Short Story

“What I Learned as a Kid in Jail” is a speech given at a TEDTalk convention to a group of young men and women delivered by Ismael Nazario, a prison reform advocate where he does work for The Fortune Society, a non profit organization. Nazario was arrested when he was just under eighteen for robbery and sent directly to Rikers Island where he spent 300 days in solitary confinement, before ever being convicted of the crime. Nazario’s goal in delivering his speech to a group of younger men and women is to make them aware of the way correctional officers treat younger inmates and how inmates should be spending their time doing productive activities and understanding they do not have to go back to the life they were living. Nazario accomplished this goal by sharing personal stories from his past experiences.

One of my friends, Jason who I'd known since the sixth grade, pulled out his gun and shot the officer in his right knee. The cashier called the cops and we decided to stay and wait since we had not stolen anything and the shooting was in self-defense. When the cops arrived, we told them what happened. An hour later, we were sitting in the Miami-Dade Police Office, handcuffed, and confused. An officer walked into the room and told us that we were all being charged with attempted aggravated assault and battery. We all yelled and cursed the officer out of frustration and two minutes later, the three of us were (booked) and ended up sitting in a 6 by 6-foot cell without the luxury of a window to see the outside. When were finally given permission, I called my older brother Mann, told him what happened, and asked could he (bail) us out. Within an hour, we were out of jail angry, frustrated, without shoes, -- and most importantly -- without a refund. My brother dropped us off at the park and we met up with some more of our friends to play a game of

The next thing I know, I’m going in a cell in the police station . Being confused why I was there, I asked why, and the response I got was “you're going to court in half hour”. IN half in hour,I was in trial for stealing money and counterfeiting. By the end of the trial I was sentenced to 20 years of Juvy.

For this assignment, I was to visit a detention facility and once again I set off to carry out the assignment with notions I previously got from news and entertainment. I would have preferred to visit the infamous Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Colorado for a maximum experience, but I settled for San Quentin State Prison located in California. Even though it has a lesser reputation for its harshness in comparison to ADX, it is still known for the largest death row executions in the country, and home to more than 3,000 inmates. I spoke to officer *Bob Smith (name changed due to a request for anonymity) who recounted his experience having worked there for 7 years

At the tender age of eleven, I was snatched from my home. I didn't know why, all I knew was that my mother had done something bad and that my siblings and I had to be

I left before they arrived. The next day, I got to school and the dean called me down to the office, where there were two cops waiting for me. They brought me to the police station and took me to bookings. When I went to the booking, the judge gave me a court day that was a month later. On my court day the judge called my name. When I went up then he called the boy I had a fight with but he didn’t show up so the judge gave me a different court day. On my second court day, same as the first, the boy and his mother didn’t come so the judge dismissed my case.

It was one late afternoon and I was so bored. I went to meet a group of friends at the park to hanging out. As soon as I got there, we had started smoking and walking around. We went onto private property and starting throwing rocks at a building. Someone called the police and a few minutes later we were being questioned. They searched us because

On August 28, 1998, 19 years ago I was charged with theft. At the time of the offense, I was a very immature 18 year old teenager going through some hardships at home my parents were planning on separating. At that time I started hanging out with the wrong crowd of people. Due to peer pressure it lead me to make wrong decisions that I still regret to this day. One of my so-called friend was working at K-Mart he mention to me that I should go by the store and buy some stuff and that he would not charge me for some of the merchandise in exchange of me getting some of things for him that he that he would have ready for me in the store. To make feel reassured he said, that he had done this with some of our other friends. So I was easily convinced and went by the store when he told me to go. When I got to the store he had two televisions ready for me to pick up (I never thought it was going to be televisions) I went up to the register and said, to follow him as we walked outside the store manager

When i was a kid i used to get in so much trouble my parents wanted to give up on me. I was in and out of juvenile. I was ignorant i didn't care about no ones feelings. One day i was sitting inside the house and my probation officer came over. My big brother was heading out the door when my mom told him do not get into any trouble. As soon as he went outside he got locked up. What happened was he was with a group of guys who robbed a lady but he was the only one who got caught. He was given 2 years in juvenile.

When I got into the court room, it was all so real. There was all the stuff in there that I would see on Judge Judy; the podium, the judge, and the police officer. When I got called on, thankfully, I didn’t have to go up to the stand and I was able to sit right next to my mom. I told him the story and had to wait a while to see what his verdict was. When he came back, I got told that I had to do community service and had to meet with a parole officer.

According to the cops, you were nothing but a no good hood they all knew was destined to die young and violent. None of those cops would think to charge a Soc with your death. They're too busy kissing up to their rich mommy and daddy's.

Or as if they had a gun to my head forcing my signature on a piece of paper in order to admit a false guilt in order to except probation over a 15 year prison sentence. I almost pissed myself. I was only a 17 year old child and these people threaten to put me in prison for 15 years. That was my whole life over again. I could not imagine doing 3 hours in jail. Let alone 15 years. The system got me. Sucked me right in to the school to prison pipe line an I had no clue.

The cops asked me questions I got all nervous my legs were shaking and I was scared out of my mind, there was a feeling of a sea of anxiety deep down. They were asking me questions like what were you doing when this happened and why didn’t you warn your sister, I answered them, but they were treating me like the suspect not the dog that made me furious. I was so angry with how they were dealing with it, I told them how I was feeling and they kind of threw my thoughts away like they were nothing.You know my sister was just attacked by a pit bull and you did nothing to the pit bull and you are asking me if I did it!

The smattering of rain on the roof overhead calms me, beating out an irregular rhythm like an anxious child unconsciously tapping his foot. The dim glow of my phone screen washes over me as I wait for the light to return, cut off by the flash flood inducing rain. I look around, and sigh; yet again, the lights on the ceiling are blank, leaving me with nothing to shield myself from the impending darkness.

Respondent: I had beat a guy up. I ran on top of the roof, and then they caught me. They let me go, but they got to beating me. I got a resisting arrest charge when I was 15 after I (43:03 inaudible) police brutality because they approached me, they didn't read my Miranda rights, and they didn't state what I was being arrested for. Then they forced me to the ground and scratched up my face.