How to fix our broken criminal justice system | Robert Barton | TEDxSanQuentin

After having worked with hundreds of prisoners, victims of crimes, and correctional officers and administrators, California's Inspector General has a pretty good idea of what's broken and why in our prison system. Listen to his talk to learn what we all must do in order to fix these system and improve public safety.

Robert Barton currently serves as California's Inspector General and is responsible for oversight of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, including critical incidents, internal affairs, complaints, medical care, use of force, and other legislatively requested reviews. He chairs the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board reporting and making recommendations on rehabilitative programs for inmates and parolees. He began his public service with the Fresno Sheriff’s Department in 1984, while completing his B.S. in criminology at CSU- Fresno. He graduated from UC Davis King Hall, with his JD in 1988. He then served as a prosecutor in the Kern County District Attorney’s Office and from 2000-2005 supervised the gang, prison crime, juvenile and truancy units. He was then appointed as a Supervising Assistant Inspector General in 2005, before being appointed in 2011 as the Inspector General. He holds a lifetime Community College instructor credential in law.

[deshvibhuti]

Our criminal justice system focuses so orthodoxically on how to lock people for years instead of how to keep them out successfully!
- so well said.

[bettertogetherhealthfitnes]

"The opportunities have to outweigh the obstacles" love that.

[thesupremeruleroftheunited]

It's simple. All you got to do is get the criminals out of congress and out of the court system.

[fatefulbrawl]

I adore this man with every fiber of my being ❤
Change comes to us all, wether we seek it ir not.

[vslaps]

There's a reason the U.S has the highest prison population. Prisoners are profitable, especially in private prisons. Not to mention profits have been used to sway prosecutors or judges to convict those of non violent or low-grade crimes and have them subjected to harsh punishment, such as the Kids For Cash Scandal. I don't know about federal prison, but private prisons are especially brutal in dehumanizing prisoners and juveniles as young as 13. Their goal isn't to rehabilitate inmates, but to generate and maintain the highest profits through them. They do this by cutting costs, such as security, food, and healthcare and generating arbitrary laws and rule to get more convicted. They have driven the mass incarceration in the U.S sky high, harming families, communities and state governments. With the stocks booming since Trump won the election, private prisons around the country will be opening their gates for immigrants, and then closing them forever.
U.S corporations have been financially exploiting anything they see as profitable, but this should be off limits. It basically says that your very lives and futures aren't as important as the money they can make off of you. The whole "don't do the crime if you can't do the time, " idea means absolutely nothing in these circumstances. They'll find any excuse to put you away.

[idkwuisp]

the fact that this video only has 84k views and 174 comments, implicates that the american criminal justice system is unlikely to change for decades to come. "they deserve to be locked up" is what most of y'all will say. it's sad.

[hyperexplorer]

It's time for a change.
Thank you!

[kiranminer]

My son 20yo was hit by someone on two different controlled substances that are contraindicated for being prescribed together or for driving while on them, the driver was on the phone and drove into the oncoming lane and hit my son an army reservist on his way home from work on his motorcycle. She, the white driver, who grew up in the area was not charged with a felony or DUI despite the toxicology showing both drugs present in the system. The officer told me "Your son is no angle I could hear him speeding from the barracks" sight unseen and knowing nothing of motorcycles and muffler systems and stating how he hates motorcycles. According to PA state law, this should have been an automatic felony when you cause serious injury. My son was life-flighted to a trauma hospital and had 14 surgeries to save his life and his leg and has permanent disfigurement, infection and injury. Wayne County Pa did not give access to victim assistance as the person quit and the DA never charged the driver or spoke to my son about his account and nor did the State police. Have my son's rights been violated? and certainly, the police officer and DA have extremely unprofessional conduct in both the law and enforcement as well with possible discrimination and clear bias. Who do I contact?

[IWantMyCountryBack]

Prosecutors and cops that lie, falsify evidence, supress exculpatory evidence must be held accountable for their crimes.

[zaksee]

There is man in Tampa, FL that is prisoner in his own land because of the judge didn't want to look at the evidence and no one cares even the news. If anyone knows a good attorney please let us know.

The justice in this country has a problem, how do you fix that so the judges can't do that to other people just for lies?

[pb]

Need more training and re-entry programs. Low level trade schools so that ppl can earn a living when the get out. Sheet rockers, landscapers, roofers, concrete laborers, road crew. We are at a major labor shortage in this country and prisons are full. Major problem. I used to sell drugs for money. Now I hustle carpentry.

[frankzheng]

For most things in our universe, there is cause and effect. But for some strange reason here in America, we choose blame-aggregation over devising solutions to the issues we face now-a-days. And I truly believe that is because we are yoked under a monetary system that "we the people" neither own or control. Everything after that is a result of it's machinations over us. It has us at each other throats on a daily basis for the exclusive benefit of the elite 1% or so.

The criminal justice system in America isn't broken. It's hopelessly rigged and fixed.

[antonlissenberg]

You are on the right trak it is the one way to go go greatings from the netherlands. Sorry for my bad english

[mattkelley]

This is what the we call in the retail space “opportunity” and this appears to be one of the most long-standing and turbulent issues in America. It affects those who are disenfranchised most; people of color and the poor. We MUST resolve this for a prosperous future and I hope with all my being to someday be a part of the solution. It’s even more flooring that this is the second comment on a Ted Talk. More people need to be aware of the system that hurts so many. The odds are stacked and we must be the generation that ends this cyclical repetition of harm to those who are the least likely to have a safety net. If you want change, come together. Those who are caught in the system can not reach upward social mobility. We must come together to transform this cruel justice system entrenched with racism and disenfranchisement. Please. If you read this, and if you care for your fellow man, do what you can to lead tomorrow into a prosperous day where equality is just and the justice system shifts its M.O. from one of partiality, to one of fairness and true justice for all of its citizens.

[NAYR-JAUAI]

1. People should always be able to speak for themselves during trial.

2. People should be offered O.R. or P.R. bonds, at arraignment, to be given a chance to gather exculpatory evidence.

3. Fascist Statutes should be criminalize from being legislated & deemed as arbitrary; thus, the constitution should be considered before any statute is revised, or any law is legislated.

4. Every State should have the same statutes, all this nation's jurisdictions should concur, no jurisdiction should reject an order from another jurisdiction, no process from any court should be abused by any court, regardless of the difference in the procedures of one another's civil or criminal codes.

[l.a.h]

I'm actually working on a criminals justice project for class now listening to opposing views of the system I would like to enter this career to make a difference but hope that wont make me an outcast

[gtaeverrr]

We need to adopt the concept of restorative justice used in Norway. In Nordic prisons, criminals are sent to prison as punishment, they aren't sent there to be punished. They view the loss of freedom experienced while incarcerated as sufficient punishment. We also need to begin looking more closely at diversion programs that keep criminals out of prison, so we can lower prison populations and improve quality of life for those deemed a true threat to public safety. That means more access to a wider variety of rehabilitative programs. Unfortunately, none of this will ever change until we are able to vastly change how our society views criminality.

[anthonysturt]

I think that using the Grinch at the end was silly. Overall, I agree that our criminal justice system needs a big update.

[NatashaONeil-wwrn]

Prevention is better than rehabilitation

[AdrianRivera]

Here in Pasco County Florida Dishonorable Judge Alicia Polk has put a burden on my family which has cost us financial loss, depression and frustration. With her biased abuse of power the state Florida has completely failed to hold her accountable for poor decision making in trials. At what point do we the people actually get justice with a broken system?