

[@samantha8223]

Rng 2k17 punishment is not what's needed, instead discipline from a compassionate, caring and trusted mature person would make all the difference. Discipline means to teach and punishment is only one way that is done. it's not the most effective and is by far the most degrading.

[@IrishEyes1989]

This guy is right on point. The best part about this talk is that it takes the focus off of the endless and ultimately futile debate between death penalty supporters and opponents. He's really preaching to the choir in my case because I've always believed that far too much money is spent keeping up prisons and inmates. More money should go towards preventative efforts. Prison and capital punishment are band-aid solutions to a problem that needs a real cure. As Dow says, if we put more resources into making sure that at-risk youth don't become criminals, eventually the results will be evident in lower numbers of incarcerations and hopefully lower crime rates. There need to be more initiatives like My Brother's Keeper to give these kids a chance for a good life.

[@RydalS]

I agree.

[@Jinka1950]

IrishEyes1989 You are correct. However, it is W A Y past corrective/preventative measures. It goes way back to FAMILY. Looking at history.. how many gangs existed only a few decades ago?: Hardly any. Hooliganism, gangs, violent crime increased when Social Programs became more generous.. 5 babies by 5 different men = 5 government paychecks. No father in the house? No problem. In my day we feared our fathers. No stepping out of line. No such conscious today with youth. They run wild with impunity. Don't the know solution. Sorry. However, lack of 'home environment' is one of the problems..

[@IrishEyes1989]

Jinka1950 Absolutely, I agree with you too. It's a multifaceted issue that needs to be addressed from a variety of different perspectives. It's clear that the current way of doing things just isn't working.

[@kirareilly3699]

+Jinka1950 You know I find it funny how people tell me social programs are the problem but nobody ever talks about getting rid of the one where I am forced to give my hard earned money to your grandma on the promise that the gov. will pay it back and then some. I find it funny how men in suits will tell me the biggest problem with today's youth is they have no moral center, but then those same men in suits will extol the virtues of a Russian born woman preaching the worst traits in human nature. I am tired, so tired of these fraud culture warriors who steal from me, denounce me and exploit me, but tell me the problem is with me like I'm a fucking battered housewife.

[@kirareilly3699]

Connor AC troll

[@SuAva]

I cannot understand how this could not make perfect sense to anyone.

[@josetudor4650]

Me neither!

[@alexandrosmavros2781]

Uhm... I didn't understand the video, what is this video meaning? Why he didn't go? What does this video mean?

[@heftylad]

Alex Black The death penalty (You may know I'm just explaining as much as possible) is something that has been abolished in most parts of the world, but some places, including places in modern countries like Texas in the USA, still use. It is a punishment for murder. The punishment is simple; you get killed. The law takes your life away because you took away someone else's. However, this man is saying that the thing that leads people to murder and, ultimately, to getting killed by the law themselves, is a bad childhood. He is saying that the government should pay more attention to dysfunctional families and as soon as it is possible, get the kids out of that family and help them live a normal life; educate them, mentor them, to make sure that their past doesn't affect their future.

[@alon_k]

Did anyone else read his name as David D. Row at the start?

[@beelzer]

+Alon K hahah yes, thought the same thing.

[@williamchristman1165]

+Alon K yep david d. dow

[@DavidPopeOfficial]

Yes

[@winston9920]

Yes, David D Dow can change to David D Row!!!!!

[@MoonLight-zj8iu]

+Alon K: I didn't notice it was Dow until I read this.

[@Kljeko0]

That man is apsolutely right. I cant think of anything that goes against his ideas and statements. Impressive man.

[@brantjackson6007]

I got one it is an inanimate object called money. Who is going to fund this as well how are they going to know the status of the parents without infringing on our rights as much as the government already does.

[@catapultedtoextremes1436]

It's appsolutely*

[@snowygirl131]

Not every child. Some have good parents.

[@trintavon]

Catapulted Toextremes actually its absolutely* so you corrected it wrong ya idiot

[@bonphone4222]

At 5:15 he is using misleading conclusions to his graphs. The time difference between when people are sentenced and the actual penalty can be decades. The average is 15 years on death row, as of 2010 statistics. People aren't being sentenced and then killed at the same time.

[@LacrimaPhoenix]

Dear Professor, I wish there were more compassionate and intelligent people like you to run for presidency. and democracy, for that matter.

[@baseboots]

this isn't disney world, there are men out there who just want to watch the world burn. they do not deserve compassion. they should be taken out :D

[@vlisto3712]

Luckily for us, those people are unbelievably rare. The death penalty is stupid.

[@Mormielo]

+baseboots I agree but... 1) this is beside the point in this video. Infact he says that some of the kids will eventually become murderers anyway and also that some of the murderers are not coming from these disfunctional families/environments. 2) While i do believe that there are crimes that deserve the death penalty, i also believe that sentencing someone to death should (theoretically) be done when there are no doubts, reasonable or unreasonable and this is simply impossible. This is unfortunate (as i said i firmly believe that certain crimes should entail death penalty) but unavoidable. PS Sorry for my english, i am from a country without death penalty :D

[@baseboots]

i wouldn't say establishing a case without a doubt is impossible. There are these very public spotlight seeking crimes (e.g. mass shootings) where the perpetrators are without a doubt guilty. I would also say, serial killers should be taken out urgently too, since they are linked to multiple separate murders. Granted, serial killers and public terrorists don't do bulk of the killings but its reasonable for them to be taken out. But think about the whole thing tho. why do murderers get fed, get sheltered, get medical assistance. etc while there are starving innocent children and families who do NOT get the same deal. So as i was saying, kill the killers and use the money to shelter, feed, and help the innocent children/families instead.

[@Mormielo]

On the purely filosofical point of view yes, establishing a case without doubt is impossible. On a more practical side, even when it seems that there is overwhelming evidence, from my point of view is always the proof some one else collected, examined and judged in a complex process that is completely out of my view and that has snown in the past that is prone to errors even resulting in killing of innocents. And since when they "press the button" they press it in my name too, i still can't trust them enough. And believe me, i find it enraging that certain individuals cannot be administered the sentence they deserve, death in this case, but it's just how things are. Regarding the cost problem, i have read that in civilized countries, where the process of administering the death penalty is subject to zealous scrutiny, the cost of the system is actually higher than the cost of life sentences without parole.

