TedX Soledad organizing committee
This week, Santa Cruz County Public Defender Heather Rogers, a BRIDGE co-founder, and BRIDGE Vice President Athena Reis attended TEDxSoledad. There, men who are incarcerated shared the experiences that brought them to prison, their reflections and remorse about people they have harmed, and their dreams for the future.
We also heard from victims, survivors, and their advocates. Together, these perspectives brought attention to a painful reality—a person who causes harm may also have experienced profound harm themselves.
One incarcerated speaker described how being victimized led him to believe it would be safer to become the person causing harm. His reflection stayed with us. It revealed how an effort to protect oneself can become a source of danger and suffering for others.
Recognizing that history does not excuse violence or diminish the experiences of those harmed. It helps us ask a necessary question: Where could support interrupt this pattern?
The labels “victim” and “defendant” do not always describe separate groups of people. They can describe the same person at different moments, or even at the same time. Seeing that complexity helps us recognize the whole person and pursue accountability, healing, and prevention together.
BRIDGE’s contribution is practical. We help meet immediate needs, preserve connections, and support people as they work toward stability. A ride, a working phone, or a connection to family can give someone more options at a difficult moment. These acts of support can help create the conditions that make change possible.
We left TEDxSoledad thinking about everyone who has experienced harm and the men whose efforts to transform their own lives are helping others do the same. Making room for that change requires tough, frank conversations about our criminal legal system and fresh thinking about how we support rehabilitation and reentry. It also requires listening to people who have experienced that system firsthand—and creating meaningful pathways for them to return home and contribute to their communities.
