ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jeff Smith - Recovering politician
Once an up-and-coming star in the Missouri State Senate, Jeff Smith went to prison for covering up an election law violation. Since his release, he's created a new space for himself as a professor, writer, political commentator and advocate for those he was locked up with.

Why you should listen

In 2004, Jeff Smith ran for the U.S. Congressional seat vacated by Dick Gephardt, and came this close to defeating Republican Russ Carnahan. His inspiring, but ultimately unsuccessful, campaign was documented in the award-winning documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?

A year later, Smith ran for the Missouri State Senate and won in a hotly contested election. He quickly became a rising star in the legislative body, focusing on education reform and tax credits among other things. However, in 2009, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into whether Smith had lied about a violation in his 2004 campaign. He ultimately plead guilty and spent a year in jail. It’s a story he has told on This American Life

Since being released from prison, Smith accepted a position as an assistant professor at The New School's Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy in New York City. His research focuses on political campaigns, the role of race in urban politics and the legislative process. At the same time, he writes for The Recovering Politician, City & State NY and Politico's The Arena, and is working on an memoir. 

More profile about the speaker
Jeff Smith | Speaker | TED.com
TED@New York

Jeff Smith: Lessons in business ... from prison

Jeff Smith: Poslovne lekcije... iz zatvora

Filmed:
1,324,960 views

Jeff Smith je proveo godinu dana u zatvoru. Ali ono što je otkrio unutra nije bilo ono što je očekivao -- vidio je u drugim zatvorenicima neograničenu domišljatost i poslovnu pronicljivost. On pita: "Zašto ne bismo iskoristili ovaj preduzetnički potencijal u cilju pomaganja bivšim zatvorenicima da doprinesu društvu, kada se ponovo nađu u njemu?" (S TED potrage za talentima: TED@NewYork. )
- Recovering politician
Once an up-and-coming star in the Missouri State Senate, Jeff Smith went to prison for covering up an election law violation. Since his release, he's created a new space for himself as a professor, writer, political commentator and advocate for those he was locked up with. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
B.J. was one of manymnogi fellowkolega inmateszatvorenika
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B.J. je bio jedan od mnogih
kolega zatvorenika
00:19
who had bigvelika plansplanovi for the futurebudućnost.
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koji je imao velike planove za budućnost.
00:21
He had a visionvizija. When he got out,
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Imao je viziju.
Kada izađe vani,
00:23
he was going to leavenapustiti the dopedoping gameigra for good and flyletjeti straightravno,
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namjeravao je ostaviti drogu zauvijek
i nastaviti s normalnim životom,
00:26
and he was actuallyzapravo workingrad on mergingSpajanje his two passionsstrasti into one visionvizija.
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zapravo je radio na tome da spoji svoje
dvije strasti u jednu viziju.
00:31
He'dOn bi spentpotrošen 10,000 dollarsdolara
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Potrošio je 10.000 dolara
00:33
to buykupiti a websiteweb stranica that exclusivelyisključivo featurednaj womenžene
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kako bi kupio web stranicu koja ekskluzivno
promovira žene
koje se seksaju na ili u
luksuznim sportskim automobilima.
00:36
havingima sexseks on topvrh of or insideiznutra of luxuryluksuzno sportssportski carsautomobili. (LaughterSmijeh)
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(Smijeh)
00:42
It was my first weektjedan in federalfederalni prisonzatvor,
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Bio je to moj prvi tjedan u
federalnom zatvoru,
00:45
and I was learningučenje quicklybrzo that it wasn'tnije what you see on TVTV.
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i brzo sam shvatio kako uopće nije slično
onome što vidimo na TV-u.
00:49
In factčinjenica, it was teemingpun with smartpametan, ambitiousambiciozni menmuškarci
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Zapravo, vrvio je pametnim,
ambicioznim muškaracima
00:52
whosečije businessPoslovni instinctsinstinkti were in manymnogi casesslučajevi
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čiji je poslovni osjećaj
u mnogim slučajevima
00:55
as sharpoštar as those of the CEOsIzvršni direktori
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jednako oštar onom direktora
00:58
who had wineddošao sa and dinedJeli me sixšest monthsmjeseci earlierranije
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koji su me salijetali šest mjeseci ranije
00:59
