Ismael Nazario: What I learned as a kid in jail

Prevoditelj: Anja Kolobarić Recezent: Mislav Ante Omazić - EFZG

We need to change the culture in our jails and prisons,

Dužni smo promijeniti kulturu naših zatvora,

especially for young inmates.

osobito za mlade zatvorenike.

New York state is one of only two in the U.S.

Njujorški zatvor jedan je od dvaju u SAD-u

that automatically arrests and tries 16- to 17-year-olds as adults.

koji automatski uhićuju i sude 16 i 17-ogodišnjacima kao odraslima.

This culture of violence takes these young people

ta kultura nasilja uzima mlade ljude

and puts them in a hostile environment,

i stavlja ih u neprijateljsko okruženje,

and the correctional officers pretty much allow any and everything to go on.

a zatvorski čuvari dopuštaju da se svašta događa.

There's not really much for these young people to do

Nema puno toga što ti mladi ljudi mogu učiniti

to actually enhance their talent and actually rehabilitate them.

da bi unaprijedili svoje talente i uistinu se rehabilitirali.

Until we can raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18,

Dok ne podignemo granicu za kriminalnu odgovornost na 18 godina,

we need to focus on changing the daily lives of these young people.

moramo se skoncentrirati na mijenjanje dnevne rutine ovih mladih.

I know firsthand.

Znam to iz prve ruke.

Before I ever turned 18,

Prije no što sam napunio 18,

I spent approximately 400 days on Rikers Island,

proveo sam 400-tinjak dana na Rikers Islandu,

and to add to that

usto

proveo sam skoro tristo dana u samici

I spent almost 300 days in solitary confinement,

and let me tell you this:

i reći ću vam ovo:

Screaming at the top of your lungs all day on your cell door

Kad vrištiš iz sveg glasa na vrata samice

or screaming at the top of your lungs out the window,

ili vrištiš iz sveg glasa kroz prozor,

it gets tiring.

umoriš se.

Since there's not much for you to do while you're in there,

Budući da nemaš baš neke zanimacije dok si tamo,

you start pacing back and forth in your cell,

počneš šetkati ćelijom gore-dolje,

you start talking to yourself,

pričati sam sa sobom,

your thoughts start running wild,

misli ti poblesave

and then your thoughts become your own worst enemy.

i postanu tvoj najgori neprijatelj.

Jails are actually supposed to rehabilitate a person,

Zatvori su namijenjeni za rehabilitaciju osoba,

not cause him or her to become more angry,

a ne za dodatno razbješnjivanje i

frustrated, and feel more hopeless.

frustriranje, niti za povećanje osjećaja bespomoćnosti.

Since there's not a discharge plan put in place for these young people,

Budući da nema nikakvog plana otpuštanja za ove mlade ljude,

they pretty much reenter society with nothing.

oni se uglavnom u društvo vrate bez ičega.

And there's not really much for them to do to keep them from recidivating.

I malo toga može ih odvratiti od ponavljanja zločina.

But it all starts with the C.O.s.

Ali sve počinje sa zatvorskim čuvarima.

It's very easy for some people

Nekim je ljudima iznimno lako

to look at these correctional officers as the good guys

zatvorske čuvare smatrati dobricama,

and the inmates as the bad guys,

a zatvorenike zločestim dečkima

or vice versa for some,

ili obrnuto za neke,

but it's a little more than that.

ali nije to samo tako.

See, these C.O.s are normal, everyday people.

Ti su čuvari normalni, obični ljudi.

They come from the same neighborhoods as the population they "serve."

Dolaze iz istih kvartova poput populacije koju "služe" .

They're just normal people.

Oni su obični ljudi.

They're not robots, and there's nothing special about them.

Nisu roboti i nisu ni po čemu posebni.

They do pretty much everything anybody else in society does.

Rade više-manje sve što i ostatak društva.

The male C.O.s want to talk and flirt with the female C.O.s.

Muški zatvorenici žele razgovarati i nabacivati se ženskim zatvorenicima.

They play the little high school kid games with each other.

