After reviewing the beyond the count reading, which statistics surprised you the most? Why? Which statistics surprised you the least? Why?

In the documentary 13th, as well as readings from this week, the racial underpinnings of legislative policies like the War On Drugs and the active role of the state in criminalizing and targeting communities of color were discussed. As John Ehrlichman, one of Richard Nixonàaides noted:

(e Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. Do you understand what I`saying? We knew we couldn make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course, we did.”

Drawing from the Mullaly reading from this week, discuss the ways in which the Nixon White House actions and the aftermath of these actions constitute oppression. Drawing from an example in the film, who is involved in this oppressive behavior and how do they benefit (be specific)? Again, drawing from an example in the film, who is the victim of this oppressive behavior and how have they been affected (be specific)? Provide at least two references from the Mullaly text to support your argument.

Drawing from the Prison Policy Initiative’s and The Sentencing Project’s readings from this week, select two myths that were either upheld or were debunked by the film 13th and explain the discrepancy between the myth and the fact.

In your opinion, why are some “myths” still used to explain mass incarceration?