due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. there are 2 million people behind bars in america. >> good morning i'm dara brown. we interrupt our regular programming to take you live to kenya where president obama is to about to give his speech to the country where his father was born. let's listen in. [ speaking in foreign language ] it is great to be back in kenya.

thank you so much for this extraordinary welcome. i know it took a few years but as president, i try to keep my promises, and i said i was going to come, and i'm here. and everybody, go ahead and have a seat. i'm going to be talking for a while. relax. i want to thank my sister ama for a wonderful introduction. i'm so glad she could be with us here today and it was as she said it was alma who first guided me through kennia 30 years ago. to president kenyatta i want to thank you for the hospitality you've shown me, for our work together on this visit and for being here today it's a great

honor. i am proud to be the first american president to come to kenya. and of course, i'm the first kenyan-american to be president of the united states. that depose without saying. >> we love you president obama! >> i love you back. but as alma was saying the first time i came to kenya, things were a little different. when i arrived at kenyatta airport, the airline had lost my bags. [ laughter ] that doesn't happen on air force one. they always have my luggage on air force one. as she said, alma picked me up in an old volkswagen beetle, and

i think the entire stay i was here, it broke down four or five times. we'd be on the highway, we'd have to call the jokali. he'd bring his tools. we'd be sitting there waiting, and i slept on a cot in her apartment, instead of eating at fancy banquets with the president, we were drinking tea and eating ugali, sekumau, weiku, and so there wasn't a lot of luxury. sometimes the lights would go out. "they still do," is that what someone said? but you know, there was something more important than luxury on that first trup. and that was a sense of being

recognized, being seen. you was a young man and i was just a few years out of university. i'd worked as a community organizer in low income neighborhoods in chicago. i was about to go to law school and when i came here, in many ways i was a westerner. i was an american, unfamiliar with my father and his birthplace, really disconnected from half of my heritage, and at that airport, as i was trying to find my luggage, there was a woman there who worked for the airlines and she was helping fill out the forms and she saw my name and she looked up and she asked if i was related to my father, who she had known. and that was the first time that my name meant something. [ applause ]

and that it was recognized, and over the course of several weeks, i'd meet my brothers, aunts and uncles, i traveled to alego, the village where my family was from, i saw the graves of my father and my grandfather, and i learned things about their lives that i could have never learned through books, and in many ways, their lives offered snapshots of kenya's history, but they also told us something about the future. my grandfather, for example, he was a cook for the british, and as i went through some of his belongings, when i went up country, i found the passbook he had had to carry as a domestic servant. it listed his ainge and his height, his tribe, listed the number of teeth he had missing,

and he was revved to as a boy, even though he was a grown man, in that passbook. and he was in the king's african rifles during the second world war, and was taken to the far reaches of the british empire, all the way to burma, and back home, after the war, he was eventually detained for a time because he was linked to a group that opposed british rule. and eventually he was released. he forged a home for himself and his family here and the respect of his village, lived a life of dignity. he had a well-earned reputation for being so strict that everybody was scared of him, and he became estranged from part of his family.

so that was his story, and then my father came of age as kenyans were pursuing independence and he was proud to be a part of that liberation generation, and next to my grandfather's papers, i found letters that he had written to 30 american universities, asking for a chance to pursue his dream and get a scholarship. and ultimately, one university gave hum that chance, the university of hawaii. and he would go on to get an education, and then return home. and here, at first he found success as an economist and worked with the government, but ultimately he found disappointment in part because he couldn't reconcile the ideas that he had for his young country with the hard realities that had confronted him. and i think sometimes about what these stories tell us, what the history and the past tell us about the future. they show us the enormous

baueriers to progress that so many kenyans faced just one or two generations ago. this is a young country. we were talking last night at dinner, the president's father was the first president. we're only a generation removed. and the daily limitations and sometimes humiliations of clonianism, that's recent history, the corruption and crony uc cronyism and tribalism that sometimes confront recent nation that's history. the stories also tell us is an arc of progress from foreign rule to independence, from isolation to education, and engagement with the wider world. it speaks of incredible progress. so we have to know the history of kenya, just as we americans