Igraju srednjoškolske dječje igre jedni s drugima.

They politic with one another.

Nadmudruju se jedni s drugima.

And the female C.O.s gossip to each other.

I ženske zatvorenice tračaju jedne druge.

So I spent numerous amounts of time with numerous amounts of C.O.s,

Proveo sam jako puno vremena s brojnim zatvorskim čuvarima

and let me tell you about this one in particular named Monroe.

i ispričat ću vam priču o jednom Monroeu.

One day he pulled me in between the A and B doors

Jednog me dana gurnuo među A i B vrata

which separate the north and south sides of our housing unit.

koja odvajaju sjevernu i južnu stranu odjeljenja.

He pulled me there because I had a physical altercation

Odvukao me tamo jer sam bio upleten u fizički sukob

with another young man in my housing unit,

s drugim mladićem u našem odjeljenju.

and he felt, since there was a female officer working on the floor,

On je mislio da je, budući da je za taj kat bila zadužena čuvarica,

that I violated his shift.

da sam naštetio njegovoj smjeni.

Udario me u prsa.

So he punched me in my chest.

He kind of knocked the wind out of me.

Izbacio je zrak iz njih.

I wasn't impulsive, I didn't react right away,

Nisam bio impulzivan, nisam odmah reagirao

because I know this is their house.

jer sam znao da je to njihova kuća.

I have no wins.

Nisam imao pravo ni na što.

All he has to do is pull his pin and backup will come immediately.

Samo je trebao zazviždati i potpora bi mu stigla iste sekunde.

So I just gave him a look in his eyes

Samo sam ga pogledao u oči

and I guess he saw the anger and frustration just burning,

i valjda je vidio ljutnju i frustraciju koja je u meni ključala

and he said to me,

i rekao mi je:

"Your eyes are going to get you in a lot of trouble,

"Tvoje će te oči uvaliti u brojne probleme,

because you're looking like you want to fight."

izgledaš kao da se želiš tući."

So he commenced to taking off his utility belt,

Počeo je skidati radni remen,

he took off his shirt and his badge,

skinuo je majicu i značku

and he said, "We could fight."

i rekao: "Možemo se tući."

So I asked him, "You gonna hold it down?"

Upitao sam ga: "Hoćeš li to razglasiti?"

Now, that's a term that's commonly used on Rikers Island

E sad, to je učestao termin na Rikers Islandu

meaning that you're not going to say anything to anybody,

koji znači da nikome ništa nećeš reći

and you're not going to report it.

i nećeš to prijaviti.

He said, "Yeah, I'm gonna hold it down. You gonna hold it down?"

Rekao je: "Da, neću to razglasiti. Hoćeš li ti?"

I didn't even respond.

Nisam ni odgovorio.

I just punched him right in his face,

Samo sam ga zviznuo šakom u lice

and we began fighting right then and there.

i odmah smo se počeli tući.

Towards the end of the fight, he slammed me up against the wall,

Kad je tuča bila pri kraju, prislonio me uza zid

so while we were tussled up, he said to me, "You good?"

i dok smo bili u klinču, pitao me jesam li dobro,

as if he got the best of me,

kao da me porazio,

but in my mind, I know I got the best of him,

ali ja znam da sam ja porazio njega,

so I replied very cocky,

stoga sam umišljeno odgovorio:

"Oh, I'm good, you good?"

"Dobro sam. Jesi li ti?"

He said, "Yeah, I'm good, I'm good."

Rekao je: "Da, dobro sam, dobro sam."

We let go, he shook my hand, said he gave me my respect,

Pustili smo jedan drugoga, rukovali se, rekao mi je da me poštuje,

gave me a cigarette and sent me on my way.

dao mi je cigaretu i rekao mi da idem.

Believe it or not, you come across some C.O.s on Rikers Island

Vjerovali ili ne, u Rikers Islandu naići ćete na čuvare

that'll fight you one-on-one.

koji će se s vama potući jedan-na-jedan.

