Death row: 75% of these lives could be spared

In Texas, every year between 20 and 40 death row inmates are executed for murder, and the number isn’t declining. Where the current debate lies around whether execution is morally right, David R. Dow is focusing is on preventing execution by preventing the crimes from happening in the first place.

Having defended over 100 death row inmates in the past 20 years, he talks about how reducing the number of executions is about intervening early in childhood with care for economically disadvantaged or otherwise troubled children.

This early intervention isn’t just morally sound – saving the lives of the murdered and murderers (by 75%) – it’s economically sound too – saving $80,000 for every $15,000 invested.

But what else can we do with the lessons learned from the TED talk and what does any of this have to do with The Synergist? Although a seemingly radical concept, David’s ideas can be adapted to a multitude of things (look at Break Dengue or Pregnancy Taboos). But what it boils down to is changing the way we think and ceaselessly challenging the norms. By assessing projects, objectives, and goals differently; by flipping the situation; and by not being bogged down with “impossibles,” what we can improve upon is practically boundless.