“In an attempt to maintain power, the ruling class has established laws” he said. Yet, due to the fact that the laws were created by individuals who in some way, shape, or form were touched by the dysfunction of our society, said laws engender a vortex of impoverishment and racial disparity, as they are set up to target low-income communities. What used to be blatant slavery is now an institutionalized system based upon one’s socio-economic status. … This is turn leads to a disconnect between the impoverished and those in control. As a result, the impoverished cannot advocate for themselves, so their conditions never improve, and depression ensues. Due to the lack of, quality, public health-care, and the stigma society places on mental illness, many individuals living within poverty cannot afford the treatment that they need, and/or do not seek it out. As a result, it is harder for them to become productive members of society and some land in jail. … [After their release from prison], falling back into the same habits, they simply repeat the cycle of poverty, mental illness, and incarceration, and this cycle is simply a legalized form of slavery.”