have to know our american history. all people have to understand where they come from, but we also have to remember why these lessons are important. we know our history so that we can learn from it. we learn our history because we understand the sacrifices that were made before, so that when we make sacrifices, we understand we're doing it on behalf of future generations. there's a proverb that says we have not inherited this land from our forebearers. we have borrowed it from our children. in other words, we study the past so it can guide us into the future and inspire us to do better. and when it comes to the people of kenya, tuck larry the youth, i believe there is no limit to what you can achieve. young, am bushes kenyan today should not have to do what my grandfather did and serve a

foreign master. you don't need to do what my father did and leave your home in order to get a good education and access to opportunity. because of kenya's progress, because of your potential, you can build your future right here, right now. [ cheers and applause ] now, like any country, kenya's far from perfect but it has come so far in just my lifetime, after a bitter struggle kenyans claimed their independence just a few years after i was born and after decades of one-party rule, kenya embraced a multiparty system in the 1990s, just as i was beginning my own career in the united states. tragically kenya was nearly torn apart from violence at the same time you was running for my first campaign for president and

i remember hearing the reports of thousands of people driven from their homes or killed. from a distance it seemed like the kenya that i knew, a kenya that was able to reach beyond ethnic and tribal lives, that it might split apart across those lines of tribe and ethnicity, but look what happened. the people of kenya chose not to be defined by the hatreds of the past. you chose a better history. [ applause ] the voices of ordinary people and political leaders and civil society did not eliminate all these divisions but you addressed the divisions and differences peacefully and a new constitution was put in place declaring every person has inherent dug nit and the right to have that dignity respected and protected. competitive election went forward. not without problems but without the violence that so many had

feared. in other words, kenyans chose to stay together. you chose the path of harambe. and in part, in part because of this political stability, kenya's economy is also emerging and the entrepreneurial spirit that people rely on to survive in the streets of kibera can be seen in the businesses across the country, from the city square to the smallest villages, and pesos changing the way people use money. new investment is making kenya a hub for regional trade. when i came here as a u.s. senator i pointed out that south korea's economy was the same as kenya's when i was born, and then was who times larger than kenya's. think about that. started at the same place. south korea had gob here and kenya was here but today that

gap has been cut in half just in the last decade, which means kenya is making progress. and meanwhile kenya continues to carve out awe distincht place in t distinct place in the community of nations as a source for peacefulness for those in conflict, a host for refugees driven from their homes, a leader for conservation following the footprints of ungari matai. kenya is one of the places on this continent that truly observes freedom of the press and their fearless journalists and courageous civil society members, and in the united states we see the legacy of kip kano every time he ones one of our marathons and maybe the first lady of kenya is going to win one soon.

i told the president he has to start running with his wife. we want him to stay fit. so there's much to be proud of, much progress to lift up. it's a good news story. but we also know that progress is not complete. there are still problems that shadow ordinary kenyanser day, challenges that can deny you your livelihood and sometimes deny you lives. as an american, and so many countries around the globe, economic growth has not always been broadly shared. sometimes people at the top do very well but ordinary people still struggle. today a young child in ince is o die than a child in central

province, even though they are equal in dignity in the eyes of god, that's a gap that has to be closed. a guirl in riff valley is far less likely to attend secretary school than a girl in nairobi. that's a gap that has to be closed. across the country one study shows corruption costs kenyans 250,000 jobs every year bus every shilling that's paid as a bribe could be put in the pocket of somebody who is doing an honest day's work. [ cheers and applause ] and despite the hard earned political progress that i spoke of those political gains still had to be protected.

