Media

Being a listener in prisons

User Voice was founded in 2009 by Mark Johnson MBE, an ex-offender and former drug abuser. Who has gone onto becoming a best-selling author and respected social commentator.
Mark’s story is just one example of the transformative change which we strive to achieve for many others. Mark’s direct contact with the criminal justice system, and later as an employer of people who’d been in prison and consultant for government and other charities, left him convinced of the urgent need to create a model of service user engagement that is fair for all involved.
The principal aim was to foster dialogue between service users and service providers that is mutually beneficial, aiding rehabilitation and recovery and results in better and more cost-effective services.


Source: User Voice

Institutionalized: Mental Health Behind Bars

​America’s relationship with its mentally ill population continues to suffer as a result of inadequacies in the country’s mental health care system. For the mentally ill in Chicago, the effects of this inadequacy are felt on a magnified scale, as budget cuts and a lack of community-based mental health resources have left these individuals with minimal support. More often than not, this means being repeatedly swept up into the criminal justice system for low-level, non-violent crimes. 
​VICE News takes an immersive look at this issue by going inside the Cook County Jail and speaking with community members on Chicago's south side.

Source: VICE News

How prisons can help inmates live meaningful lives

In the United States, the agencies that govern prisons are often called 'Department of Corrections.' And yet, their focus is on containing and controlling inmates. Dan Pacholke, Deputy Secretary for the Washington State Department of Corrections, shares a different vision: of prisons that provide humane living conditions as well as opportunities for meaningful work and learning.
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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMonroeCorrectionalComplex, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Source: TEDxMonroeCorrectionalComplex

A tale of mental illness — from the inside

"Is it okay if I totally trash your office?" It's a question Elyn Saks once asked her doctor, and it wasn't a joke. A legal scholar, in 2007 Saks came forward with her own story of schizophrenia, controlled by drugs and therapy but ever-present. In this powerful talk, she asks us to see people with mental illness clearly, honestly and compassionately.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.


Source: TEDGlobal