Instructions:

Please be sure to include specific references/examples from 13th.
1. How did you feel after watching 13th? Do you feel the message of the film was ultimately hopeful? Why or why not?

2. This documentary emphasizes that the current crisis of mass incarceration is directly tied to our country’s legacy and history of slavery. By showing how slavery shifted to convict leasing, to Jim Crow segregation, to the war on drugs, 13th argues that “systems of oppression are durable and they often reinvent themselves.” As Angela Davis stated in the film, “Historically, when one looks at efforts to create reforms, they inevitably lead to more repression.” What do you think are some of the factors that allowed this system of racial control to simply evolve and replicate itself for the past 150 years?

3. Review this week’s clip on critical race theory. In your own words, explain critical theory.

4. How can critical race theory be used to explain mass incarceration?

5. How does the film characterize our criminal justice and political institutions? Provide evidence from the film to support your answer.

6. How did this film shape your understanding of the prison system? What particular case stood out to you? Why?