>> LIFE AFTER PRISON IS A TIME

OF NEW BEGINNINGS.

RECIDIVISM IS VERY HIGH WITH 68%

OF THOSE RELEASED BEING

REARRESTED.

NOW ONE ORGANIZATION IS LOOKING

TO CHANGE THAT WITH A CUTTING

EDGE PROGRAM.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TELEVISION IS

HELPING FORMER INMATES BY

HELPING THEM TELL THEIR STORY.

AS A PART OF PBS ONGOING

INITIATIVE, CHASING THE DREAM,

WE LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF ONE

STUDENT'S WORK IN A REPORT

ENTITLED "WHITE COLLAR TIME

VERSUS STREET CRIME."

TAKE A LOOK.

>> WHICH MEANS THAT YOU ALL HAVE

A CHANCE TO BEING A --

>> THIS IS CHRISTOPHER AND TODAY

HE IS NERVOUS.

WHEN HE IS NERVOUS, HE LAUGHS.

CHRISTOPHER IS AT THE UNITED

NATIONS FACING ONE OF HIS

BIGGEST CHALLENGES.

HIS FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.

>> LET'S GO BACK TO THE

BEGINNING.

NO, NOT THAT FAR.

YES, RIGHT THERE.

>> THE YOUNG MAN BEHIND THE

CAMERA IS CHRISTOPHER.

AND LAST FALL, CHRISTOPHER

ENROLLED IN A VIDEO JOURNALISM

CLASS.

TAUGHT BY MALCOLM McRAY, EACH

STUDENT WAS ASKED TO RESEARCH,

SHOOT, INTERVIEW AND EVEN EDIT

THEIR OWN STORY IDEAS.

CHRISTOPHER WAS INTRIGUED BY

CORPORATE STRUCTURE OF THE

MAFIA.

FINDING PEOPLE TO INTERVIEW

PROVED TO BE VERY DIFFICULT.

>> LIKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

WHITE COLLAR CRIME AND REGULAR

CRIME.

>> WHITE COLLAR MEANS

NONVIOLENT.

PEOPLE THAT DO MORE BEHIND THE

SCENES STUFF.

REGULAR CRIMES IS VIOLENT CRIMES

AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

>> AMERICA CONSIDERS STREET

CRIME TO BE WORSE BUT A LOT OF

WHITE COLLAR CRIMINALS DON'T GET

PUNISHED.

SMALL AM OF A DRUG THAT IS

CONSIDERED LIKE PEOPLE ARE

DIVIDED BY CLASS, CLASS RACE AND

STANDING IN SOCIETY.

>> CHRISTOPHER'S STORY PITCH

MORPHED INTO AN EXAMINATION IN

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLASS AND

SENTENCING BETWEEN WHITE COLLAR

CRIME AND TRSTREET CRIME.

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA.

WE INTERVIEWED BOTH --

>> THAT IS HOW THEY SENTENCE YOU

ACCORDING TO HOW MUCH MONEY YOUR

DOPE WAS WORK, OR HOW MUCH MONEY

YOU TOOK FROM A BANK.

CRIME IS CRIME.

BUT SOME PEOPLE CHOOSE WHITE

COLLAR CRIME BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE

LIKE TO USE THEIR BRAIN, AND

OTHER TIMES WHITE COLLAR CRIME

WAS CONSIDERED THE LESSER OF THE

TWO EVILS, MORE LUCRATIVE AND

LESS RISK.

>> A FUNNY THING HAPPENED.

AS CHRISTOPHER TOOK NOTE OF THE

MOTIVATIONS BEHIND STREET CRIME,

HE ALSO NOTED A COMMON THREAD.

>> POVERTY.

>> AND THAT LEADS US BACK TO THE

U.N.

WITH LOTS OF TREPIDATION,

CHRISTOPHER USED HIS VOICE.

>> I WANTED TO KNOW --

>> I WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND.

ONE THING WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING

FOR IS SO 16 AND 17-YEAR-OLDS

ARE -- AND WE WILL CHANGE THAT

AND WE STILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO

DO TO GET IT RIGHT.