new laws and restrictions could close off the space that holds leaders accountable. old tribal divisions and ethnic divisions can still be stirred up. i want to be very clear here, a politics that's based solely on tribe and ethnicity is a politics that's toomd as a country apart. it is a failure, a failure of imagination. of course here in kenya we also know the specter of terrorism has touched far too many lives and we remember the americans and kenyans who died side by side on the attack in our embassy in the '90s. we remember the innocent kenyans who were taken from us at westgate mall. we weep for the nearly 150 people slaughtered at glarisa, who had such a bright future

before them. we honor the memory of so many other kenyans whose lives have been lost in this struggle. so kenya is at a crossroads, a moment filled with peril but also enormous promise and with the rest of my time here today i'd like to talk about how you can seize the moment, how you can make sure we leave behind a world that's better, a world that we borrowed from our children. when i first came to sub-saharan africa as president, i made clear my strong belief that the future of africa is up to africans. for too long, i think that many looked to the outside for salvation and focused on somebody else being at fault for the problems of the country and as my sister said, ultimately we

are each responsible for our own destiny, and i'm here as president of a country that sees kenya as an important partner. i'm here as a friend who wants kenya to succeed. and the pull are pillars of th are clear. strong democratic governance, development that provides opportunity for all people and not just some, a sense of national identity that rejects conflict to are a future of peace and reconciliation, and today we can see that future for kenya on the horizon, but tough choices are going to have to be made in order to arrive at that destination. in the united states i always say that what makes america exceptional is not the fact that we're perfect. it's the fact that we struggle to improve. we're self-critical.

we work to live up to our highest values and ideals, knowing that we're not always going to achieve them pebble but we keep on trying to person our union and what's true for america is also true for kenya. you can't be complacent and accept the world just as it is. you have to imagine what the world might be, and then push and work towards that future. progress rurz thequires that yo honestly confront the dark corners of our own past, extend rights and opportunities to more of your citizens, see the differences in diversity of this country as a strength, just as we in america try to see the diversity of our country as a strength and not a weakness. so you can choose the path to progress, but it requires making

some important choices. first and foremost it means continuing down the path of a strong, more inclusive, more accountable and transparent democracy. you know, democracy begins with a peacefully elected government. it begins with elections, but it doesn't stop with elections. so your constitution aurz a road map to governance that's more responsive to the people through protections against unchecked power, more power in the hands of local communities. for this system to succeed, there also has to be space for citizens to exercise their rights and we saw the strength of kenya's civil society in the last election when groups collected reports of incitement so that violence could be stopped before it pspun out of control, and the ability of citizens to organize and advocate for change, that's the oxygen upon which democracy

depends. you know, democracy is sometimes messy and for leaders, sometimes it's frustrating. democracy means that somebody's always complaining about something. nobody is ever happy in a democracy about their government. if you make one person happy, somebody else is unhappy. then sometimes somebody who you made happy lawsuiter on, now they're not happy. they say what have you done for me lately? but that's the nature of democracy. that's why it works is because it's constantly challenging leaders to up their game, and to do better, and such civic participation and freedom is also essential for rooting out the cancer of corruption. i want to be clear. corruption is not unique to

kenya. i mean, i wanter to understand that there's no country that's completely free of corruption. certainly here in the african continent, there are many countries that deal with this problem and i want to assure you, you speak about it wherever i go, not just here in kenya, so i don't want everybody to get too sense tough, but the fact is, too often here in kenya, as is true in other places,erated that's how things have always been done. people just think that that is sort of the normal state of affairs, and there was a tomb in the united states wheres that true, too. my hometown of chu was chicago

was infamous for al capone and the mob and the organized crime corrupting law enforcement, but what happened was that over time, people got fed up and leaders stood up and they said we're not going to play that gaum anymore. and you changed a culture and you changed habits. here in kenya, it's time to change habits and desis sufficiently break that cycle, because corruption holds backer aspect of economic and civil life. it's an anchor that weighs you down and prevents you from acheeg what you could. if you need to pay a bribe and hire somebody's brother who is not very good and doesn't come to work, in order to start a business, well that's going to create less jobs forrer. if electricity is going to one neighborhood because they're