[@katharina...]

In a nutshell: education saves lives.

[@whydoievenbothertoputthish2199]

the pen is mightyer than the sword

[@chillidari-9392]

MrPoopyButthole69 At least spell mightier right.

[@whydoievenbothertoputthish2199]

+Dark Surge srry English isnt my native language

[@chillidari-9392]

MrPoopyButthole69 I am just joking man, don't worry lol.

[@whydoievenbothertoputthish2199]

;*

[@astonerdarkly222]

maybe we should stop seing prison as a punishment for those that break a law, and rather as something to protect society from dangerous individuals. which would mean that the "common sense" thing to do would be - to stop sending non-dangerous people in jail - to use time spent in jail to turn them into non-dangerous version of themselves (and yes, even if it cost money to do so)

[@joealias2594]

+aStoner Darkly 100% agree, punishment should only be necessary insofar as is necessary to keep innocent people safe. If a person committed murder, but after a month in therapy I somehow could be 100% assured that person would no longer be violent, I would rather set them free than keep them in prison for life. That said, I think the idea of "paying back" for wrongdoing is a good thing. So, if that person had to do charitable work to try to bring good into the world after the bad they brought, that would probably be a good thing for our culture. That's something that I hope could be instilled as a cultural value, and not necessarily legislated.

[@joealias2594]

+aStoner Darkly To add onto my previous comment: Right now we have an 'eye for an eye', or 'two wrongs make a right' attitude towards justice. We think that, if someone does something terrible, the "just" thing to do is to do something equally terrible to them. But, what if we had a "a right balances out a wrong" attitude? So, if we considered that the just thing would be if the person who did wrong had to do something good to balance out the wrong they did? So, we don't care if that person suffers, we care about doing good in response to doing bad? Would that not make a huge difference? And if a person could never be rehabilitated, and could never be convinced to make up for what they did wrong, then perhaps that person would have to be keep in prison for the safety of others anyway. But out of necessity, not out of a need for punishment.

[@GregTom2]

+aStoner Darkly That's what the civilied world does, but you'll be hard pressed to convince an american that punishing evil isn't "the right thing to do". Which is strange because you know. They're christians and Jesus kept saying "he who never sinned throw her the first stone" and "If you call your brother an idiot, it's as bad as if you killed him", and so on. Basically "everyone is disposed to awful crime in the right circumstances and punishment is a pointless waste of human lives".

[@frankfraticelli2967]

+GregTom2 You really need to stop using that Jesus quote about the "throwing stone" scene because you are not understanding the situation there - at all. The most misquoted and misunderstood scripture in modern times.

[@GregTom2]

Frank Fraticelli I've read the new testament from cover to cover. If you can provide me with a context that I was lacking, please do so.

[@befreemybutterfly]

I really enjoyed your talk. I am sorry to hear about Will, though I heard story like this too many times. My situation is very much like Will. I had a crazy mother whom I barely knew. She used to chased me with a knife, I would ran to the bathroom and hide. There are many unspeakable things she done to me. I have always wondered why I did not grow up committing crimes like many in my situation and ended up in prison. In stead I’ve always want to be a public defender, so I can help young juveniles. I study and watch crime documentary’s, trying understand why I am the way I am. My conclusion is LOVE. I was fortunate to have my grandparents who loves me and raised me for the first 12 years of my life until I met my mother. I believe if Will had love in his life, he will not be where he was. I certainly do not believe in death penalty and I believe Will should not have been executed. There are too many WILLS in our society that are created by unfit, dysfunctional and irrsponsible parents. I hope your talk and your continuing work with death row inmates will help effect some changes. “Wanted Children Would Make a World a Better Place” Thank you David. By the way, I am a chinese female.

[@clbiggins83]

Page, I'm so sorry to hear about your story and so glad you made out with love. Very powerful. I would love to hear more of your story. Can you email me at [e-mail]?

[@jkfz5661]

So will shouldn't have been executed because he had a dysfunctional family and THEY are responsible for his actions??? No I'm sorry, will should have manned up and realized that he took a fucking life, so now he gets his taken. He knew exactly what the fuck he was doing and the fact that people feel bad for a murderer is disturbing to me.

[@befreemybutterfly]

No Jkfz, I am not excusing Will's action, however, having a loving family and support makes a big different in any young person life. Unless you are in that person shoes, you could not possibly understand what it feels like to be abuse. Especially for a young child. It massed up their mind. Regardless, I am against death penalty. It's cruel and barbaric to sit and watch another human being kill. . by the way, why are you so anger??

[@befreemybutterfly]

Clbiggins83. Thanks for your kindness. I will send you an email ASAP.

[@clbiggins83]

Page B You're welcome. Thank YOU for sharing your story. I agree with you, that it is always different until we are in a person's shoes.

[@downloaddeodeo6063]

There's a way to find those kids. In Australia, we have the KID'S HELP LINE. It's a service for children to call when they need help, when they know they're being abused. It's under funded & 50,000 calls go unanswered.

[@boomerangsruckflug8513]

Are toddlers able to call a hotline like that???

[@downloaddeodeo6063]

@@boomerangsruckflug8513 The Kid's Helpline has been shocked over the years as to how young their callers are. They don't have enough staff or resources to field all the calls. 50,000 go unanswered every week.

[@karlburmeister1552]

Wow, at the beginning he pretty much described my childhood to a t. I was lucky to have some better people take care of me when I reached high school. Don't think you can't make a difference!

[@maryannpeterson7292]

Im sorry that happened to you.

[@youtubasoarus]

All of this seems to go back to the idea that it takes a community to raise a child.

[@ElliotJanes]

🤔 The example a fatherless child with schizophrenic mother until 5 years old committing murder and ending up on death row doesn’t make you think that maybe a mother and a father are the best first option? 🤔

[@IskaRiot84]

Elliot Janes of course it is, optimally even wealthy, educated, benevolent parents. However that is not always the case, and in those cases other people need to step in and care for these kids.

