They Paid Their Time... Now What?: Caroline Caldwell at TEDxGreenville 2014

Did you know that states base the number of prison cells they need on the number of failing 3rd grade boys? This and many other facts about a quiet part of our society, our prison systems, are brought to light by Caroline Caldwell. There are a number of paradoxes for convicted offenders. After they do their time, they are faced with a plethora of requirements that are often impossible to meet.

Re-entering convicts are required to be in multiple places — often at distant places a short time apart — yet there is very limited public transportation. Drug convictions bar formerly incarcerated people from receiving any federal student aid, obliterating any hope of a college education. "Why are we hell bent on making people pay for the rest of their lives?" Caroline asks. "We set the price, and they paid the price. But we bounced the check."

This talk was part of TEDxGreenville UNZIPPED, held April 11, 2014, at the Kroc Center in Greenville, South Carolina. For more information about Caroline and her co-presenters, please visit .

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)