Ex-Politician Jeff Smith: What My Year Behind Bars Taught Me About America’s Prison Crisis
“Mr. Smith Goes to Prison” Book by Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith is the author of the new book, Mr. Smith Goes to Prison: What My Year Behind Bars Taught Me About America’s Prison Crisis. He is a former Missouri state senator and now teaches at The New School in New York. Smith is on the board of the nonprofit organization Prison Entrepreneurship Program, or PEP. He’s also the author of the e-book, Ferguson in Black and White.
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TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: The first time our next guest, Jeff Smith, appeared on the national radar, he was the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? The year chronicled in the film was 2004. Jeff Smith was a 29-year-old unknown college professor vying for the congressional seat of the retiring Dick Gephardt.
JEFF SMITH: So, this woman who was a friend of my grandma’s, she got the first solicitation letter we sent during the campaign, and she calls my grandma says, “Ida, this is wonderful. Your grandson is running for Congress.” And my grandma, who’s 96, said, “No, I don’t think he’s running for Congress. He’s running for the state Legislature.” And the woman said, “Ida, I’m looking at the letter right here. He’s running for U.S. Congress.” And my grandma said, “Well, if he’s really running for U.S. Congress, you ought to save your money.”
JEFF SMITH’S GRANDMOTHER: I don’t think the things that a person with the mind that he has should waste it on politics.
JEFF SMITH: You know, my dad just pretty much laughed in my face.