[@CGeeThompkins]

That concept has been realized and the "village" has proven to be a failure. Villages (gov't agencies, friends, relatives, gangs, ryc.) It takes loving, selfless, committed parents to successfully rsise a child.

[@mandlerparr1]

But, if you don't have a society that prioritizes raising the next generation, then a lot of parents and families will be lost. Right now, if everyone waited until they could afford to have a child in a two parent home and still pay all bills, and pay for all emergencies, maybe 20-30% of the population could have a child, and even less could have 2 children. Having a society where one working person can support at least one adult and one child takes more than 2 loving parents. It takes a society that says people need a basic wage that can sustain such a family, that says that those two parents need paid time off work to care for children in infancy and during emergencies. It needs a society that doesn't have women earning less money simply because they care for their children. Etc. etc., because there a so many more factors, too many to list in this forum

[@prettylittleravenna]

@@mandlerparr1 Most of Europe has that, check out Swedish policies.

[@Smiles5s5s]

This is so sad. When I hear about criminals who got started as kids, I feel so bad for them. I've made incredibly stupid decisions for pretty much all of the 21 years that I've been alive, and to think that some of these kids had to make life and death decisions when they were only 7? Like "join a gang or take my chances on the street". I couldn't expect little kids faced with such decisions to make good informed decisions when they have such little power over their destiny. And since they have such a bad start, the rest of of their life will probably come to reflect that

[@stephaniegour4897]

i think this talk was so well done, so organizes and easy to understand. I really like that he brought up this conversation to the world so we can finally start to make a change

[@jamessandy5873]

Yeah, it’s really, really “organizes”.

[@tystroud4155]

I got chills listening to the end when he quoted Will

[@TechWarriorz]

As a society our most important resource is children.

[@buhbo3250]

Christobanistan You know what he meant.

[@okie9025]

+Christobanistan goddamit

[@johnharris7076]

john but we dont care as a nation they slaugter.babies every single day abortion on demand they inject a saline.solution into the embryonic fluid and it scalds thd baby to death ?????

[@johnharris7076]

thats what he says but our actions say somethig different

[@johnharris7076]

all evil needs to flourish is for good men to do nothing talk is cheap

[@mastergames811]

I had Professor Dow as a law professor during a summer program. In the summer program, we learned over 30 different subjects in the legal profession in 3 weeks. This time crunch meant that we only had about one class per subject. I had professor Dow for an hour, and in that one hour, his lecture resonated with me. He spent about five minutes presenting anti-death row arguments and shooting each down with one or two sentences. He also made the same argument that he made in this video, cultivating a society to prevent crimes to even get into death penalty cases, to begin with. I took his one class almost three years ago, and every time I have self-doubt about being a lawyer, I go back to watch these ted talks. Funny thing is I never considered going into death penalty law; however, after his lecture, I am heavily considering it.

[@mastergames811]

I’m sorry I meant he made pro death penalty arguments in 5 minutes and refuted each one of them.

[@michaelmaison5592]

This is one of the best TED talks I've ever heard. Further, in my opinion, there has never been a more important topic.

[@disp1ay]

Every improvement he suggests is common practice in Germany

[@Jen.K]

I don't understand why, but the US is considered to be so advanced and a world leader, as a nation, but it's policies are way behind much of the western world, and this is a perfect example.

[@youtubeuser8547]

Jen K More sociatal behaviors than policies.. doesn’t have much to do with politics.

[@GeorgePutzenheimer]

I wonder how many foster families out there are preventing so much future pain with their love and dedication. Thanks be to them.

[@user-ni4xt9jk7z]

Criminals are not born; criminals are made.

[@jld9444]

"I was born in the judge's robes"

[@StrikerAC]

It doesn't matter what creates them. Only how society treats those that decide criminal actions are permitted.

[@harrymatadeen]

Maybe for some. But psychopaths definayely not so!

[@IFibreOpticI]

***** No you have it wrong "It doesn't matter what creates them" it does!...if you know what creates criminals, remove what "it" is, and you don't have criminals. "Only how society treats those that decide criminal actions are permitted" well believe it or not, just like Misbah said, "criminals are made" and it's society that makes them, the very thing you say is the only matter in this and its our "society" (the creator of criminals) that is the only solution to deal with it...hmmmmm that seems quite ironic and counter-productive, letting the cause of the issue be the resolver of it right? Like Martin Luther King said "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that" society is the darkness...we need replace it with a better one if you want the issue to disappear, not use primitive and quite frankly ineffective methods of dealing with an outcome when it is the cause you have to deal with, that being the environment the child was exposed too at the prenatal stage and through childhood. Society is the environment and society is the cause of crime among other issues that's what needs to change! Not incompetent methods created and used by society.

[@StrikerAC]

IFibreOpticI Good point in theory, but impossible to implement. There is no way, outside of forcible (largely ineffective) methods, to remove poverty, desperation, malice, and the predatory nature from society. Theoretically if society successfully took the "bad" out of people and existed in a form that didn't suppress individual freedoms and opportunities, then yes in that form criminality could be "removed" to some extent. This is not possible outside of postulation and theory. Society, the banding together of large quantities of people, always suppresses groups of people. Assuming this is the cause and creator of criminals (weak family structure, poor education opportunities, "rough" neighborhoods, low income, etc) the existence of society is unable to co-exist without spawning crime to some extent. In summary, since society (which cannot be removed) is unable to exist without creating criminality (or allowing it at the very least), criminals aren't the problem--its how society deals with the ever present issue.

[@truditrudi753]

Society creates then condemns. When will the penny drop to realise nurturance with care and love goes a very long way.

[@stonie658]

Society is too complex also. It's not like people agree on everything.

[@JTandLittleB]

Well technically, Society didn’t create, it was originally the kid’s parents that failed him

[@truditrudi753]

@@JTandLittleB Technically society consists of parents/caregivers

[@user-uz4gh7sm9l]

I wish this guy could make a documentary on this issue. It brought me tears listening to the last conversation he had with Will.