when I was a risingrastući starzvijezda in the MissouriMissouri SenateSenat.
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dok sam bio zvijezda u usponu
u senatu Missourija.
01:04
Now, 95 percentposto of the guys that I was lockedzaključan up with
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E sad, 95 posto dečkiju
s kojima sam bio zatvoren
01:07
had been drugdroga dealerstrgovci on the outsideizvan,
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bili su izvan zatvora, dileri
01:10
but when they talkedRazgovarao about what they did,
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ali kad su pričali o tome što su radili,
01:13
they talkedRazgovarao about it in a differentdrugačiji jargonžargon,
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pričali bi o tome u potpuno
drugačijem žargonu,
ali poslovni koncepti o kojima su pričali
01:16
but the businessPoslovni conceptspojmovi that they talkedRazgovarao about
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01:17
weren'tnisu unlikeza razliku od those that you'dti bi learnnaučiti in a first yeargodina MBAMBA classklasa at WhartonWharton:
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nisu se bitno razlikovali od onih
o kojima biste učili
na prvoj godini MBA studija u Whartonu:
01:21
promotionalpromotivne incentivespoticaji, you never chargenaplatiti a first-timeprvi put userkorisnik,
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promotivni poticaji,
nikad ne naplaćuješ novom korisniku,
01:26
focus-groupingfokus-grupiranje newnovi productproizvod launchespokreće,
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fokusirani plasman novih proizvoda,
01:29
territorialteritorijalne expansionekspanzija.
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teritorijalna ekspanzija.
Međutim, nisu trošili previše vremena na
ponovno proživljavanje trenutaka slave.
01:31
But they didn't spendprovesti a lot of time relivingreliving the gloryslava daysdana.
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01:35
For the mostnajviše partdio, everyonesvatko was just tryingtežak to survivepreživjeti.
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Uglavnom su jednostvano
pokušavali preživjeti.
01:38
It's a lot harderteže than you mightmoć think.
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To je bitno teže
nego što biste pomislili.
01:40
ContrarySuprotno to what mostnajviše people think,
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Suprotno onome što većina ljudi misli,
01:43
people don't payplatiti, taxpayersporezni obveznici don't payplatiti, for your life
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ljudi ne plaćaju, porezni obveznici
ne plaćaju za tvoj život
01:46
when you're in prisonzatvor. You've got to payplatiti for your ownvlastiti life.
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dok si u zatvoru.
Ti moraš platiti za svoj život.
01:48
You've got to payplatiti for your soapsapun, your deodorantdezodorans,
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Moraš platiti svoj sapun, svoj dezodorans,
01:50
toothbrushčetkica za zube, toothpastepasta za zube, all of it.
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zubnu četkicu, zubnu pastu, sve to.
01:53
And it's hardteško for a couplepar of reasonsrazlozi.
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A to je teško iz nekoliko razloga.
01:54
First, everything'ssve je markedobilježen up 30 to 50 percentposto
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Kao prvo, svemu je cijena 30-50 posto viša
01:56
from what you'dti bi payplatiti on the streetulica,
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od onoga što bi platio na ulici,
01:58
and seconddrugi, you don't make a lot of moneynovac.
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a kao drugo, ti ne zarađuješ puno novca.
02:00
I unloadediskrcali truckskamioni. That was my full-timepuno vrijeme jobposao,
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Ja sam istovarao kamione.
To je bio moj posao,
02:03
unloadingistovar truckskamioni at a foodhrana warehouseskladište,
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istovaranje kamiona u skladištu za hranu,
02:05
for $5.25, not an hoursat, but perpo monthmjesec.
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za 5,25 dolara, ne po satu,
nego za cijeli mjesec.
02:09
So how do you survivepreživjeti?
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Dakle, kako možeš preživjeti?
02:11
Well, you learnnaučiti to hustleenergičnost, all kindsvrste of hustlesmisli.
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Naučiš kako muljati,
svim oblicima muljaža.
02:15
There's legalpravni hustlesmisli.
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Postoje legalne muljaže.
02:17
You payplatiti everything in stampspoštanske marke. Those are the currencyvaluta.
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Plaćaš sve u markicama.
To je valuta.
02:19
You chargenaplatiti anotherjoš inmateukućanin to cleančist his cellćelija.
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Naplaćuješ čiščenje ćelije
