A prosecutor's vision for a better justice system

(NOTE: Adam Foss has been under investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. For more details and TED's response, read "An update on allegations about a TED speaker" below.) When a kid commits a crime, the US justice system has a choice: prosecute to the full extent of the law, or take a step back and ask if saddling young people with criminal records is the right thing to do every time. In this searching talk, Adam Foss, a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in Boston, makes his case for a reformed justice system that replaces wrath with opportunity, changing people's lives for the better instead of ruining them.