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Death row inmate compares prison to slavery

 Ray Jasper, a death row inmate writes letter to Gawker Media comparing prison to slavery. 

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Death row inmate writes letter comparing prison to slavery.

Ray Jasper, a death row inmate scheduled for execution on Wed. March 19, wrote a letter to Gawker contrasting the prison system and slavery. 

"Under the 13th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, all prisoners in America are considered slaves. We look at slavery like its a thing of the past, but you can go to any pentitetary in this nation and see slavery," wrote Jasper. 

Jasper, 19 years old at the time, was convicted of robbing and killing recording studio manager, David Alejandro in 1998. He served 15 years in prison. 

In 2012, Gawker Media started a "Letters from Death Row" series in which Jasper previously participated.  Gawker sent out letters to all death row inmates in the U.S. who have execution dates in the upcoming year. The letter included a list of questions such as "Can you describe daily life on death row?" and "Can you talk about your own past and upbringing?"

Jasper was the first inmate to reply. 

In his latest letter, he addressed several issues including racial disparity, prison sentences, death penalty and lethal injection.

"If a prisoner refuses work, they do their time in isolation as a punishment. You have thousands of people with a lot of prison time that have no choice but to make money for the government or live in isolation. The effects of prison isolation literally drive people crazy. Who can be isolated from human contact and not lose their mind?"

According to National Alliance in Mental Illness, more than 80,000 inmates are held daily for 23 hours in a cell. The isolation is used as punishment when a prisoner is under investigation. Inmates in solitary confinement for extended  periods of time can experience visual and auditory hallucinations, uncontrollable feelings of rage and fear, paranoia and insomnia. Prisoners in isolation are more likely to commit suicide. 

Jasper shared his initial thoughts when entering prison for the first time.

"When I walked into prison at 19 years old, I said to myself 'Damn, I have never seen so many Black dudes in my life'. I mean it looked like I went to Africa, I couldn't believe it. It's really an epidemic, the number of Blacks locked up in this country."

In 2010, African American men were six times as likely to be in prison, according to the Pew Research Center. The incarceration rate is 4,347 per 100,000 inmates. For Latinos, the rate is 1,775.

Jasper now 33, used his letters as a platform to voice his thoughts and opinions, he called it his "final statement on earth"

"I think 'empathy' is one of the most powerful words in this world that is expressed in all cultures. That is my underlining theme. I do not own a dictionary, so I can't give you the Oxford or Webster definition of the word, but in my words, empathy means 'putting the shoe in the other foot.' " 

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