[@Aaron-pw6cx]

Talking to someone before they are systematically killed. That's heavy, real heavy

[@flagmichael]

We can make a difference in everyday life. I recently read "Whoever Hunts Monsters" by Robert Ressler and I couldn't help notice that my own story was somewhat darker than many of the serial killers he described. A middle child of a schizophrenic mother and an alcoholic father, I was at gunpoint the first time at age 13 when the alcoholic stepmother who repeatedly threatened to butcher me as I slept ran me out of the house at shotgun point on Christmas eve. So it went until I raised myself into my mid teens, studied radio electronics at the public library and earned an FCC Radiotelephone license, then found a job that used my talents. That wasn't the final chapter; severe PTSD threatened my life - every morning for 8 years I decided whether to try another day or to end my life in exceptionally violent ways that would leave my body hard to identify. I was completely withdrawn and it took an enormous effort just to find the woman who became my wife of 46 years so far, and to open my heart _just enough_ for the first time ever. Reading Resseler's book, I realized how much the childhoods of the serial killers he had interviewed was like my own. There was a difference, though: I had male role models from time to time. My 7th grade teacher never knew how much I admired his serenity and poise, and his intelligent views on any subject at all. My stepmother's grown son, who had suffered from her alcoholic rages and overcame them, took me in for Christmas and for a week afterward. I was disoriented in their normal home, but I saw it was an alternative even if I didn't understand it. The next year my Algebra teacher sometimes struck up conversations with me. Even to me those influences seem so small, so almost trivial. It was still a long, incredibly hard slog out of a dark place that was almost all I knew, with only a hint of what I should do. The emotional damage was something I would not understand until I turned 40, and even then it was still overwhelming. For all that, just a relative handful of hours by a few people who lived in a brighter world were enough. Without them, I guarantee I would not be around to write this.

[@167logan]

As a foster parent I'm so glad that you mentioned the reality of keeping kids safe from dysfunctional homes.

[@sparklebutt1119]

Thanks so much for the CC! ❤️

[@rosemarieescalante263]

Nearly cried. Wow. Very powerful. Straight & to the point.

[@TheBeatKeeper]

I find it frustrating that we live in a society that does little to nothing for those who suffer. Let's be 100% honest with ourselves, the average American doesn't help the poor, adopt children from orphanages, or lose any sleep knowing people in this country are in dire need of help. We all have an "everyone for themselves" mentality of living. The only time we do interact or show any concern regarding other people is when they do something negative that affects us. If we were to realize that most criminals crop out of a very similar hot beaker, composed of a mixture of lethal ingredients: * abusive families * mental health issues * violent environment * limited opportunities * no guidance/ wrong guidance, etc... it would be a lot easier to see that it's a better idea to just help people in need first before they grow up to become a threat.

[@maryallison9268]

Great talk! This guy should be in charge of where my taxes go, I'd be a lot happier. :)

[@oshkoshbjosh]

This is so amazing. I wish I had faith in the system to implement the very thing that he mentions... it wouldn't only help the rate of murder to go down, but even lesser crimes and drug usage would also go down.

[@n.fer.2596]

This is making me rethink everything. It's impossible to debate you because you back this all up with facts. Thank you for opening my eyes.

[@modernbunny320l2]

Interesting. A mother tries to butcher their 5 year old child: Goes to psychiatric hospital Said child grows up in most dysfunctional and fucked environment this side of the planet, lives on his own since year 9, forced to join a gang to survive and of course eventually commits homicide: EXECUTION, KILL HIM! Am I missing something here? Why does the mother get to just go to a psychiatric hospital while the son gets executed? She tried to murder a TODDLER. The child who grew up to actually successfully commit homicide, why did he not go to psychiatric hospital? He murdered an adult presumably, not a child. Something is fucked here.

[@miss_brightside9170]

Because supposedly she wasn't aware of what she was doing, and she didn't know what was wrong or right. I've heard about a schizophrenic patient who wanted to murder her own daughter on her 9th birthday. The mother was raped when she was 9. So her reasoning was that if she killed her daughter before she was 9, the child wouldn't suffer any harm. The woman was delusional and it wasn't her fault.

[@33shin33]

I'm gonna show the place you're missing it's here: "Forced to join a gang to survive"

[@modernbunny320l2]

33shin33 You think all gang members are willing recruits? You think gangs controlling territory is just a stupid phrase that's tossed around for no reason? A young child living on his own, in gang territory. Hmmm... I wonder how gangs get recruits...

[@33shin33]

please don't be offended my friend that's just where I personally think you've missjudged the or missinterpretated(if this is not a word please forgive me) the information.. peace for you.

[@bishop5876]

MickDick l It's possibly due to the legal system favouring females

[@LCNaidu]

"this is rocket science". I just love that. He just took the wind out of the entire debate, by refusing to even humor it in the face of reality. Early intervention isn't reductionist. It's very far from black and white too. It's complicated and messy and we are just going to have to deal.

[@emberlynnmiao5062]

His idea makes PERFECT SENSE

[@greimalkin]

all these talks are always too slow, and I can't speed it up from my phone app

[@naomis5613]

I Know.....

[@greimalkin]

trying to watch it now... 2x distorts the voice so you can't understand it either. 1.25 is somewhat bearable but still distorted.

[@greimalkin]

pretty good talk, basically advocated for earlier intervention

[@nukiradio]

Remember, a convict is not pure evil, a convict is someone who got themselves into a bad situation and then reacted poorly.

[@fallenmango8420]

Protagnis YT sometimes they're just misunderstood and reacted the best anyone could expect.

[@helenalford2831]

I think this is wrong. Whether or not there is such a thing as 'evil' there are people who are psychopathic, homicidal and brutal and who seek out violence. The point is most of those could have been diverted with proper childhood care and intervention.

[@millsykooksy4863]

Some....