They feel that they understand how it is,

Misle da razumiju kako je to

and they feel that I'm going to meet you where you're at.

i misle da ćemo se naći na pola puta

Since this is how you commonly handle your disputes,

budući da se ovako inače rješavaju sporovi,

we can handle it in that manner.

tako ih možemo riješiti.

I walk away from it like a man, you walk away from it like a man,

Ja tome okrenem leđa kao muškarac, ti okreneš leđa tome kao muškarac

and that's it.

i to je to.

Some C.O.s feel that they're jailing with you.

Neki čuvari misle da su zatvoreni s vama.

This is why they have that mentality and that attitude

Zato imaju taj mentalitet i taj stav

and they go by that concept.

i vode se tom idejom.

In some instances, we're in it together with the C.O.s.

U nekim slučajevima, u tome smo zajedno s čuvarima.

However, institutions need to give these correctional officers

No institucije čuvarima trebaju pružiti

proper trainings on how to properly deal with the adolescent population,

adekvatnu obuku kako bi se mogli nositi s adolescentima,

and they also need to give them proper trainings

a trebaju im pružiti i adekvatnu obuku

on how to deal with the mental health population as well.

kako da se nose s mentalno oboljelima.

These C.O.s play a big factor in these young people's lives

Ti čuvari igraju veliku ulogu u životu ovih mladih ljudi

for x amount of time until a disposition is reached on their case.

na određeno vrijeme dok se ne odluči o njihovom slučaju.

So why not try to mentor these young people while they're there?

Zašto onda ne pokušati biti mentor tim mladim ljudima dok su tamo?

Why not try to give them some type of insight to make a change,

Zašto im ne pomoći da se promijene,

so once they reenter back into society,

tako da kad se vrate u društvo,

they're doing something positive?

rade nešto pozitivno?

A second big thing to help our teens in jails is better programming.

Ono što bi još moglo pomoći mladima u zatvorima jest bolje programiranje.

When I was on Rikers Island, the huge thing was solitary confinement.

Kad sam bio na Rikers Islandu, bili su poznati po samicama.

Solitary confinement was originally designed

Samice su originalno osmišljene

to break a person mentally, physically and emotionally.

kako bi osobu slomile mentalno, fizički i emocionalno.

That's what it was designed for.

Za to su osmišljene.

The U.S. Attorney General recently released a report

Američki državni tužilac nedavno je objavio izvješće

stating that they're going to ban solitary confinement

u kojem tvrdi da će zabraniti samice

in New York state for teens.

u New Yorku za tinejdžere.

One thing that kept me sane while I was in solitary confinement was reading.

Ono što mi je pomoglo da ostanem normalan u samici bilo je čitanje.

I tried to educate myself as much as possible.

Pokušao sam se što više obrazovati.

I read any and everything I could get my hands on.

Čitao sam sve što mi je došlo pod ruku.

And aside from that, I wrote music and short stories.

A osim toga pisao sam kratke priče i glazbu.

Some programs that I feel would benefit our young people

Neki od programa za koje mislim da bi pomogli našim mladima su

are art therapy programs

programi umjetničke terapije

for the kids that like to draw and have that talent,

za djecu koja vole crtati i koja su talentirana za to.

and what about the young individuals that are musically inclined?

A što s onim mladima kojima leži glazba?

How about a music program for them that actually teaches them

Možda glazbeni program koji bi ih zapravo učio

how to write and make music?

pisati glazbu i skladati je?

Just a thought.

To je samo ideja.

When adolescents come to Rikers Island,

Kada adolescenti dođu na Rikers Island,

C74, RNDC is the building that they're housed in.

C74, RNDC je zgrada u kojoj su smješteni.

That's nicknamed "gladiator school,"

Od milja zvana "gladijatorska škola"

because you have a young individual coming in from the street

jer imate mladu osobu koja dolazi s ulice

thinking that they're tough,

misleći da je opasna,

being surrounded by a bunch of other young individuals

okružena gomilom drugih mladih ljudi

from all of the five boroughs, and everybody feels that they're tough.

iz svih pet kvartova i svi misle da su jako opasni.