drugim zatvorenicima.
Postoje ilegalne muljaže, kao što je
vođenje brijačnice u svojoj ćeliji.
02:21
There's sortvrsta of illegalnezakonit hustlesmisli, like you runtrčanje a barbershopbrijačnica out of your cellćelija.
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02:26
There's prettyprilično illegalnezakonit hustlesmisli: You runtrčanje a tattootetovaža parlorsalon out of your ownvlastiti cellćelija.
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Postoje prilično ilegalne muljaže, kao
što je izrada tetovaža u svojoj ćeliji.
02:30
And there's very illegalnezakonit hustlesmisli, whichkoji you smuggleprokrijumčariti in,
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Postoje jako ilegalne muljaže,
poput švercanja,
02:34
you get smuggledprokrijumčaren in, drugslijekovi, pornographypornografija,
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švercaju se droga, pornografija,
02:38
cellćelija phonestelefoni, and just as in the outervanjski worldsvijet,
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mobiteli, i kao i u vanjskom svijetu,
02:41
there's a risk-rewardrizika i nagrade tradeofftrgovina, so the riskierrizičnije the enterprisepoduzeće,
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postoji balans između rizika i nagrade,
dakle što je rizičniji poduhvat,
02:45
the more profitablekoristan it can potentiallypotencijalno be.
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potencijalno je i profitabilniji.
02:47
You want a cigarettecigareta in prisonzatvor? ThreeTri to fivepet dollarsdolara.
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Želite li cigarete u zatvoru?
Tri do pet dolara.
02:51
You want an old-fashionedstarinski cellćelija phonetelefon that you flipdrzak openotvoren
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Želite li staromodni preklopni mobitel
02:55
and is about as bigvelika as your headglava? ThreeTri hundredstotina bucksdolara.
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koji je otprilike velik kao vaša glava?
300 dolara.
02:58
You want a dirtyprljav magazinečasopis?
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Želite li porno magazin?
03:01
Well, it can be as much as 1,000 dollarsdolara.
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To se može kretati do 1.000 dolara.
03:04
So as you can probablyvjerojatno tell, one of the definingdefiniranje aspectsaspekti
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Kao što možete zaključiti,
jedan od ključnih aspekata
03:07
of prisonzatvor life is ingenuitygenijalnost.
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zatvorskog života je snalažljivost.
03:11
WhetherDa li it was concoctingKad su izmislili deliciousukusna mealsjela
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Bez obzira jesu li to
ukusno napravljena jela
03:13
from stolenukraden scrapsbilješke from the warehouseskladište,
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od ukradenih ostataka iz skladišta,
03:17
sculptingoblikovanje people'snarodno hairdlaka with toenailnokat clippersškare,
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oblikovanje kose
sa škaricama za nokte na nogama,
03:21
or constructinggradnju weightsutezi from bouldersgromada in laundrypraonica rublja bagsvrećice
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ili izrada utega od šljunka
u vrećama za prljavu odjeću
03:26
tiedvezan on to treedrvo limbsudova, prisonerszatvorenici learnnaučiti how to make do with lessmanje,
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povezanim granom drveta, zatvorenici
nauče kako napraviti nešto iz ničega,
03:31
and manymnogi of them want to take this ingenuitygenijalnost
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i mnogi od njih žele prenijeti
tu snalažljivost
03:34
that they'vešto ga do learnednaučeno to the outsideizvan
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koju su naučili, izvan zatvora
03:36
and startpočetak restaurantsrestorani, barberbrijač shopstrgovine,
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i započeti otvarati restorane, brijačnice,
03:38
personalosobni trainingtrening businessespoduzeća.
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poslove osobnih trenera.
03:40
But there's no trainingtrening, nothing to preparepripremiti them for that,
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Ali nema obuke,
ničega što bi ih pripremilo za to,
03:44
no rehabilitationRehabilitacija at all in prisonzatvor,
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nema nikakve rehabilitacije u zatvorima,
03:46
no one to help them writepisati a businessPoslovni planplan,
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nikoga tko bi im pomogao napisati
poslovni plan,
03:48
figurelik out a way to translatePrevedi the businessPoslovni conceptspojmovi
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shvate način na koji bi prenijeli
poslovni koncept
03:52
they intuitivelyintuitivno graspshvatiti into legalpravni enterprisespoduzeća,