[@justinowens2077]

Helen Alford there are some, but they’re overwhelmingly a minority

[@helenalford2831]

I think most of the people in prison are ordinary poor people who made a mistake. I just think the comment is a big generalisation and a bit simplistic because there are some people in prison who actually are a danger to the rest of society. Not that I think its acceptable to kill those people. The point is they are a danger to the rest of society at this point, not because they 'got themselves into a bad situation', but because they emerged from a childhood where they were violated and abused and then society continued to abuse them after that. I agree with what this speaker is saying on every point because I write to a death row inmate and his childhood was a horror story, he spent his adult life suffering from a serious and largely untreated mental health problem as a result and one day snapped and murdered a man. How could society let that happen to that kid and then think it's justifiable to murder him as revenge at the end of it?

[@Logan-qi4nx]

I think ultimately, criminals are a failure on society's part. And I say society as in you and me, and everyone we're close to. We are all responsible to take these broken families and help put them back together, either by counseling or church programs, any way to help prevent the causes rather than treat the symptoms by execution or life imprisonment.

[@noelle7786]

AnomalyFM here's the issue, though. It's too much money.

[@Logan-qi4nx]

ii ii not if we properly manage our government's budget

[@noelle7786]

AnomalyFM yeah, and what's your plan?

[@Logan-qi4nx]

ii ii I think that's a little bit lengthy for a KZbin comment

[@whitefang238]

and death penalty is also very costly. So are wars. So are company'd bail outs. The thing is, society has chosen what their priorities are.

[@ivy_inferno]

This is one of the best Ted Talk I've ever watched, thanks!

[@eeedeee7206]

I loved this TED Talk, even though the title was misleading.

[@catstraw1516]

I've been in Texas my whole life and I want exactly what this man is talking about. Everybody deserves a fair chance.

[@thunderkitty0735]

I'm a bit disappointed, i thought he was going to be talking about eye opening experiences he's had talking to death row inmates :/

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

oh gee well. sometimes reality is that dissampointing, grasshopper. read between the lines

[@thunderkitty0735]

Nurlinda F Sihotang The video was still cool and interesting. Just not was i was expecting.

[@MrJebiga1]

i think there are a lot of videos from inmates on death row peneltys... but i did not come across a video like this, until now

[@filipbahunek2504]

oh gee i had that same preconceived notion, but I am not disappointed. It was still a very powerful video.

[@anidemolimacnauj]

I think he did

[@theflaca]

Right on the mark Mr Dow. I write to a man on deathrow in polunsky unit, livingstone. His name is Randy Halprin and has not actuallly killed anyone in fact, but is subject to an antiquated felony rule called the Law of Parties. He has a website and facebook page in his name, and he has maintained a journal for the last 13 years of daily life on deathrow. It is a great insight into not just how articulate, sane, intelligent, and positive this guy is, but also the sheer monotony, humor tinged with horror as hundreds of men have passed through his life on their way to die.

[@Ezunglora]

Amazing ted talk.. Probably the biggest lesson that i've learned from ted talk.. I'm gonna show this talk to greater section of the society and make them realize dat all these crimes can be prevented to a greater degree.. Thank you Professor

[@victoriaduffy7666]

great man- would like to meet him one day

[@keithjames5456]

That was one of the best TED talks I've seen. Its really pretty simple: when "structure", like a "social platform for progress" breaks down, "carnal progress", and "rules" take its place. Its what I call "living by the greatest common factor". Its why multiculturalism sucks, and why people often exclude other people from their social structures.

[@kenzaroo9739]

Absolutely outstanding talk! Children are our future and we need to protect them the best we can. I completely agree with this talk. Thank you for sharing

[@normanvanrooy3113]

Wow! Thank you for your talk. It makes a lot of sense.

[@spork1119]

Excellent video.

[@onemercilessming1342]

I taught in an inner city ghetto/barrio school district for a quarter century. This speech ignores the BIGGEST factors in all of this. You can intervene until the cows come home, unless and until you solve the COMMUNITY problems of generational dependence upon welfare, disdain for the educational system, lack of support for family structure and family continuity/cohesiveness, eradicating recruitment of children into gangs and resultant gang warfare, and drug dealing/addiction, the problems are NOT going to be solved with mere interventions alone. You cannot depend upon the "community leaders" and "community organizers" to effect this. Their sole raison d'être is to gain and keep power for themselves. They will lose this power if community problems are solved/eradicated and that is something that they simply will not permit.

[@stormisuedonym4599]

You say that like TED would ever let someone making an uncomfortably right-wing point like that onto their stage.

[@onemercilessming1342]

@@stormisuedonym4599--I say that because it's the TRUTH.

[@stormisuedonym4599]

@@onemercilessming1342 Funny how often the right is right, innit? Almost like the left doesn't really think things through.

[@harleyjameson1939]

You are so right.

[@masada2828]

Start by having babies within a committed marriage.

[@SufianDira]

The presentation and building of ideas is on point

[@houseofhurricane2496]

The best Ted talk I've listened to EVER! Prof. Dow, thank you!!!

[@avedic]

The death penalty _MUST_ be abolished for 2 very practical reasons.... *1) It costs **_more_** to pay for someone on death row and their execution than to incarcerate them for life.* *2) Innocent people have in fact been wrongly executed.* Those two _facts_ alone are all the justification needed to judge the death penalty as unethical _and_ impractical...and therefor render it illegal. I cannot imagine how anyone could _legitimately_ argue against this, in lieu of the above two facts.

[@joealias2594]

+avedic Some people are actually thirsty for blood. They see the justice system as a way to play out their emotional need for revenge. This is horrifying. The justice system must prioritize keeping people safe, and if we were really doing it right, rehabilitating people so that crimes are prevented and people are not locked up unnecessarily. However, some people would rather believe in the devil - that evil is real and all you can do is kill it.

[@theflaca]

+avedic Finally someone who sees it correctly. I write to an inmate on deathrow in Texas. He has not in fact killed anyone. He is subject to the Law of Parties. His name is Randy Halprin. View his website and facebook pages of the same name to read his journal he has tirelessly written for the last 13 years. He proves articulate, normal, and intelligent, damaged only by his drug abuse as a teenager

[@thepoopfan64]

+avedic how does it work out that it costs more to pay for someone on death row and their execution?