So now you have a bunch of young gentlemen poking their chests out

I sad tu imate gomilu mladića koji dižu nos u oblake

feeling that I have to prove I'm equally as tough as you

misleći da moraju dokazati da su jednako opasni kao ti

or I'm tougher than you, you and you.

ili da su opasniji od svakog drugog.

But let's be honest:

No budimo iskreni:

That culture is very dangerous and damaging to our young people.

takva kultura veoma je opasna i štetna za naše mlade ljude.

We need to help institutions and these teens realize

Moramo pomoći institucijama i mladima da shvate

that they don't have to lead the previous lifestyle that they led

da ne moraju živjeti životima kakve su živjeli

when they were on the street, that they can actually make a change.

dok su bili na ulicama, da se uistinu mogu promijeniti.

It's sad to report that while I was in prison,

Žao mi je što moram reći da dok sam bio u zatvoru,

I used to hear dudes talking about when they get released from prison,

čuo sam tipove kako pričaju što će raditi kad ih konačno puste,

what type of crimes they're going to commit

kakve će zločine počinjavati

when they get back in the street.

kad se vrate na ulicu.

The conversations used to sound something like this:

Ti bi razgovori zvučali ovako nekako:

"Oh, when I hit the street, my brother got this connection

"Jao, kad se vratim na ulicu, moj je brat našao neku štelu

for this, that and the third,"

za ovo, ono i još nešto."

or, "My man over here got this connection for the low price.

Ili: "Moj nam tip može srediti nižu cijenu.

Let's exchange information,"

Razmijenimo podatke."

and, "When we hit the town, we're going to do it real big."

Ili: "Kad se vratimo na ulice, napravit ćemo nešto veliko."

I used to hear these conversations and think to myself, "Wow,

Kad bih takvo što čuo, pomislio bih: "Jao,

these dudes are really talking about going back in the street

ovi tipovi stvarno pričaju o tome kako će se vratiti na ulice

and committing future crimes."

i činit će nove zločine."

So I came up with a name for that:

Smislio sam ime za tu pojavu:

I called it a go-back-to-jail-quick scheme

brz povratak u zatvor.

because really, how long is that going to last?

Zato što to zasigurno ne može dugo potrajati.

You get a retirement plan with that?

Dobiješ li uz to i plan za mirovinu?

Nice little pension? 401(k)? 403(b)?

Lijepu malu mirovinu? 401 (k)? 403 (b)?

You get health insurance? Dental?

Zdravstveno osiguranje? Zubara?

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But I will tell you this:

Ali ovo ću vam reći:

Being in jail and being in prison,

u zatvoru sam

I came across some of the most intelligent, brilliant,

naišao na najinteligentnije, najbriljantnije

and talented people that I would ever meet.

i najtalentiranije ljude koje sam ikada upoznao.

I've seen individuals take a potato chip bag

Vidio sam pojedince kako od vrećice od čipsa

and turn it into the most beautiful picture frame.

izrađuju predivne okvire za slike.

I've seen individuals take the state soap that's provided for free

Vidio sam ljude koji su od sapuna

and turn them into the most beautiful sculptures

radili predivne skulpture

that would make Michelangelo look like a kindergartner made it.

koje bi i Michelangela posramile.

At the age of 21, I was in a maximum-security prison

S 21 godinom bio sam u najstrože čuvanom zatvoru

called Elmira Correctional Facility.

zvanom Popravni dom Elmira.

I just came out of the weight shack from working out,

Baš sam se vratio s treninga

and I saw an older gentleman that I knew standing in the middle of the yard

i vidio poznatog starijeg gospodina kako stoji nasred dvorišta

just looking up at the sky.

i gleda nebo.

Mind you, this older gentlemen was serving a 33-and-a-third-to-life sentence

Pazite, taj je stariji gospodin služio 33 godine i tri doživotne kazne,

in which he already had served 20 years of that sentence.

a dotad je već odslužio 20 godina kazne.

So I walk up to him and I said,

Prišao sam mu i rekao:

"O.G., what's going on, man, you good?"

"O.G, što ima, kompa, jesi dobro?"

He looked at me, and he said, "Yeah, I'm good, young blood."

