Laurie Russell, the Wise Group Chief Executive recently did a TEDx talk about the lessons we’ve learnt from the Community Justice work we do. In this short film his challenge to the audience is that we waste public money by locking up far too many people in Scotland’s prisons, many of whom should not be there. He also believes that prison does not help them. He explains that the Wise Group’s mentoring approach has been much more successful at addressing anti-social behaviours, reducing re-offending and is much better value for money.
Laurie talks through some of the main changes that he thinks need to be made to give people caught in the revolving door of the justice system better opportunities to change their lives.
If you have not heard about TED before, it is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
To find out more about TEDx click here.
