One is vital America. America that is connected to its economy and where there is a plausible future for those born there. But there is also another America. One where opportunities and forgiveness are scarce. Those caught in possession of recreational drugs are sent to prison for fifty years or more, never to see their families and communities again, but rather a six-by-ten concrete block. It doesn't matter if they had a mental illness that landed them in prison, or an unfair judgment because of the color of their skin. What matters is that they fill a bed, so that private prison companies pay their fee. This is the current system of mass incarceration in America. Even though America currently incarcerates a quarter of all prisoners in the world, people do nothing. 2.2 million citizens are missing from the nation, yet we believe all is well because these men, women and children are criminals. Yes, they are criminals but they are also people. People who are denied basic human rights in our current prison system. Most prisoners are tortured in solitary confinement, spending up to seven years with little or no human contact and no way out. Those put in prison are not violent criminals but rather non-violent African American criminals. Nonviolent criminals who often turn to crime because they are victims of our failed education system or because their parents have been to prison. Our prison