[@zoeychevalier5132]

+thepoopfan64 Appeals. This isn't innate to the death penalty though so I'm not sure why it's always brought up as an argument. All you would have to do is streamline the appeal process. The only argument against the death penalty is the possibility of sentencing an innocent person, which I don't find convincing since this applies to every other punishment. We might as well not have any judicial system until we can guarantee no mistakes.

[@joealias2594]

+Natasel sorry you weren't born in 1000 BCE my friend. seems it would have suited you better.

[@ChapmanBraggHester]

"The earlier you intervene in a case, the greater the likelihood that you're going to save your client's life" is a good point, but use that same logic with someone's life. People are not born murderers, it is the path their life has taken that turns them into one. Either by necessity or by choice it doesn't matter, because it is through nurture not nature that individuals can be made or broken. If you look at a wild dog verses a household golden retriever, which one would you expect to bite you? The same is true with people, we are born animals like any other creature on the earth and only through being raised and taught to be human do we gain the humanity that makes us what we have become as a species. Our prison systems catch people early, troubled adults were once troubled teens, but instead of putting them through rehabilitation they are placed with other individuals with similar or worse behavior issues where they instead of regaining their humanity, it is further stripped from them, turning them more into the monsters that society fears. It is fear that makes people imprison people, not compassion, compassion would lead to attempts in any case to rehabilitate. Fear leads to their being cast from society like a rabid dog, almost as if their behavior will spread and contaminate the society as a whole.

[@oshkoshbjosh]

Chapman Bragg Hester You nailed it. I read a quote once that said something about how monsters are created and not born. Very well spoken sir!

[@mycheesesteak]

Chapman Bragg Hester What you say is true, however, there are people , like Will's mom with mental illness that are more likely to "bite you" than other people and they need to be dealt with. Of course we don't know the story of her life, or Will's father's life and right on down the line, so it's even more complicated than it already seems. I do think it's worth a shot though, to initiate things like this man is talking about and a step in the right direction.

[@pja6906]

Chapman Bragg Hester Spot on.

[@tommychoppa7564]

@Joaquin D it does but id say quite minimally compared to the environment of a systematically placed demoralization/ignorance/slave chamber. if our human race lived with the opposite(morilization system) our current problems would resecede 100 fold'

[@LD-qj2te]

great speech . A truly sad and tragic story . We definitely need to transform our society , education system prison system and social fabric. First we must take responsibility for ourselves, support our families but be conscious of our neighbors and those less fortunate

[@janellew4872]

Ted talks makes me really appreciate how lucky I am. No matter at what stage I'm in life because I know theres people suffering way more than I am.

[@sandyleung7783]

Inspirational and eye opening.

[@channelforpositivitylunder9385]

It's like, the costs for the government (for same impact) are: Preventive measures = $1 Consequences of not taking preventive measures = $10 Which should the government take...

[@chappers666770]

Depends on probabilities , if the risk is 9% or less better not take preventive actions the cost would outweigh the benefits

[@dannymcgoldrick676]

@@chappers666770 Ok so let's just say someone falls out of that 9% low risk and into the 91% risk factor and they go on a spree and kill 10 people, because no preventative measures were made or considered. Does this financially and or morally outweigh had preventative measures been taken for your 9%? (that lived a life without committing murder)

[@macpatty2346]

I also think that people should look out for each other, not only during childhood, but always. The fact that we live in a very disconnected and selfish society really compounds crime and uneasiness in general.

[@mdwrm]

by far one of the best talks

[@lackadaisicale492]

WHO THE HELL DISLIKED THIS? Oh wait, People who make money on the vast American prison industry ofcourse.

[@jamiemonte9881]

That's like saying Starbucks is an evil company because it sell coffee! Don't get the analogy? Simply put, SOMEONE has to build & operate them! They're not the ones helping criminals commit the crimes that create a need to house them away from society. What's wrong with someone making a profit off of it? It's exactly the same as ANY OTHER landlord. GROW UP!!!

[@bigdog517]

@@jamiemonte9881 also your analogy makes no sense

[@robiaharefin6876]

@Rafael Nunes Duarte yeah well doesn't matter what they want or not cos the fact remains that you need prisons. Yeah the prison system is terrible in all parts of the world, but you need it nonetheless.

[@robiaharefin6876]

@Rafael Nunes Duarte I really wouldn't recommend public prisons at least for the US. Trust me when I say this, the private sector may be making a lot of money off prisons, in the US they're still doing a better job than what the gov would do.

[@BladeOfLight16]

I disliked it because it's a bunch of emotional fluff without any demonstration of his preferred programs working. Not a shred of evidence was presented. It's good to have feelings, but it's not okay to try to get people to support bureaucrats forcibly taking millions of dollars from everyone based on them.

[@2TheAbbeyClinic]

The Eastern perspective is that everything is the consequence of everything that came before it, all coming together to create this moment. You can't tease out the causes of things, because they are infinite in time and space. Some call it karma, which just comes from the Sanskrit word for action, implying that every action has a reaction. The Western perspective is that everyone is personally responsible for their actions, but we all know that many people are swept up in events that are beyond their control and that have unavoidable tragic consequences for them and others. So, it's the police vs. the shrinks in court!

[@Ashleyjohnson397]

Wow. This was powerful. Start at the source. Heartbreaking.

[@lilybassiri8866]

Spot on...I allways believed that behind most criminals were sick and incompetent parents who messed them up, and they are the ones who should be punishe for the damage they caused their kids. Its a shame that justice system never looks at the big picture. Just the last scene of a whole movie!!

[@AetheriusLamia]

Misleading title. It should be called, "How to End the Death Penalty by Preventing Murder". Please fix this problem by changing the video title.

[@lostingames5657]

It's not misleading, and not as many people would click on that title. Also, I'm pretty sure the title is supposed to be whatever the speech was called by the person giving it. It's not Ted's place to change it.

[@shumishumi2059]

In Serbia we dont have life without parole or death sentinces. And we have a really low murder rate, but the kicker is, almost every household in Serbia owns a rifle.

[@IonTachyon]

Can confirm for my family. We don't have one, we have three.

