Film Analysis: 13th

Ava DuVernay’s film 13th is a beautifully terrifying explanation/showcase of the way that mass incarceration was
built and is fostered in our country. The film talks about the origins of mass incarceration, coming from times of
slavery, and how it has developed into a mechanism today. Speakers from all types of fields and backgrounds
attest to the fact that prisons and the justice system today often do not function to serve the moral and just
purpose that should be expected of them. Rather, they serve the motives and selfish goals of those who are
able to manipulate and take advantage of them. In our country, this leaves mostly black and brown people to
face the brunt of the consequences that come from this system.
1. The prison industrial complex is essentially a term we use to describe the industrialized notion of prisons
today. The fact that our country has grown to use prisons as a political, financial, and economic asset rather
than a tool for justice and rehabilitation. The reality today is that incarceration is widely used by the government
and private agencies to fulfill personal and often selfish agendas. Many overlapping factors go into incarceration
today and it has developed into something massively destructive and powerful. Quoted by Daniel Wagner from
Ava DuVernay’s film 13th, “the prison industrial complex refers to the system of mass incarceration and
companies that profit from mass incarceration.”
2. Many many historical and political moments contributed to mass incarceration. The first was the creation of
the 13th amendment and the “freedom” of slaves after the civil war. Due to the clause, that criminals could be
used/treated as a type of slave, the focus became criminalizing being black. That way, these freed slaves could
be arrested, incarcerated, and legally exploited for their labor once again. An interesting historical moment the
film mentioned was the release of The Birth of a Nation, a major film that painted African Americans as
animals/devilish. This continued with the Jim Crow era, supported by Michelle Alexander’s writings. We see the
effects of this lasting today. Though being black is not outwardly criminalized anymore, the verbiage and
vocabulary have just shifted to criminals and prisoners. The answer then is to continue to criminalize them using
modern-day tools. The war on drugs, coined by Nixon and fueled by Regan, was and is a huge contribution to
mass incarceration. The country turned toward the drug epidemic that we were facing and decided to face it by
locking away those struggling with drug addiction. Specifically, poor people of color that were struggling. Never
mind the rich white people who were using the same types of drugs in a more “acceptable” manner (cocaine vs.
crack). Every political move became a tactical movement to remove poor people of color from their communities
and put them behind bars. This continued with a “tough on crime” mentality that developed through fear and
hysteria. In the film 13th, a quote struck a chord with me that relates to this idea: “[t]he way that we appeal to
voters’ sense of fear and anxiety in our nation runs through black bodies.”
3. As mentioned previously, the film highlights the clause in the 13th amendment that allowed criminals to be
treated as slaves. Slavery was banned and considered illegal unless it was used as punishment for a crime.
This meant that an incarcerated individual could be reverted to being used for free labor. During the war on
drugs, cocaine was adjusted to criminalize crack cocaine heavily but powder cocaine was not as serious an
offense. Tough-on-crime adjustments have moved laws and amendments toward maximum sentencing paired
with little opportunity for opportunities such as parole. The 1994 federal crime bill (launched by Clinton) was
largely geared toward law enforcement incarceration, encouraging law enforcement to simply incarcerate
people. Paired with this, more prisons were built and prisons themselves were expanded. The film also
highlights the stand-your-ground law which has allowed individuals to get away with acting on stereotypes and
preconceived notions of black and brown people that have led to the loss of their lives at times.
4. The connections between slavery, Jim Crow laws, and mass incarceration are fascinating and absolutely
valid. My mind was opened by Alexander’s explanation of how mass incarceration is simply a new wave of Jim
Crow in a new form. The same way that the film describes how Jim Crow was a more acceptable adaptation of
slavery. Once a complex is deemed unacceptable, usually through protest and outcry, it is simply morphed and
shaped into a different institution to serve some sort of political/social goal. This political and social goal in
America has historically been, and continues to be, the degradation of black and brown people. When slavery,
the KKK, and outright terrorism against black people finally became “too far”, Jim Crow was enacted to uphold
the general notion. Once Jim Crow was moved away from, mass incarceration began to continue to “protect” the
white majority from black and brown “dangers”. Alexander describes the shocking relations through the
treatment of black people during Jim Crow and the treatment of prisoners today. The film highlights how this
moves significantly toward brown people as well, specifically Mexican immigrants. To combat immigration, the
fear and perceived danger of Mexican immigrants, the prison industrial complex simply merges with the
immigration complex. They work together to suppress immigrants. During the film, Gina Clayton puts it simply by
saying, “we are always going to see new permutations of a cancer.” I absolutely agree with the connections
presented by Ava DuVernay’s film and Michelle Alexander’s writings.
5. As I mentioned before, films such as The Birth of a Nation were created, released, and hailed as incredible
works of art that portrayed African Americans (specifically African American men) as disgusting and dangerous
for lack of better terms. The media continues to portray people of color like this. One segment of the film talks
about how the news will often specifically highlight black men in handcuffs, engaging in illegal activity, and sitting
behind bars. They are shown as criminals more than they actually are criminals. Black and brown people are
depicted as enemies, criminals, and animals to garner fear among Americans.
6. In a culture that breeds toxic masculinity, it becomes very hard for an individual to function normally outside of
that environment. Though toxic masculinity exists outside of prisons, it is so deeply and violently heightened in
prisons and becomes natural to those exposed to it. During incarceration, people are forced to adapt and act in
a certain way that aids them in navigating through a prison system. After incarceration, it is challenging for an
individual to return to “mainstream” society. This is often why we see high numbers of reoffense. The film
highlights the heartbreaking story of Kalief Browder and how his time wrongfully imprisoned led to him taking his
own life once he left the prison environment. When you are in a space where you are degraded and treated as
less than human for so long, your life and life course are forever changed, even if you are released. Western’s
writing mentions how men are disproportionately thrown in prison and affected by the consequences of
incarceration. Very specifically, black men. These men face risks and lasting effects as a result of incarceration.
Their lives are forever changed.
7. Yuck…I hate thinking about my predictions for the future of US incarcerations and our criminal justice system.
As much as I want to see change and be a part of the change, realistically, it feels impossible. One of the
speakers in the film stated that although we don’t know what the next iteration will be, there will absolutely be
one. Because there always is one. In a country that was built off of slavery and the degradation of black and
brown people, it seems unreasonable to think that there can be an iteration where these notions don’t exist in
some way. It is far too embedded. I think there are always solutions and changes that we can implement to
move toward reforming sentencing and incarceration but a full upheaval of the system would be necessary. And
realistically, I don’t think that is possible in our country. However, if enough of us mobilize and continue to fight
and educate ourselves, speak up, and vote for the right lawmakers, I believe good and beneficial changes can
be made. As far as immigration enforcement, the prison industrial complex is already largely intertwined with it.
Immigration and immigrants are largely criminalized in order to continue to fuel the notion that immigrants are
dangerous and confinement is the answer; further contributing to mass incarceration.
8. I believe the best societal response to dealing with the problem of drug sales and drug addiction is to start at
the root of the problem, not at the end. We should be reaching into communities where drug sales are common
and expected and build on the other job and economic opportunities within those communities. We should be
reaching into the homes of children and young people who have seen the lives of drug dealers and users and
showing them that there are other ways and other options. As far as drug addiction, we need to be focusing on
rehabilitation and continued education. Drug addiction often begins with mental health issues. We need to be
pouring into the institutions and resources that work with those struggling with mental health and drug addiction.
We need to act more as one, functioning as a society together. When one of us suffers, we all do.