NCJ Number
143335
Date Published
1993
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video presents the story of two teenaged boys (fictional) confronted by the temptation of drug use, who are advised by two professional athletes (Alex English, basketball, and Ralph Coleman, football) who have already made their choices.
Abstract
The focus of the presentation is the boys' visit to Ralph Coleman in prison. The former Dallas Cowboy made wrong choices in his life, including drug use. He watched his former team win the Super Bowl from the South Carolina prison where he is now serving a life sentence for murder. The boys see and hear what it is like to be in prison: the security checks, the threat of violence and sexual abuse, and the absence of freedom. Coleman recounts how he ended up in prison and offers the boys advice on how to stay out. Alex English, on the other hand, understood that life is a matter of "hard choices" that have consequences. He consciously chose to avoid drugs, and after a successful career in professional basketball, he now holds a respected position with the National Basketball Association organization. This video is about accountability and being responsible for your actions. Both athletes encourage the boys to rely on their personal inner strengths to beat life's daily stresses and pressures to make wrong decisions.