[@christophersharrock491]

This has really gotten me rethinking my views on the death penalty. The part about Will’s mother trying to kill him is heartbreaking.

[@maryredel396]

This should be a viral video. This is a brilliant man

[@halfemptea]

LOVE is the answer.Begin with loving yourself, loving your family, loving your neighbor, loving your work...

[@rosecarney4111]

WHERE does love come from? Let’s stop attempting to remove the Word of God from public 🤔

[@leafmystery]

Anyway, I like the way he talks, loud and clear.

[@douglasingersoll7486]

Very nice. Liked his speech and the way he presented it.

[@michaelperrino8506]

This is probably off topic, but the rocket thrust equation he showed at 10:44 is...odd. It takes the form of the rocket thrust equation that can be derived using Reynolds Transport Theorem from the conservation of momentum, but with some confusing differences. I typically see this equation expressed: F=m-dot*V_e+(p_e-p_a ) A_e, where m-dot is the amount of mass of the propellants flowing per second, V_e is the velocity of the exhaust gases, p_e is the pressure at the exit plane, p_a is the ambient atmospheric pressure, and A_e is the area of the exit plane. The equation shown in the video uses several variables that do not make sense in this equation and I’m curious where he got them from. If anyone has some insight on what these mysterious new variables even means, that would be much appreciated. All I can tell is some mysterious "lambda*mu*(delta*o*tau)" is equal to m-dot. However, in aerodynamics and gasdynamics (where this equation would be derived from), the variables mu, delta, and tau are often used, but I do not think I’ve seen the variables lambda and o used in any of these fields. One piece of insight is that m-dot is also equal to rho*A_e*V_e, but that is hardly helpful in this situation.

[@jajalshadow]

i was clapping at the end

[@sirTittytwister]

It's people whos minds and hearts are in the right place like this, that "nudge" us all to re-examine important topics that affect us all, I'm in complete agreement with his view and tactics,... focusing on the common denominators was simple and very effective, and very worth our time to consider and put into practice, the sooner the better, is what I say too, because negroes, even though they are soul-less, can be trained to have a positive effect on society, ...watching this inspiring video convinced me of that.

[@jamessandy5873]

I support people “whos” minds and hearts are in the right place but who don’t have good autocorrect.

[@MrStronglime]

Man, are you serious? How can you be so racist as to say Negroes are Soul - less? That's against any religion I ever heard of, expecially Christianity.

[@timdunk7278]

Brilliant and very touching story.

[@house_xm]

wow! that was incredible to watch!

[@dersjuanpablo7268]

I love people that care. You're the people that make life livable. Especially in the hateful environment we live in today.

[@asho345]

But if we intervene and care for our kids early on, how will we get all those prisons filled?

[@sallyleads7037]

I’ve always thought this but no one has time to look into things. We are dealing with the effect and not the cause, so I feel there is a lot to do and people that are listened to, such as your good self, will get people to listen. No one has time to deal with justice or social care of children when effect showing, let alone the cause & you’ve mentioned them. Some parents/care givers have mental health or familia patterns of codependency issues. Change will come one day. Keep up excellent work 😘🙏🏼😇

[@nikkifeltman8523]

I love this talk so much.

[@conundrumbombs]

So, essentially, preventive care is more economically sound than reactive care for not just physical illness, but also mental illness? Gee, who would have thought?

[@vla1ne]

conundrumbombs Nobody who has the power to do this thought it apparently. The man pretty much articulated the entire problem with the american judicial system, and the only people who actually understand this are the people who don't have enough power to do anything about it.

[@YllwFvrPB]

vla1ne why would they? The criminal justice system is a cash cow. They don't want it to be less populated, or more efficient.

[@BladeOfLight16]

"So, essentially, preventive care is more economically sound than reactive care for not just physical illness, but also mental illness?" Preventative medical care isn't more economical in general because it has to be administered to a much larger group of people. It can only be economical if you could target it. On top of that, you have examples like the overuse of antibiotics which just lead to stronger antibiotics. Some things can be prevented. Others preventative measures are unwise.

[@nasersisrabe844]

I saw the video and I thought "Oh, Eminem doing statistics lol" and then I read the title...

[@oskarwinters1873]

There was a kid in my primary school who blew up cars for fun (seriously his older brother taught him, and it was in the papers,late 90s).....the teacher got mad at him in one lesson for throwing things and made him sit next to me for 1 month (i was the quite polite kid), at the end of the month he was picking flowers for the female teachers and asking about their day.........3 days after going back to his old seat he went bk to yelling and throwing things. He had a tough home situation, his dad beat him, all he needed was some compassion and not to be spoken to as the 'bad egg of the school' everyone had already given up on him. I don't know what he is doing with his life now, but i hope that month helped him see the good in the world, i do know that he never blew up another car and never shot another animal with his bbgun.

[@sb7271]

This is one of the best Ted talks of ever seen, and I have watched a lot of Ted talks. Buy his book!! It changed everything I thought I knew about prison.

[@anonymouschange287]

When I was 2 and a half years old I got bug spray sprayed in my eyes. I’m 13 now, a couple months ago I thought it happened when I was five or six because I remembered it so clearly. But it turns out I wasn’t five or six. On my father’s birthday, Facebook showed a picture from ten years ago, a few minutes before I got bug spray in my eyes. Not five years ago, ten.