well connected and not another neighborhood, that's going to limit development of the country as a whole. if someone in public office is talking a cut that they don't deserve, that's taking away from those who are paying their fair share. so this is not just about changing one law, although it's important to have laws on the books that are actual will you being enforced. it's important that not only low level corruption is pun ushed but folks at the top, if they are taking from the people that asked to be addressed as well, but it's not something that is just fixed by laws or that any one person can fix. it rurz a commitment by the entire nation, leaders and

citizens, to change habits and to change culture. tough laws need to be on the books, and the good news is, your government is talking some important steps in the right direction. people who break the law and violate the public trust need to be prosecuted. n dprks os have to be allowed to broug ngos have to be allowed to shine a spot lugt light that needs to changed. if you talk these steps america will be an important partner in supporting investments in strong democratic institutions. now, we're also going to work with you to pursue the second pillar of progress and that is development that extends economic opportunity and dignity for all of kenya's people. you know, america partners with kebia in areas where you're making enormous progress and we

focus on what kenyans can do for themselves in building capacity. an entrepreneur shup where kshi is becoming an innovator. on developing clean energy to reach for people, on climate change where the growth to reduce emissions has put it in a position of being a leader on the continent, on food security, kenyan crops are producing more to meet the demands of your people and a global market and on health where kenya struck huge blows to hiv/aids to other diseases, america is also partners wi ing with you, in investing in youth. we are investing in the young people of kenya and the young people of this continent. robert f. kennedy once said, "it is a revolutionary world that we

live in, and it is the young people who must take the lead." it's the young people who must take the lead. so through our young african leaders initiative, we are empowering and connecting young people. [ cheers and applause ] connecting young people from across the continent who are fuld with energy and optimism and idealism and going to take africa to new heights and these young people they're not weighed down by the old ways. they're creating a new path. and these are the elements for success in this 21st century. to continue down this path of progress it will be vital for kenya to recognize that no country can achieve its full potential unless it draws the talent of all its people,

including more than half of the nation who are bum awomen anend. i'm going to spend a little time on this for just a second. every country and every culture has traditions that are unique and help make that country what it is. but just because something is a part of your past doesn't make it right. it doesn't mean that it defines your future. look at us in the united states, recently we've been having a debate about the confederate flag. some of you may be familiar with this. this was a symbol for those states who fought against the union to preserve slavery. now, as a historical artifact it's important but some have argued that it's just a symbol

of heritage that should fly in public spaces. the fact is, it was a flag that flew over an army that fought to maintain a system of slavery and racial subjugation. so we should understand our history but we should also recognize that it sends a bad message to those who were liberate liberated from slavery and oppression and in part because of unspeakable tragedy that took place recent write where a young man who was a fan of the confederate flag and racial superiority shot helpless people in a church. more and more americans of all races are realizing now that that flag should come down. just because something's a tradition, doesn't make it right. well, so around the world, there

is a tradition of repressing women, and treating them differently, and not guiving thm the same opportunities, and husbands beating their wives, and children not being sent to school. those are traditions, treating women and girls as second class citizens, those are bad traditions. they need to change. they're holding you back. treating women as second class citizens is a bad tradition. it holds you back. there's no excuse for sexual assault or domestic violence. there's no reason that young girls should suffer genital

mutilati mutilation. there's no place in civilized society for the early or forced marriage of children. these traditions may date back centuries, they have no place in the 21st century. these are issues of right and wrong in any culture. but there are also issues of success and failure. any nation that falls to educate its girls or employ its women and allowing them to maximize their potential is doomed to fall behind in the global economy. we're in a sports center. imagine if you have a team and you don't let half of the team play. that's stupid. that makes no sense.