Pogledao me i rekao: "Dobro sam, mladiću."

I'm like, "So what are you looking up at the sky for, man?

Rekoh: "Zašto gledaš nebo?

What's so fascinating up there?"

Što ima tamo?"

He said, "You look up and you tell me what you see."

Rekao je: "Pogledaj, pa ti meni reci."

"Clouds." (Laughter)

"Oblaci." (Smijeh)

He said, "All right. What else do you see?"

Rekao je: "Dobro, što još vidiš?"

At that time, it was a plane passing by.

Baš tada je prolazio avion.

I said, "All right, I see an airplane."

Rekoh: "Aha, vidim avion."

He said, "Exactly, and what's on that airplane?" "People."

Rekao je: "Upravo tako. A što je na tom avionu?" "Ljudi."

"Exactly. Now where's that plane and those people going?"

"Upravo tako. A kamo ide taj avion i ti ljudi?"

"Ne znam. Znaš li ti?

"I don't know. You know?

Please let me know if you do. Then let me get some lottery numbers."

Reci mi ako znaš. A onda ću i zaigrati loto."

He said, "You're missing the big picture, young blood.

Rekao je: "Mladiću, ne vidiš što je tu bitno.

That plane with those people is going somewhere,

Taj avion s ljudima nekamo ide,

while we're here stuck.

a mi smo ovdje zatočeni.

The big picture is this:

Ovo je važno:

That plane with those people going somewhere,

Taj avion s ljudima ide negdje,

that's life passing us by while we behind these walls, stuck."

to je život koji nam bježi dok smo mi zatočeni iza ovih zidina."

Ever since that day,

Tada mi je nešto

that sparked something in my mind and made me know I had to make a change.

sjelo u glavi i uvjerilo me da je vrijeme za promjenu.

Growing up, I was always a good, smart kid.

Odrastajući, uvijek sam bio dobro, pametno dijete.

Some people would say I was a little too smart for my own good.

Neki bi rekli da sam bio malo prepametan.

I had dreams of becoming an architect or an archaeologist.

Htio sam biti arhitekt ili arheolog.

Currently, I'm working at the Fortune Society,

Trenutno radim u Društvu sreće.

which is a reentry program,

To je program za resocijalizaciju,

and I work with people as a case manager that are at high risk for recidivism.

a radim s ljudima kao nadglednik za slučajeve s visokim rizikom recidivizma.

So I connect them with the services that they need

Povezujem te ljude sa službama koje im trebaju

once they're released from jail and prison

kad izađu iz zatvora

so they can make a positive transition back into society.

kako bi doživjeli pozitivan povratak u društvo.

If I was to see my 15-year-old self today,

Da danas vidim svoju 15-ogodišnju verziju,

I would sit down and talk to him and try to educate him

sjeo bih s njim i popričali bismo i pokušao bih ga obrazovati

and I would let him know, "Listen, this is me. I'm you.

i rekao bih mu: "Slušaj me, ovo sam ja. Ja sam ti.

This is us. We are one.

To smo mi. Mi smo jedno.

Everything that you're about to do, I know what you're gonna do

Sve što planiraš učiniti, ja znam

before you do it because I already did it,

prije no što to uopće učiniš jer sam ja to već učinio.

and I would encourage him not to hang out with x, y and z people.

Rekao bih mu da se ne druži s tim i tim ljudima.

I would tell him not to be in such-and-such place.

Rekao bih mu da ne ide na ta i ta mjesta.

I would tell him, keep your behind in school, man,

Rekao bih mu da se drži škole

because that's where you need to be,

jer mu je tamo mjesto

because that's what's going to get you somewhere in life.

jer će mu to pružiti životne mogućnosti.

This is the message that we should be sharing

To je poruka koju bismo trebali širiti

with our young men and young women.

među našim mladima.

We shouldn't be treating them as adults and putting them in cultures of violence

Ne bismo ih trebali tretirati kao odrasle i trpati ih u kulture nasilja

that are nearly impossible for them to escape.

iz kojih je gotovo nemoguće pobjeći.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)