Behec, Jade Noel, Tabulong

The documentary 13th directed by the American film maker Ava Marie DuVernay was based on the
13th amendment which states that: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a
punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the
United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. The 13th amendment was a very interesting
transition from the slavery phase since it was made to be openly exploited. The fact that it is an
innovative way to present slavery, into a new concept that will be more socially acceptable in the
guise of the law made it as the catalyst for more social injustices. The single loop hole was being
exploited by arresting blacks and enforcing it with a content that highlights the blacks as a total
savage, a beast that does not fit to be in the American system as an equal with whites. The 13th
amendment was only the start of the innovative representation of slavery and oppression. The basic
thing about politics and winning the election is to basically ride with the pulse of the people who can
vote. That particular time, the people with voting power are particularly white people who are
generally filling their pocket with the labour of the blacks and white people who already stigmatized
by blacks as a horrible race due to propaganda’s. The aforementioned was actually taken advantage
by the subsequent leaders after Jim Crow such as: Former American president Nixon and Reagan’s
who capitalise in war on drugs, and Bill Clinton with his three strikes and mandatory sentencing
laws. They won not because they care for the blacks, but because they are riding with the current
pulse of the white people who screams supremacy. The most interesting part about their method in
making it to the presidency was mainly by deceit in the guise of the most articulated words and
marketing campaigns.

I’m a business major myself and I was working in the corporate world, so it’s not surprising to know
that the giant corporations and businessmen are actually the one playing a big role in shaping the
society. In the case of America, as mentioned in the documentary it was the American Legislative
Exchange Council (ALEC) which is composed of state legislators and private sectors
representatives. In the first place, state legislators should be an independent body. The thing with
this non-profit organization is, it directly influences the creation of law that may seem to be
ridiculous and results to mass incarceration that mainly affects migrants and blacks and
simultaneously creates gains in the side of the corporations. The “Castle Doctrine act” was passed
by ALEC. It resulted into murder in the side of blacks, while profit for the corporations such as
Wal-Mart who at that time was the biggest guns and ammunitions dealer in America. The mass
incarceration opened a variety of opportunities for private penitentiaries, telecom companies, and
others. The massive number of people who are being locked up is not an accident because
somebody benefits from the situation. As an aspiring criminal defence lawyer the documentary has
been an eye opener and it gives me the proper understanding how important criminal law is.
Criminal law defines felony which can be found in Article 3 of the revised penal Code, It determines
the liability, it defines the degree of the crime, it will give the punishment, and dictates even the way
it will be done. In that way, even convicted criminals will receive just and sound punishment for
their crimes and therefore be heard as a person with rights given by the state. It gives me an idea
how a single law affects the entire system. The law may address a certain problem and it may also
give birth to a new variety of problems. The main issue about the judicial system in America is that,
the law was being override by money and because of that, nothing has changed even in the modern
age. Just like one of the speaker said- nothing has changed. The companies are still making profits
from prisoners, there is unfairness, and the only thing different right now is the social media because
offenders and racists have to deal with the entire social media community. Thus, giving the spotlight
on these particular issues which then speeds up the process of achieving justice because the
government are forced to act fast in order to stay relevant and save its face from being criticised.
Although circumstantial, I always believe that there is hope in the newer generation in achieving
social fairness and justice for everyone without exceptions.