anded evidence shows that communities that give their daughters the same opportunities as their sons, they are more peaceful, they are more prosperous. they develop faster. they are more likely to succeed. that's true in america. that's true here in kenya. it doesn't matter. and that's why one of the most successful development policies you can pursue is giving girls an education and removing the obstacles that stand between them and their creams and by the way, if you educate xwirgirls, grow up to moms and they, because they are educated, are more likely to produce educated children. so kenya will not succeed if it treats women and girls as second class citizens.

i want to be very clear about that. now, this leads me to the third pillar of progress and that's choosing a future of peace and reconciliation. there are real threats out there. president kenyatta and i spent a lot of time discussing the serious threat from al shabab that kenya faces. the united states faces similar threats of truchl. we are grateful for the sacrifices made by kenyans on the front lines of the amazon. we're proud of the efforts that we're making to strengthen kenya's abilities through our government initiative. we're going to shoulder to shoulder with you in the fight against terrorism for as long as it takes. as i mentioned yesterday it is important to remember that

violent extremists want us to turn against one another. that's what terrorists it upcally try to exploit. they know thatter this a small my nor minority. they can't win conventionally so they try to target societies where they can exploit divisions. that's what happens in iraq. that's what happens around the world. that's what happened in northern ireland. terrorists who try to sow chaos, they must be met with force and they must also be met though with a forceful commitment to uphold the rule of law and respect for human rights and to treat everybody who is peaceful and law-abiding faurl and equally. extremists who pray on distrust must be met by communities who

stand together for something different. the most important understanding is the united states and kenya both have muslim minorities, but those minorities make enormous contributions to our countries. these are our brothers. they are our u.s. sisters. in both of our countries we have to reject calls this allow us to be divided. it's true for any diverse society and kenya is rich with diversity, and time and again just as we've seen the dangers of religious or ethnic violence we've seen kenya is stronger when kenyans stand you nighted with a sense of national identity. that was the case on december 12th, 1963 when cities and villages celebrated across the nation, it was 2010 kenya

presented an order of a new constitution. so we can all appreciate our own identities, our blood lines, our beliefs, our backgrounds. that tapestry is what makes us who we are but the history of africa which is both the cradle of human progress and a cruiseble of conflict shows that when we define ourselves narrowly in opposition to somebody just because they're of a different tribe, race or religion and we ignore who is a good person or bad person, are they working hard or not, are they honest or not, are they peaceful or violent, when we start making distinctions solely based on status and not what people do, then we're taking a wrong path and we inevitably suffer in the end. this is why martin luther king called on people to be judged not by the color of their skin

but the content of their character. and in the same way people should not be judged by their last name or their religious faith, but by their content. of that their character and how they behave, are they good citizens, are they good people? the united states we embrace the motto e. pluribus unum, in latin, it means of the many, one. whatever the challenge, you will be stronger if you face not as christians, muz lums, any other tribe but as kenyans and ultimately that unity is the source of strength that will empower you to seize this moment of promise. that's what will help you root out corruption. that's what will strengthen democratic institutions. that's what will help you combat inequality. that's what will help you extend

opportunity and educate youth and face down threats and embrace reconciliation. so i want to say particularly to the young people here today, kenya is on the move. africa is on the move. you are poised to play a bigger role in this world as the shadows of the past are replaced by the light that you offer, an increasingly interconnected world and in the light of this new day, we have to learn to see ourselves in one another. we have to see that we are connected, our fates are bound together, because in the end, we're all part of one tribe, the human tribe. and no matter who we are, where we come from, who we love or what god we worship, we're connected. our fates are bound up with one another. kenya holds within it all that

diversity, and with diversity sometimes comes difficulty, but i look to kenya's future filled with hope, and i'm hopeful because of you, the people of kenya especially the young people. there are some amazing examples of what's going on right now young people. i'm hopeful because of a young man named richard rutok torosia. richard helped build yes youth camp. i like the phrase, yes youth ca yes you can. it became one of the most prove dent civil societies in kenya. after the violence of 2007-2008, yes youth can stood up to unkrutment and helped bring opportunity to places startled by conflict. that's the kind of young leadership that we need. i'm hopeful because of a young

