Th 13th Part 2

According to the documentary, President Clinton built the infrastructure for mass incarceration: mandatory minimums (taking the discretion away from judges), militarization of police (SWAT teams),three-strikes law, and truth-in-sentencinglaws(must serve 85% of sentence). Discuss the role of politics and crime and how you see it impact our communities today (both past and current administrations).

Super predator. Criminal. Think about thepower of media and the power of words. Discuss media and how words impactthe perception and criminalization of people of color, both in the past and the present (animalistic, violent, to be feared, threat to white people, criminals, etc.). Give modern-day examples.

PRISONERS FOR PROFIT. Were you aware of the Prison Industrial Complex and how corporations are profiting from incarceration?

•Were you surprised to know about ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council—a committee of politicians and corporations influencing laws that benefit its corporate founders and pushingforth policies to increase thenumberof people in prison and increase sentences)?

•Talk about CCA (Corrections Corporations of America, leader in private prisons that is required to keep prison beds filled—the leading corporation responsible for the rapid increase in criminalization) and how that impacts our communities.

The film argues that there is a direct link between American slavery and the modern American prison system. Using all your prior knowledge, explain this argument.