host: bernard kerik? guest: first of all i think there are many flaws and failures in the criminal justice system. i put a lot of people in prison, people who did bad things -- cop killers, terrorists, people i seized tons of cocaine from. then, i went to prison. i met young men many of them, ironically out of baltimore. 18 years old, 19 years old, 20 years old, sentenced to 50 years in prison for low-level offenses. things that in the state system would be a misdemeanor. something other than personal professional annihilation. these kids sentenced to 10, 50 years in prison. i met fishermen who caught too many fish. a guy who sold wahhales on ebay. federal prison. i came to realize quickly that we are putting people in prison for ethical violations, for regulatory violations, for civil violations. not bad people. good people that made mistakes. the result is we are completely destroying their lives. once they are a convicted felon they are part of a permanent underclass of american citizens. there are two

i'm curious, if you could go back in time what advice would the bernard kerik of to take it to the bernardkerik was a new city commission and head of corrections at riker's island? >> i think i said this in the book that wasn't just a thought. if i was running riker's island today, a part of the training curriculum would be for every seo come every single seo that goes for the correction academy would have to spend 72 hours in solitary. i would make that a mandatory portion of their training for a few reasons, one of which, you need to know what it's like for the people on the inside so when you're on the outside and just respond to that or you to deal with them or you have to respond to an emergency can you need to know what's going on, what they're thinking of why do they do with our. at the end of the day i can tell you i was in a cell that was 12 by eight that had a four by six can't end it so really you in a cell that is 12 by four. i was in that sell for 60 days 24 hours a day. i was let out three times a week to take a shower and that's it. there was no contact with the outside worl

our guest today bernard kerik currency in the criminal justice system to vantage point that few of us have seen. mr. kerik has been at the pinnacle of all enforcement kinard having started out as a military police officer and to beat cop. he rose through the ranks to corrections commissioner where he is credited with significantly improving what had once been thought an ungovernable prison, riker's island. even served as new york city's top cop police commissioner was duties included for example, overseeing the nypd's response to the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers. he was one of nuke cities most decorated police officers among the many awards they received were 30 medals for excellent meritorious and heroic

and we have a former police commissioner of new york city bernie -- bernard kerik welcome who's helping us out here. we came on the air at 10:00, just an hour ago. we had just gotten information, just as we were going on the air tonight, that there was a derailment in philadelphia. we were told it was near philadelphia in the northeast corridor and it was the frankfort section of the city. as we are awaiting now, it is in the frankfort section and it is in philadelphia proper. and you're looking at this as it unfolds now. are we looking at live pictures again? this is live pictures of our chopper, affiliate's chopper, kyw in philadelphia. and you can see those train cars have been tossed on their side. some of them appear to be badly damaged. earlier, all we saw, there was not this much light on this train or on these cars. it was just flashlights, rescuers with flashlights, going, gingerly through this rubble looking for people who may be stuck. looking for survivors. and so now, that continues, but it continues with the help of some apparatus that they have brought in. and that is --

i'm joined now by the former police commissioner of new york city bernard kerik, and also by the former inspector general of the department of transportation, mary schiavo, helping us get through this. this happened just before 10:00. we got word of it just before as we were going on the air here. and i'm being told we have an instagram video from inside of the train. let's take a look and then we'll talk. >> go forward, sir. >> keep crawling keep crawling. >> come on, man. >> i got you, okay? keep crawling okay? >> where am i crawling to? >> crawl forward, sir. >> keep crawling keep crawling. come on man. >> i got you, okay okay? >> keep crawling okay? >> where am i crawling to? >> crawl forward, sir. >> keep crawling keep crawling. come on man. >> okay and so as you know, with instagram, it just sort of repeats, here. but that's from someone who was on that train and you see inside here. and with something like this it's just chaotic. mary schiavo, i remember the accident we had not along ago, they tried to break the windows. when this happens, the emergency lights stay on. what happe

on the next "washington journal", bernard kerik offering his use in criminal justice and prison reform. then mark mazezetti on the u.s. drone program. and then the advanced placement u.s. government exam preparation. they go through sample questions and take calls from high school students. we will take your calls and you can join the conversation at facebook and twitter. live at 7 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> here's a look at some of our featured programs for this weekend. saturday morning at 10 eastern on c-span, we are live from greenville, south carolina for the gop freedom senate -- summit. on mother's day, sunday, at noon eastern, members of his first families remember first ladies, featuring the daughters of jackie kennedy, lady bird johnson, betty ford, and laura bush. 2 on c-span -- on c-span2 jon krakauer on sexual assault. and the first female four-star general talks about her life and military career. and on c-span3 4:45 p.m. remembering the liberation of nazi concentration camps with an interview with kurt cline who as a teenager, escaped and lost his parents in auschwitz an

bernard kerik. then mark mazzetti about the u.s. drone program. adminnd the advanced placement u.s. government test. washington journal is next. host: good morning. it is saturday, may 9 2015 today on c-span and c-span radio. we will be live from the th conservative gatheringg in south carolina. we are coming off the news that the justice department has launched a wide-ranging probe of the baltimore police department. i investigation will seek to determine if the department has a history of discrimination and could put the police force under scrutiny for years t

.>>> on the next washington journal, bernard kerik. he offers views on criminal justice and prison reform. "the new york times" correspondent discusses u.s. drone policy and controversy it caused naming three undercover cia officials. and talking about advanced placement exam. they take calls from high school students. join the conversation on facebook and twitter. washington journal, live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on cspan. >>> they were wise. and mothers. some had children and grandchildren who became presidents and politicians. they dealt with the joys and trials of motherhood, the pleasure and sometimes chaos of raising small different. and the tragedy of loss. just in time for mother's day first ladies looks at the personal lives of every first lady in american history, many of whom raised families in the white house. lively stories of fascinating women and illuminating entertaining, inspiring read, based on original interviews from cspan's first ladies series published by public affairs, it is available as hard cover or e book and mak

on the next "washington journal", bernard kerik offering his use in criminal justice and prison reform. then mark mazzetti on the u.s. drone policy and the controversy it caused in naming three undercover c.i.a. officials. and high school teachers andrew keneen and daniel lar zen talk about advanced placement government exam. they go through sample questions and take calls from high school students. we will take your calls and you can join the conversation at facebook and twitter. live at 7 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> here's a look at some of our featured programs for this weekend. saturday morning at 10 eastern on c-span, we are live from greenville, south carolina for the g.o.p. freedom summit. speakers include scot walker, texas senator ted cruz, carly fiorina, and florida senator marco rubio. on mother's day, sunday, at noon eastern, members of america's first families remember first ladies featuring the daughters of jackie kennedy, lady bird johnson, betty ford and laura bush. on c-span2. jon krakauer focusing on mizzou la, montana. and the first female four-star general talks abou