Abolish Slavery National Network
Resources
Reports & Research
The Convict Lease System by Ida B. Wells
Taken from the third chapter of "The Reason why the colored American is not in the World's Columbian Exposition," published in 1893.
Documentaries
13th
Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. This piercing, Oscar-nominated film won Best Documentary at the Emmys, the BAFTAs and the NAACP Image Awards.
Angola Do You Hear Us?
MTV Documentary Films Presents Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices From a Plantation Prison tells the story of playwright Liza Jessie Peterson, whose acclaimed play "The Peculiar Patriot" was shut down mid-performance at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola Prison. Directed and edited by Cinque Northern, produced by Catherine Gund, featuring Liza Jessie Peterson and Norris Henderson, the film examines how one woman's play challenged the country's largest plantation prison and impacted the incarcerated men long after the record of her visit was erased by the institution's administration.
Slave State
Slave State takes you to Louisiana's prison system, seemingly back in time, showing how slavery was never completely abolished at all. A Policy Films Production with LaREFORM, in association with Decarcerate Louisiana and Abolish Slavery National Network.
Podcasts
Listen to the Abolition Today Podcast
Abolition Today is a weekly online radio program with specific focus on modern slavery as it is practiced through the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution and by private, for-profit prisons worldwide. Listen to 4 years of episodes on Spotify.
Did You Know? Statistics on Constitutional Slavery
- The US has the largest prison population to have ever existed on earth. Incarcerating more citizens per capita than Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia combined. (World Population Review)
- There are more black men in US prisons than there are in the top five populated African nations combined. (Prison Studies)
- Warehousing bodies for profit is a lucrative venture with jails cashing in as well as prisons. To incarcerate a single person on Rikers Island NY costs $556,000 a year. (New York City Comptroller)
- Constitutional slavery requires constitutional rights be denied. For instance, the 6th amendment is nearly non-existent due to a 95% plea bargain rate. (Pew Research Center)
- Institutional racism is a given in the US justice system. 95% of all prosecutors are white. 83% are white men. 36% of all inmates are black men who only make up 5% of the population. (NPR)
- 1 in 11 black men are behind bars. Nationwide, 1 in 3 are expected to spend time in prison before they are 30 years old. In some cities like Milwaukee, more than 1 in 2 black men are expected to spend time in prison. (Huff Post)
- For profit private prisons are global giants. The largest employer on the continent of Africa is G4S. A prison and security company. Employing over 110,000 in 25 countries. (G4S)
- The oldest version of the slavery exception clause come from Vermont's 1777 constitution. It went through 8 iterations in various states in the 88 years prior to being adopted in the US constitution. (Abolitionist Center)
- Only months after General Granger showed up in Galveston, TX to announce the emancipation of people enslaved in Texas, the state began convict leasing. (Texas State Historical Association)
- Convict leasing is described by many historians as worse than slavery. 25% of all inmates died. Including children. Often, they were literally worked to death. (Digital History)
Videos
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