woman named josephine kulea. she founded some buru girls foundation and she's already helped to rescue over 1,000 girls from abuse and forced marriage and help place them in schools. a member of the sambura tribe herself, she's personally planned rescue missions to help girls as young as 6 years old, and she explains that the longer a girl is in school, everything for her, for her income, for her family, for this country, everything changes. she gives me hope. i'm hopeful because of a young woman named jamilla abbas shoop p she founded a mobile platform used by 14,000 people across kenya, enfarm makes it easy for farmers to match their crops with what the market demands and

studies show it can help farmers double their sales. so here's what jamilla said, i love kenya because you feel you are home anywhere you go. home anywhere you go, that's the kenya that welcomed me nearly 30 years ago as a young man. you helped make me feel at home and standing here today as president of the united states, when i this i about those young people and all the young people in attendance here, you still make me feel at home, and i'm confident that your future is going to be written across this country and akro cross that continent by people like you, young men and women who don't have to struggle under a colonial power, who don't have to look overseas to realize your dreams. yes, you can realize your dreams right here, right now. we have not inherited this land

from our forebearers. we have borrowed it from our children so now is the time for us to do the hard work of living up to that inheritance, of building a kenya where the inherent dignity of every person is respected and protected and there's no limit to what a child can achieve. i am here to tell you that the united states of america will be a partner for you, every step of the way. god bless you. thank you. [ speaking in foreign language ] ♪ >> we've been listening to president obama give a speech in nairobi. thousands have been there to listen and in the speech he was talking about his personal connection to kenya, and the future of kenya and america and with that we're going to talk now to msnbc's chris jansing standing by traveling by with the president in kenya. how are the people of kenya reacting to president obama and his visit there? >> well what you couldn't see was the welcome that he got and that included as he was driving

his motorcade was driving that there were people lining the streets shouting, i think it was a great week to be a flag vendor here in kenya, because the american flags were flying everywhere but what you saw in the stadium for almost 45 minutes the president using his bully pulpit. one of his senior advisers before he took to the stage saying he understands how popular he is here on the african continent and intended to use that to send a message to the leaders here and the people across africa. i think a couple of things strike you. one is he has said repeatedly over the last couple of days that corruption has got to end. this is one of the most corrupt countries in africa and that's saying a lot and he said it within earshot standing yesterday at a press conference next to president kenyatta and again today saying that that is stopping progress here, and for the first time we heard him speak very forcefully for women

and girls and saying that economic progress which is supposed to be the main theme of why he came here cannot continue unless half the population is allowed to thrive and wasn't it interesting that he brought up the confederate flag and compared that as a tradition as something that has to end, and finally, another key reason why he's here and that is the fight against terrorism. this is a country that has felt terrorism and deadly bombings from shabab personally. they just reopened that westgate mall, the site of a bombing that killed so many people, so he pledged cooperation. you saw this interesting mix of personal and political. had to take the joke at the top where he talked about when he if first came here in his 20s and his luggage got lost, he says that doesn't happen on air force one, and a pledge last night at a dinner that he would return to kenya. there is no doubt that in his

father's homeland he is considered a favorite son. his face is all over newspapers here and he believes that he can, by sending this message in such a public way help to move forward some of the progress that this country started economically and to some of the more social areas as well. >> chris, when we heard his speech, he was talking about several things. he talked about kenya being on this huge crossroads now, and he talked about what the government is doing, how they're fighting terrorism, the equality issues, but he really did reflect a lot about his connection to senya and how do you think that went over with the people in kenya? how do you think that's inspurd them? >> well, they're obviously craze yu about that connection and it's something that it started with his introduction by his half sister alma, and alma talked about when she was in this broken down folvolkswagen beetle bringing him from the aurpt and this time she's in