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koji intuitivno znaju u legalno poduzeće,
03:55
no accesspristup to the InternetInternet, even.
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čak niti pristupa Internetu.
03:57
And then, when they come out, mostnajviše statesDržave
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I onda kada izađu, većina država
04:00
don't even have a lawzakon prohibitingzabrane employersposlodavci
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čak nema niti zakon
koji bi zabranio poslodavcima
04:02
from discriminatingdiskriminirati againstprotiv people with a backgroundpozadina.
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diskriminaciju nad ljudima
s takvom poviješću.
04:06
So nonenijedan of us should be surprisediznenađen
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Dakle nitko od nas
ne bi trebao biti iznenađen
04:08
that two out of threetri ex-offendersex-prijestupnika re-offendnapadano
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što dva od tri bivša prijestupnika
ponovno počine zločin
04:11
withinunutar fivepet yearsgodina.
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unutar pet godina.
04:14
Look, I liedlagao to the FedsFBI. I lostizgubljen a yeargodina of my life from it.
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Gledajte, lagao sam federalnim vlastima.
Izgubio sam godinu dana života zbog toga.
04:19
But when I camedošao out, I vowedObećao je that I was going to do
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Ali kada sam izašao,
zakleo sam se da ću napraviti
04:23
whateveršto god I could to make sure
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sve što mogu kako bih bio siguran
04:24
that guys like the onesone I was lockedzaključan up with
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da dečki poput onih
s kojima sam bio zatvoren
04:27
didn't have to wastegubljenje any more of theirnjihov life than they alreadyveć had.
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ne moraju izgubiti više vremena
od onoga koje su već izgubili.
04:31
So I hopenada that you'llvi ćete think about helpingpomoć in some way.
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Nadam se kako ćete razmisliti
da mi na neki način pomognete.
Nabolja stvar koju možemo učiniti
jest da osmislimo načine
04:35
The bestnajbolje thing we can do is figurelik out waysnačine
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04:37
to nurturenjegovanje the entrepreneurialpoduzetničke spiritduh
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kako njegovati poduzetnički duh
04:40
and the tremendousogroman untappedneiskorišćen potentialpotencijal in our prisonszatvorima,
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i ogroman neiskorišteni potencijal
u našim zatvorima,
04:43
because if we don't, they're not going to learnnaučiti any newnovi skillsvještine
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jer ako mi to ne učinimo,
oni neće naučiti nove vještine
04:46
that's going to help them, and they'lloni će be right back.
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koje bi im pomogle
i vratiti će se u zatvor.
04:49
All they'lloni će learnnaučiti on the insideiznutra is newnovi hustlesmisli.
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I sve što će ponovo naučiti u zatvoru
su nove muljaže.
04:52
Thank you. (ApplausePljesak)
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Hvala vam. (Pljesak)

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jeff Smith - Recovering politician
Once an up-and-coming star in the Missouri State Senate, Jeff Smith went to prison for covering up an election law violation. Since his release, he's created a new space for himself as a professor, writer, political commentator and advocate for those he was locked up with.

Why you should listen

In 2004, Jeff Smith ran for the U.S. Congressional seat vacated by Dick Gephardt, and came this close to defeating Republican Russ Carnahan. His inspiring, but ultimately unsuccessful, campaign was documented in the award-winning documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?

A year later, Smith ran for the Missouri State Senate and won in a hotly contested election. He quickly became a rising star in the legislative body, focusing on education reform and tax credits among other things. However, in 2009, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into whether Smith had lied about a violation in his 2004 campaign. He ultimately plead guilty and spent a year in jail. It’s a story he has told on This American Life

Since being released from prison, Smith accepted a position as an assistant professor at The New School's Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy in New York City. His research focuses on political campaigns, the role of race in urban politics and the legislative process. At the same time, he writes for The Recovering Politician, City & State NY and Politico's The Arena, and is working on an memoir. 

More profile about the speaker
Jeff Smith | Speaker | TED.com