In the United States, 67% of inmates released from prison will return having committed a new crime within three years. Simply put, the criminal justice system doesn’t accomplish what it was designed to do. But why is it failing? Having worked in both punishment and rehabilitation, Brandon W. Mathews argues that the solution might be simpler than we thought. Dr. Brandon Mathews is a passionate criminal justice professional with expertise in the development and implementation of innovative evidence-based correctional treatment and supervision programs. Brandon is an active researcher with the Alliance for Criminal Justice Innovation, publishing on topics like recidivism reduction, structured decision-making, risk assessment, and criminal justice education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx