13th

In a scathing critique of the American prison system, Ava DuVernay's "13th" uncovers the dark legacy of racial inequality and oppression that has haunted the United States since the end of the Civil War. By exploring the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration, DuVernay sheds light on how the Thirteenth Amendment's exemption for penal labor has been used to perpetuate involuntary servitude in the form of penal labor. From convict leasing to the war on drugs, the film reveals a complex web of politics, racism, and corporate greed that has led to the devastating over-incarceration of communities of color.