>> THAT SIMPLE ACT FROM A YOUNG

MAN WAS ENOUGH TO CREATE AN

ALMOST HAMILTON LIKE BUZZ IN THE

ROOM.

>> THANK YOU FOR GETTING UP.

>> CHRISTOPHER DIDN'T FINISH THE

STORY IDEA.

BUT MAY HAVE GAINED SOMETHING

MORE VALUABLE.

A GROWING SENSE OF CONFIDENCE.

>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

>> A CRAZY EXPERIENCE.

A GOOD ONE AT THAT.

I WAS VERY NERVOUS.

BUT AFTER A WHILE, I ADAPTED A

LITTLE BIT BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS

INTERESTED IN WHAT I WAS SAYING.

THEY CAME BACK TALKING TO ME, SO

I MEAN, I FELT GOOD ABOUT IT.

>> JOINING US NOW IS YOUTH

EMPOWERMENT TELEVISION DIRECTOR,

MELVIN McCRAY.

HOW DID IT GET STARTED AND WHAT

IS THE IDEA BEHIND IT?

>> I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE

LAST FIVE YEARS WORKING WITH

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

WE WON THE WHITE HOUSE STUDENT

FILM FESTIVAL TWICE AND I

NOTICED IT CHANGED THE STUDENTS.

THEY WERE BECOMING MORE MATURE

AND PICKING UP THE TOOLS OF THE

JOURNALIST.

THEY WERE TELLING THEIR OWN

STORIES AND SO I THOUGHT ABOUT

THIS GROUP THAT I KEPT HEARING

ABOUT, DISCONNECTED YOUTH.

THESE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE 16-24 WHO

WERE NOT IN SCHOOL OR NOT

WORKING AND MANY INVOLVED IN THE

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, UNDER

CONTROL.

>> NOT IN A GOOD WAY.

>> SO I THOUGHT WHAT IF MY

PROGRAM COULD HELP THESE YOUNG

MEN AND WOMEN.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, TEACH THEM

TO ANALYZE THEIR COMMUNITIES.

GIVE THEM THE TOOLS OF THE

REPORTER, THE INQUIRY, THE

REPORTING, THE RESEARCHING TO BE

ABLE TO ANALYZE WHAT IS GOING ON

IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

>> LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY

LOOK AT THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH

A DIFFERENT LENS.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEM

BECOMING STORY TELLERS, WHY DO

YOU THINK IT WAS HELPFUL, NOT

JUST FOR THEM PERSONALLY, BUT

ALSO FOR THEIR VOICES TO BE

HEARD IN TERMS OF OUR CRIMINAL

JUSTICE SYSTEM?

>> WELL, I GOT TO TELL YOU, THIS

PARTICULAR GROUP, I'VE NEVER

WORKED WITH, SO I'M ON A

LEARNING CURVE.

AND I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW

IMPORTANT IT WAS.

THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE

THEIR STORIES TOLD AND DON'T

HAVE A VOICE AND FEEL

MARGINALIZED.

I WAS EXCITED ABOUT GIVING THEM

A VOICE, AND LETTING THEIR

STORIES BE TOLD.

WHEN I FIRST SHOWED UP, THEY

TOLD ME THEY DON'T LISTEN TO

PEOPLE MY AGE.

SO I IMMEDIATELY REALIZED I HAD

A PROBLEM.

I HIRED A LOT OF 20-SOMETHING

AND 30-SOMETHING INSTRUCTORS TO

WORK WITH ME.

AND I THINK IT IS A MATTER OF

TRUST.

ONCE THEY GAIN YOUR TRUST, AND

REALIZE YOU CARE ABOUT THEM,

THEN THE PARADIGM SHIFTS AND WE

WERE COLLABORATIVE.

>> AS ALWAYS, YOU ARE DOING

WONDERFUL WORK.

ALWAYS A PLEASURE.

LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKING TO

YOU SOON.

CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK IN

CONTINUING THIS PROGRAM.

>> THANK YOU.

>> YOU TAKE CARE.