The Power of Restorative Justice: Insights from Shannon Sliva’s TED Talk
Title and Duration of the TED Talk
The title of the selected TED Talk is “How Restorative Justice Could End Mass Incarceration.” In this video, the speaker explores the concept of restorative justice as an alternative to solitary confinement. The TED Talk is almost thirteen minutes long, which allows the speaker to introduce the topic, explore its potential and actual impacts on communities and prisoners, and express her thoughts and views to persuade the audience.
Speaker’s Background and Qualifications
The speaker in the chosen TED Talk is Professor Shannon Sliva. It is noticeable that she is an Assistant Professor at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. Since the topic explored by the speaker is rather serious and impactful, it is essential to be certain that she is qualified enough to raise awareness on this particular subject.
Shannon Sliva works and researches in partnership with Colorado advocates, practitioners, and policymakers, reporting and analyzing restorative justice laws’ effects and creating efficient recommendations for promoting and enhancing this policy. These partnerships make her practice more informed and successful, as well as allow her to support her conclusions and suggestions with references to authoritative figures and sources. Some of her initiatives were even funded by the National Institute of Justice. Professor Sliva’s specialization areas are violence prevention, public policy, criminal justice, community development and organizing, and community and civic engagement.
Main Idea or Argument of the Talk
The main idea of the talk is that restorative justice should be in effect instead of the practice of solitary confinement. According to Sliva, the system she advocates for focuses on repairing harm, which is when offenders and their victims can have face-to-face dialogues. Offenders should be welcomed to meet the needs created by their crimes, be it a symbolic apology letter that will help the victim find peace or actual help or the harm’s consequences elimination. The speaker argues that if this transformative approach is used more often (when the victims agree to take part in it), the rates of U.S. mass incarceration will drop.
Key Takeaways and Their Importance
The TED Talk by Professor Sliva is filled with valuable ideas. For example, I was most surprised by her views on the right to remain silent, which is provided to all people who get arrested. Although this view is not the primary one and is only mentioned in the introduction to the speech, it is still quite essential. Thus, according to Sliva, this right is yet another symbolic barrier that is placed between offenders, the justice system, the community, and the victims.
The authorities fail to welcome the offender to open and honest communication, help them to be held accountable for their actions, or allow them to apologize for their unethical or illegal behaviors. Instead, the phrase “anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law” ruins all the opportunities for the offender to stay connected (TEDx Talks, 2019, 00:01:56-00:02:02). It is important to know about this because such an approach has to be changed.
The second interesting idea in the video is that restorative justice is actually not a new approach. It has been in action worldwide for many years, but then humans forgot its value. It is essential that we now remember it and return to this humane and ethical system. Moreover, it is quite beneficial that Professor Sliva mentions this fact because it can be used to prove the effectiveness of restorative justice as opposed to solitary confinement.
Reference
TEDx Talks. (2019). How restorative justice could end mass incarceration | Shannon Sliva | TEDxMileHigh [Video]. YouTube. Web.