Failure - get over it | Terry McAuliffe | TEDxAttica 2019

In this entertaining talk, former Governor Terry McAuliffe talks about his first entrepreneurial endeavors as a young boy in Syracuse to his time as Governor, reforming Virginia's criminal justice system. Terry McAuliffe served as Governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. He also served as Chair of the National Governors' Association from 2016 to 2017 and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005. During his term as Governor, the unemployment rate in Virginia dropped from 5.4% to 3.6% and initial unemployment claims fell to a 44-year-low. By the end of his term, McAuliffe had restored voting rights for 206,000 released felons, more than any governor in U.S. history. He also issued more pardons than any Governor in Virginia history and reduced the state’s population in state-operated Juvenile Correctional Centers by nearly two-thirds. His new New York Times best-selling book, Beyond Charlottesville: Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism, describes the tragic events at the "Unite the Right" rally that resulted in the deaths of three people in Charlottesville, Virginia, during his governorship.

Read More

How to fix our broken criminal justice system | Robert Barton | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

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.

Read More

What are you going to do now? | Eugene DePasquale | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016

As Pennsylvania’s Auditor General and the son of an incarcerated father, Eugene DePasquale talks about the tremendous financial cost on children, with a challenge for the future. DePasquale became Pennsylvania's 51st Auditor General in 2013, and was recently re-elected to a second term. Prior to his service as Auditor General, DePasquale was a member of the state House of Representatives, where he was known as a leader in government reform.

Read More

Love, commitment, rehabilitation, and respect | Tony Cardenas | TEDxIronwoodStatePrison 2014

Raised by hard-working immigrant parents, Tony Cárdenas was brought up with simple ideals – that integrity and dedication were the keys to success. Rep. Cárdenas is committed to bringing awareness and change to the issues most important to the San Fernando Valley and its families. A passionate advocate for justice, Cárdenas’s work on common-sense gun safety, immigration reform, juvenile justice, and championing solutions that will make the U.S. economy even stronger has been recognized and praised both locally and nationally. Rep. Cárdenas was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2013 for the 113th Congress (2013-2014) and has represented California’s 29th district since. Now in the 117th Congress (2021-2022), Rep. Cárdenas sits on the prestigious House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is fighting for hard-working American families. He has worked on and authored legislation to lower prescription drug prices, protect American consumers, combat climate change, and ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality health care. The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest of the "authorizing" committees in the House. Rep. Cárdenas was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2013 for the 113th Congress (2013-2014) and has represented California’s 29th district since. Now in the 117th Congress (2021-2022), Rep. Cárdenas sits on the prestigious House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is fighting for hard-working American families. He has worked on and authored legislation to lower prescription drug prices, protect American consumers, combat climate change, and ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality health care. The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest of the "authorizing" committees in the House. These are the qualities that he has brought to his career as a public servant, and he continues to offer that today as a United States Congressman. And when it comes to America’s youth, Rep. Cárdenas has been a steadfast champion. Cárdenas led the passage of the bipartisan At-Risk Youth Medicaid Protection Act, which he co-wrote with Virginia Republican Morgan Griffith. This law ensures that at-risk young people have much-needed health and mental care coverage when they reenter the community from juvenile detention centers. The resolution acted as an extension of his work within the bipartisan Crime Prevention and Youth Development Caucus, which he co-founded along with Rep. David Reichert of Washington during the 113th Congress. During the 113th Congress, Rep. Cárdenas also founded the bipartisan Congressional Student-Athlete Protection Caucus along with Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, underscoring his dedication to fostering America’s youth through bipartisan support.

Read More