Bryan Stevenson

And then that shifted radically in the 1970s when elected officials from all political parties began arguing that people who are drug addicted or drug dependent are criminals who should be punished for their addiction and dependency. And we were angry and we were afraid. And so we put hundreds of thousands of people in jails and prisons for addiction and dependency.

And then that shifted radically in the 1970s when elected officials from all political parties began arguing that people who are drug addicted or drug dependent are criminals who should be punished for their addiction and dependency. And we were angry and we were afraid. And so we put hundreds of thousands of people in jails and prisons for addiction and dependency.

And then that shifted radically in the 1970s when elected officials from all political parties began arguing that people who are drug addicted or drug dependent are criminals who should be punished for their addiction and dependency. And we were angry and we were afraid. And so we put hundreds of thousands of people in jails and prisons for addiction and dependency.

Now, if we weren't being governed by fear and anger, we would have said, oh no, those people suffering from addiction and dependency, they have a health problem. And we need a healthcare response, not a punitive response. But we didn't do that. And now we have... Two million people in our jails and prisons. We have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.

Now, if we weren't being governed by fear and anger, we would have said, oh no, those people suffering from addiction and dependency, they have a health problem. And we need a healthcare response, not a punitive response. But we didn't do that. And now we have... Two million people in our jails and prisons. We have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.

Now, if we weren't being governed by fear and anger, we would have said, oh no, those people suffering from addiction and dependency, they have a health problem. And we need a healthcare response, not a punitive response. But we didn't do that. And now we have... Two million people in our jails and prisons. We have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.

We've destroyed so many communities, so many families, and we still have one of the highest rates of opioid addiction in the world. We still have families devastated by drug overdose and all the violence and dysfunction that addiction can create. And we haven't helped families. We haven't helped children and mothers recover. We've just punished people. But it was rooted in this fear and anger.

We've destroyed so many communities, so many families, and we still have one of the highest rates of opioid addiction in the world. We still have families devastated by drug overdose and all the violence and dysfunction that addiction can create. And we haven't helped families. We haven't helped children and mothers recover. We've just punished people. But it was rooted in this fear and anger.

We've destroyed so many communities, so many families, and we still have one of the highest rates of opioid addiction in the world. We still have families devastated by drug overdose and all the violence and dysfunction that addiction can create. And we haven't helped families. We haven't helped children and mothers recover. We've just punished people. But it was rooted in this fear and anger.

And that's what has shaped so much of our thinking about putting kids in adult jails and prisons. And it's tragic. I write in the book about meeting one of my clients who was... 14, living in a household where his mother had a boyfriend and when he would start drinking he'd get violent and one day he came home and he walked into the kitchen and punched the boy's mother and she just fell.

And that's what has shaped so much of our thinking about putting kids in adult jails and prisons. And it's tragic. I write in the book about meeting one of my clients who was... 14, living in a household where his mother had a boyfriend and when he would start drinking he'd get violent and one day he came home and he walked into the kitchen and punched the boy's mother and she just fell.

And that's what has shaped so much of our thinking about putting kids in adult jails and prisons. And it's tragic. I write in the book about meeting one of my clients who was... 14, living in a household where his mother had a boyfriend and when he would start drinking he'd get violent and one day he came home and he walked into the kitchen and punched the boy's mother and she just fell.

She didn't even say anything, he just punched her. She ended up on the floor bleeding and unconscious. Her son came running into the kitchen to try to help his mom, but she was non-responsive and that little boy thought his mom was dead. She wasn't dead, but he thought she was dead. After 10 minutes, he got up to go into the bedroom to call the police.

She didn't even say anything, he just punched her. She ended up on the floor bleeding and unconscious. Her son came running into the kitchen to try to help his mom, but she was non-responsive and that little boy thought his mom was dead. She wasn't dead, but he thought she was dead. After 10 minutes, he got up to go into the bedroom to call the police.

She didn't even say anything, he just punched her. She ended up on the floor bleeding and unconscious. Her son came running into the kitchen to try to help his mom, but she was non-responsive and that little boy thought his mom was dead. She wasn't dead, but he thought she was dead. After 10 minutes, he got up to go into the bedroom to call the police.

And then he remembered that this man kept a handgun in the dresser drawer. And he goes over to the drawer. He pulls it open. He pulls out the gun. He goes over to where the man is sleeping. And he points the gun at the man's head.

And then he remembered that this man kept a handgun in the dresser drawer. And he goes over to the drawer. He pulls it open. He pulls out the gun. He goes over to where the man is sleeping. And he points the gun at the man's head.

And then he remembered that this man kept a handgun in the dresser drawer. And he goes over to the drawer. He pulls it open. He pulls out the gun. He goes over to where the man is sleeping. And he points the gun at the man's head.

and the man is snoring at this point and at some point the man stops snoring and jumps and when the man jumps the little boy jumps and when the little boy jumps he pulls the trigger and shoots this man in the head killing him instantly this child was very small for his age it was under five feet tall he weighed less than 100 pounds he'd never been in trouble before no prior juvenile adjudications he was a decent student he was the kind of kid

and the man is snoring at this point and at some point the man stops snoring and jumps and when the man jumps the little boy jumps and when the little boy jumps he pulls the trigger and shoots this man in the head killing him instantly this child was very small for his age it was under five feet tall he weighed less than 100 pounds he'd never been in trouble before no prior juvenile adjudications he was a decent student he was the kind of kid