Name: A police chief with a difference
Uploaded: 2010-12-13T16:09:51Z
Duration: 8 min 30 s
Description: Kiran Bedi has a surprising resume. Before becoming Director General of the Indian Police Service, she managed one of the country's toughest prisons -- and used a new focus on prevention and education to turn it into a center of learning and meditation. She shares her thoughts on visionary leadership at TEDWomen.

Kiran Bedi has a surprising resume. Before becoming Director General of the Indian Police Service, she managed one of the country's toughest prisons -- and used a new focus on prevention and education to turn it into a center of learning and meditation. She shares her thoughts on visionary leadership at TEDWomen.

A police chief with a difference

Visionary leadership can transform even society's toughest spaces. In a prison once known for violence, an education and meditation program reached 10,000 inmates, with prisoners themselves stepping up as teachers. By prioritizing prevention over punishment, and compassion over control, new pathways for justice and social change emerged. Small acts—like issuing a parking ticket to a prime minister—sent ripples across an entire country.