what's known as the beast, the fortified lum seen the president travels in, and he was bringing her here as president of the united states. we heard him to huge cheers refer to himself in a way the folks long referred to him not as an african-american but as a kenyan-american and really showing the pride that he feels with his connection with his father and his grandfather. so this is central really to his popularity here. it's central to his message. it's central to his promise that in his post-presidency he's been hesitant to talk about that very much but he has over the last 24 hours talked about how his foundation, he would be like to be able to focus on some of the poverty and the small communities here in kenya, that he has not been able to as president of the united states saying essentially when he's no longer president he is free to pursue some of the things that he feels personally without the constraints of representing a government, and so that is the message that they are taking

here. i can tell you there is one newspaper that virtually the entire paper is about him, his kenyan connection, about the little girl who gave him flowers at the airport, about how he is the little brother of alma obama who introduced him, so that connection is felt very strongly here. >> well, we heard him refer to haramei a lot, showing he's on a united front with kenya and going forward. what is the next step for the president? what is the next step for the government? how are they going to work together to unite kenya and bring it to the modern world? >> there are a lot of ways that they are already working together, and let's take a look first at what was the main reason that he came here, which was for this economic entrepreneurial summit, and this morning we had a chance to talk to four american entrepreneurs who frankly spoke very positively about the potential for kenya, which has had a lot of economic progress.

it's one of the fastest growing economies here in africa, so just bringing together american companies who are willing now to invest here, companies who have already seen growth, general electric for example who is involved in a lot of the inf infrastructure projects needed for entrepreneurs to get off the ground, hearing them speak so enthusiasticcally. there's a cooperation they're growing on in terms of the fight against terrorism but in terms of some of the social issues it was a chance for hum just to stand up and talk about it and hopefully change the minds. >> chris jansing, thank you for that. we just finished listening to president obama talk in nairobi. right now we'll return to our regular programming after a short break.

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we're going this way. >> hi. >> how you doing? >> i'm doing fine. and you? >> i'm doing fine. >> good. >> we love her. she's the one. >> i would love to have the women leave this prison better off than they were when they came in. that is my goal. that is our mission. >> when msnbc visited valley state in 2000, the recidivism rate was 55%. despite officials' hopes that it would decrease, that number has held steady. if the trend continues, more than half these women will come back. >> i'm 24 years old. i've done six months here already. and i've come to terms with myself about changing my life and my lifestyle and my friends and the people i hang around with in order not to come back to this place. this place is really not a bad place. they have a lot to offer you here if you take advantage of a situation. they've got schools. they even have college courses here that you can take and things like that. you can get yourself into

something positive. you know what i mean? >> we can provide all the education and academic programs in the world. but the individual who comes through our gates has to be ready to accept those programs, has to be ready to say i need to change who i am and how i live. >> to help give inmates a marketable skill upon release, valley state has 15 vocational programs from welding to landscaping to cosmetology. inmate marlene stollsmark used to be a drug dealer. >> outside world, i ran a lot from the law, sold drugs to get by. you know, it was easy money instead of, i didn't really know too much of doing anything except running the streets and this is -- when they came here, they asked me, well, what are you interested in? i said nails, hair. and they put me in this program. it was good. a lot of us that's here really don't know nothing except what

we've learned to bring ourselves here. if we had known a trade or something, we might have did that instead of doing what we did to get here. >> at the end of her ten-year sentence, marline hopes to open a nail shop of her own. >> i'm hoping that it will give me a normal life. where i don't have to look over my shoulder and wonder, am i coming back. i don't think anybody really thinks about coming to prison and having to stay here. but it's the choices in life that we make that bring us here. hopefully i don't make that same mistake and come back. >> i came in in my very early 20s. i'm pushing into my 40s now. my sentence was 15 to life. >> inmate christy camp was convicted of second-degree murder. she works in the print shop. she dropped out of school in the seventh grade but earned her high school diploma here at valley state before working on a vocation. >> any type of learning a trade is going to give you a sense of

