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13th: Documentary Summary

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The “13th” is a documentary about the American system of incarceration and the economic forces behind racism in America especially in people of color. One of the claims that the author mentioned is that today incarceration is an extension of slavery. It is also mentioned that most of the time in society we are defined by race. In the documentary, we can see how African Americans are sentenced for many years since they are too poor to pay their fines or sometimes most of these people plead guilty to get out of jail fast. However, African Americans are separated from their families and also treated inhumanly in prisons just because they are of a particular race. Another claim is that African Americans are overrepresented as criminals in the news. Therefore, the news expresses “fear” to the white community toward black communities. …show more content…

Although slavery ended over 150 years ago, the director wants to give the audience the idea of how prison system links to slavery. Another positive thought is that they take in consideration social class on this social problem. They talked about corporations such as the CCA, which benefits from the prisoner’s punishment. For example, the SB1070 in Arizona which gave the right to the police to stop anyone and ask their status in the country. In addition, it is also mentioned that the corporation ALEC has a financial interest. Finally, the use of data regarding United States Prison population supports the idea that incarceration in the United States has increased. Lastly, I liked that Hilary Clinton and president Donald Trump are mentioned since it is seen that even today the incarceration process needs to improve when it comes to exercising

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