New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis is a leader on and off of the field; it’s not for nothing that he’s been voted a team captain in each of his first two years with the team. He was also recognized as a first-ream All-Pro linebacker this year, but was snubbed by the Pro Bowl selections process. Left with some free time, Davis turned his attentions to a cause much more important than football: prison reform.

Davis, a Brandon, Miss. native, returned to his home state for a rally near the State Penitentiary at Parchman, which has been the site of weeks of violence and drawn national attention over poor living conditions for inmates. He’s been very vocal in the past about the fight for inequality in America and abroad, delivering supplies to immigrant children separated from their families while helping post bail to release a jailed immigration activist. He’s also spoken about the need to help families broken by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement raids in Morton, Miss. and at the Mexican border.

Davis shared his thoughts on the developing crisis at Parchman in an interview from the rally, saying, “Well I think the problem is, specifically here in Mississippi, is that it’s part of a larger issue. We have a problem in our country which is mass incarceration. We have all moved past where we were trying to take care of people, and now we’re using people to make a profit.”

He took aim at several issues in his explanation, including for-profit prisons, oversentencing for non-violent offenders, and the need to rehabilitate people with drug-addictions rather than punish them. Davis, a devout born-again Christian, often cites his faith as his motivation to remain compassionate and help others, stressing the need to match his words with his actions.

“We’ve got too many people with not enough beds,” Davis said. “And so in these situations, what happens is, under-resourced facilities. Here in Parchman is a great example. People are underfed, they lack healthcare, they’re subject to living in inhumane situations. It ends up happening where human beings are treated worse than animals.”