accomplishment, boost up your self-esteem, give you job skills you can incorporate when you leave. >> christy has been denied parole multiple times, but she hopes her new skill will make a difference if she leaves valley state. >> when i think about paroling, it's going to be a whole new world. you know? i've been in almost 20 years. i'm looking forward to residing in a community, being a community-oriented citizen, a homeowner, living the american dream just like everybody else. so that's what i plan on doing. >> because a large part of the population at valley state is here for drug-related offenses, the substance abuse program remains many inmates' only hope. >> good afternoon, family. my name is vonita. >> hi, vonita. >> first of all, i want you ladies to put your legs down and i want you ladies to relax. >> vonita lee used to be a drug addict herself. today as a counselor, she has a unique appreciation for the struggles the inmates face.

>> it hurts me. it hurts because i feel irresponsible. i feel hardness. i feel unworthy. but, you know, i'm working on that right now, you know what i mean? >> how has it made you feel when you see other kids -- your other peers with pictures and they're showing pictures and you're not showing any pictures of your kids? >> it feels -- it's like an emptiness, you know. >> these women are part of walden house, valley state's residential community for substance abusers. today's topic is the effect the inmates' addiction has had on their families. >> me and my kids don't have that relationship or that bond that a mother and child are supposed to have. >> so right now, if you could tell your kids anything, what would you tell them? >> i would apologize for not being the parent that i was supposed to be. i would tell them i love them very much. i would tell them not to make the same mistakes i did. >> i would like to give all you ladies a big stroke because you guys did some processing. i want to stroke the ladies that

was here for support. it's important that we let these ladies know that the work that they're doing is very important, because some of these ladies have held this stuff in for like 20, 25 years, and it's so hard for them to be productive out there in society because they have all this garbage inside and they've finally come to a place where they can release it and be safe about doing it. >> i lost my mother while i was locked up. i'm not real close with my family right now because the trust was lost. >> some of these ladies haven't cried in many years. when we see the tears, we know it's cleansing them and it's helping them become that productive member of society. and it's very important that we hug them. that way they know that they're doing the right thing and it's okay to cry. >> good job, good job. >> single file. >> okay. >> what i want, i want you to give me your whole name.

>> are you guys ready for your last patdown? >> these women are being paroled. yet despite their hopeful smiles, odds are the majority will be back. >> what a parolee will leave with is their personal property that they have, and generally $200. unless they have worked somehow and saved money or have had family or friends that have sent money for their trust account to give them something for a start. but generally it's $200. >> for many, the prospect of leaving valley state on parole doesn't bring hope, but fear. for inmates like lorena diaz, a life in prison is all they know. >> i'm scared to get out, you know. i'm scared because i don't know what i'm going to do, and i know how different i am now. and it's just, it's a weird experience. >> i don't feel like i'm a good person because the things i've done. they want you to be that good girl. then they'll let you loose and let you become part of society again.

part of me doesn't ever want to be part of society again. >> i think some of them actually like it here. and they get their families, you know. they create their families here, their friends. it's like a reunion. it's nothing new to them, and it's their comfort zone. >> it's traumatizing, it's real traumatizing. just to look 19 years down the road, i'll be eligible for parole. i'll be too old. i won't be able to collect ssi. any vocation i take now won't be any good by the time i'm old enough to parole from here. technology changes every day. i have no idea what half the cars look like out there, let alone a computer. so it's going to be scary.

due to mature subject matter, viewer direction is advised. there are 2 million people behind bars in america. we open the gates, "lockup." >> we are working with serious, dangerous criminals. >> if you like being told what to do, if you like being told when to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, if you like taking a chance of getting your ass kicked by inmates or police, if you like that type of thing, then this is the place for you. >> that's my buildings right there. i can look at them but i can't