[@marvinh7352]

I don't get how he says his solution is financially sound. I agree that it would be great to get the needed help to the individuals that need it early. I agree that the kind of help he is proposing would make a grand difference and save and improve lives. His passion is honest, and his desires are for the good of others. The problem is that we don't know which forty those individuals are, that are going to become murders. We do know that there are vast demographics that are at-risk. Since we don't have an all-knowing individual to help point out exactly which individuals need the help to avoid becoming murders, it sounds like we just have to spend the money to help everyone who is at-risk. This is where the budget becomes unsustainable and too many freedoms get taken away. He even mentioned that his last suggestion would be controversial, (over-riding freedoms and rights of parents) due to the intrusive aspect of "intervention" to save children from their parents. (15:51) He said that spending fifteen thousand would save eighty thousand. How would that work? In order to save the eighty thousand each for those forty executed each year, you spend fifteen thousand each to nudge forty children each year. Which forty children? Would fifteen thousand multiplied by forty each year be enough to nudge ALL the children in Texas each year, and eventually eliminate all murders in Texas? It sounds like the fifteen thousand would be a per year intervention per at-risk youth. The total number of at-risk youth in Texas each year would by many more than forty, even four hundred sounds low. To spend the fifteen thousand each for everyone considered at-risk would push the expense thru the roof way beyond the eighty thousand (times forty) per year. He did point out several examples of attempts that are being made in various communities to help with this problem. That is the right process. Communities, institutions and individuals should be allowed to help with this problem as they are able to the extent that they can afford. Massive government programs have a long history of being not-quite the right solution.

[@itsonlyafleshwound9024]

Two things. One, I think you vastly underestimate the costs associated with the death penalty. A single death penalty case costs around 1.2 million dollars (deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/costs-death-penalty-costs-in-texas-outweigh-life-imprisonment). Multiply that by 20 each year, and you get to 24 million dollars per year, which sounds roughly in the order of magnitude that a state wide early intervention program would cost, especially since a lot of already existing tools in education and law enforcement could be expanded or repurposed, reducing costs. And this isnt even taking into account reduced costs for reduced incarceration rates in general, because these programs would prevent more then just murder. Secondly, listen closely to his wording: He is not saying if we spend 15.000$ per kid per year, we save 80.000$ per death row inmate per year. His quote is far more general, suggesting in general that crime prevention costs only a fraction of crime intervention.

[@jamesjacobs2264]

This message in particular touched me. I was in an incident were my sons mother tried to kill us with two butcher knives....she wanted to drown my son in the bathtub...she was arrested but no charges were filed even though she admitted everything....now after 3 years of supervised visitations she has custody of my son & she is crazier than ever but without a mental evaluation I can't prove anything :,(

[@flyingvigil]

+James Jacobs hope you and your sons are safe somehow.

[@Patrick.Edgar.Regini]

Mr Dow; I'm not asking in terms of debating, just in terms of understanding the logic and reasoning behind this. Could you please explain what the logic behind "needing to punish people who do bad things" is ?

[@Valdaur]

His son was called 'Lincoln' Prison break anyone?

[@Taty14002]

Ian Graham my first thought.

[@BrandonP43]

I feel had because some inmates on death row honestly don't deserve to be there. Some people make mistakes. Now I'm sure a lot of people on death row should be there. But the few that are honestly good people, I feel so sad for. I'd break down. I wouldn't be able to sit in that chair. I'd pass out on the walk there.

[@EliteCrosser]

I believe it's the entire legal system in america thats at fault because if they make it to prison for a life sentence the rest of their lives are going to be spent without a stable life this will lead them right back to prison because they are forced to do illegal jobs. death sentence or not their fucked

[@zes3813]

wrong,idts

[@bluezz5002]

@@EliteCrosser Many prisons are also privately funded, which literally creates incentive to make more criminals, they ONLY care about them committing more crime so they come back. They are also given money based of the number of inmates, even if there HAS to be private prisons, i think that they should be given money based on lower recidivism rate, not the number of inmates.

[@Jen.K]

Who really deserves to be on death row, awaiting their execution. No baby is born bad, it's what happens to them which defines who they become, and what they do. With no love and support, only abuse, abandonment, neglect and trauma, anyone would become a broken, dangerous adult, and a threat to the safety of society. Society fails these children, and then murders them when they turn out wrong, well, in the US they do. Not in more civilized countries.

[@bluezz5002]

@@Jen.K society has a habit of failing people, and then condemning them

[@NallahBrown]

This was a great talk!

[@ggteaca]

Great Video. Thank You.

[@Hardstyl3r17]

Well he certainly has the right idea, partially, its not just about preventing this, changes need to be made in society in order for these situations to not even exist in the 1st place, but then again this might be impossible since everyone is diferent therefore we wont reach a mutual understanding so problems will still arise. But im in favor of death penalty, there are SOME ppl that dont really deserve the air they breath, and just spending a shit load of years on jail eating our taxes.

[@kirstenbassett3826]

After watching this I was very apprehensive to read the comments, but I decided against it because I thought there was no way people could miss the obvious point of what was said. However I was wrong and now regret it. It's not about whether he should or shouldn't have been executed. The point is we should be doing everything we can to prevent these things before they happen, not focusing on dealing with the consequences. His life could have ended up very differently and he could have made better choices, but regardless of whether the person will end up being a murderer or not, we should be helping people who are living in those types of situations. We should be wanting to help disadvantaged and abused children regardless of their future. Children should not have to worry about their parents killing them or fending for themselves.

[@JifftasticGhozt]

My favorite TED talk ever, except for the ones about bionics, naturally.

[@zelamorre1126]

My grandmother is a paranoid schizophrenic. One of my Mom's earliest memories was of Grandma trying to kill Mom's older sister. She'd tried to kill her other children both before and after as well as tried to kill my Grandfather. Grandma was defended by family members whenever doctors, teachers, or even the police asked questions. Weeks before Mom died, she still maintained that sometimes foster care is what is best for a child - not the family. Because the family still allows those people to access their children and hurt them. Or that family is just as messed up as that terrible parent. I say that in cases where children are taken away for abuse, the family members applying for custody have to pass all the tests and training foster parents do.

[@n1cb987]

The problem is we are reactive. Police, Children and Youth, and many other organizations that get involved after it is to late. after the incident occurs and not before it happens.

[@christopherochoa1446]

David, You are a prince of a man and I know that you are passionate about your calling! You touched and disturbed my heart!! I'm not an ex con yet I could tell you my story and it would bring tears to your eyes! God's grace gave me guidance! I'm grateful and thankful for humans like you! You bring wisdom and the possibility of alternative solutions!!! God Bless You and Your Family!

[@dadisman6731]

Amazing TED talk. I like how he kept most of his bias out of it.

[@pillowbugg]

Broken family, broken human...