America is supposed to be the land of the FREE and the home of the brave. How can this be when America is the home of 7,000 plantations (jails & prisons), where 2.3 million slaves (American citizens) are kept in captivity?

The 13th Amendment makes it lawful to treat American citizens as slaves once convicted of a crime. This exception must be removed; servitude and slavery should no longer be legal in any form. It is inhumane for people's rights to be stripped away, regardless if they have committed a crime.

Many of us know someone who has been to jail or is currently still there; think about the conditions they are living in. Some of which are locked inside a hole for days with no sunlight or human interaction. These conditions are designed to break a person's down mentally, physically, and emotionally.

As a society, we tend to become detached from struggles that do not impact us directly. But we have to be the voice for the people who do not have one.

Prisoners need better living conditions; they are not animals, but human beings and should be treated as such. No prisoner should be locked away in the “hole”; it is cruel and unusual punishment that should be banned from all prison systems. Prisoners are paid little to no compensation for most prison jobs. They should be compensated more for their labor.

With everyones help, we can secure rights for all U.S. citizens and finally abolish slavery from our country for good!