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Isaaga Barry

February 15, 2017

English 202-19

Dr. Wynne

Mass Incarceration and the Corruption of the American Prison System

In the United States of America there are just over 1,800 state and federal correctional

facilities as well as 3,200 local and county jails in the United States. This number is slightly

larger than the number of degree granting colleges and universities nationwide. Mass

incarceration and an increasing incarceration rate have been a major problem in America since

the presidency of Ronald Reagan. This problem has been overlooked for years by Congress and

the rest of the criminal justice system in the United States. So much so that the United States has

the largest prison population in the world.But recently, the issue has been called to attention by

President Obama himself, and others like the filmmakers of Netflix documentary 13th.

President Obama explains the necessity of criminal justice reform as it pertains the progress of

the nation, and the documentary breaks down and asses the prison system, and how it was

corrupted.

Corruption in the criminal justice system date back to the time of the abolishment of

slavery and Jim Crow laws. Naturally slave owners and other whites were not fond of the idea of

the freedom of blacks so they came up with other ways to oppress them. So many aspects of the
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old Jim Crow are suddenly legal again once youve been branded a felon. And so it seems that in

America we havent so much ended racial caste, but simply redesigned it (Michelle Alexander,

13th). In this quote from one of the many interviewed in the document 13th, Michelle Alexander

uses logos to explain how blacks were targeted by law officials. The law states that after being

convicted of a crime, a person loses the right to vote. Blacks were targeted and sentenced to jail

for the smallest of crimes so they could lose voting and other rights as well. This tactic has been

used for decades and still is today. Hence the reason for a large number of the prison population

being blacks and other minorities. In fact, The Bureau of Justice reported that one in three

young black males is expected to go to jail or prison during his lifetime, which is an unbelievably

shocking statistic (Bryan Stevenson, 13th).

The film not only used logos, but ethos as well.For example, in describing President

Richard Nixons war on drugs, one of the interviewed analysts says In many ways, the so-called

war on drugs was a war on communities of color, a war on black communities, a war on Latino

communities (Angela Davis, 13th).Many communities with a high minority population were

targeted in the

Some would argue that main purpose of sending a criminal of to prison is that they can

face justice for the crime or crimes committed. And this is true. However many forget that the

other purpose of prison is redemption and rehabilitation. This is what President Obama meant

when he used pathos and said Justice is making sure that every young person knows that they

are special and their lives matter. Justice is living up to the common creed that I am my brother's

keeper and I am my sister's keeper. Justice and redemption go hand in hand. With our current
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prison system unemployment rates can be as high as 75 percent for those one year out of

prison.Convicted felons find it extremely difficult to find employment, because often times no

establishment is willing to hire them. And considering that majority of felons were convicted of

nonviolent crimes, this doesnt seem very fair. President Obama was trying to invoke a sense of

empathy from his audience and make them understand that American citizens are not helping

convicted felons by turning a blind eye and shunning them.

The corruption and overpopulation of prisons in the United States has been an existent

problem for decades. Thankfully, the problem is now gaining recognition through means such as

speeches, documentaries, etc., and is beginning to be resolved. In this case, 13thwas more

effective in conveying the message. It had more examples, and a verity of different appeals.

Also, since it was a visual, it used a sense of both sight and sound to help give the audience a

better understanding of the topics discussed. But either way, the goal of both was to get people to

understand the problem and provide solutions, and also get the public the provide their own

solutions, and both genres did so perfectly.

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Work Cited

"42 percent of felony convictions result in a sentence to prison. 33 percent go to jail." Crime in

America.Net. N.p., 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

DuVernay, Ava, director. 13th. Netflix Original Film

"Ex-cons face tough path back into work force." NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group,

30 July 2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Obama, Barack. 106th NAACP National Convention. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 15 Jul.

2015. C-SPAN. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.