Angela Y. Davis

Since the 1980s prison construction and incarceration rates in the U.S. have been rising exponentially, evoking huge public concern about their proliferation, their recent privatisation and their promise of enormous profits. But these prisons house hugely disproportionate numbers of people of colour, betraying the racism embedded in the system, while studies show that increasing prison sentences has had no effect on crime. Here, esteemed civil rights activist Angela Davis lays bare the situation and argues for a radical rethinking of our rehabilitation programmes.

Are Prisons Obsolete?

An extremely rich essay focusing on the "prison industrial complex" and the prospect of abolition of a institution that upholds so much sexism and racism. As someone who agrees with Davis' politics, I find this critical work convincing. After finishing, however, I can only wonder about those who are coming from a different viewpoint. Davis exhaustingly displays how deeply the prison industrial complex is ingrained in the US economy, yet I see conservative viewpoints pointing to that fact as the exact reason for the maintenance and growth of the prison system. It could also be the time elapsed since the publishing of this book, but I am much less optimistic now that the US is going to make any changes that would actually decrease the grip prisons have on power, except perhaps partial(!) drug decriminalization. 

Derek Graf

Hannah Yoon

Despite being an older book, it's still relevant since prisons are NOT obsolete in 2020. Definitely more of an academic read, but necessary to understand the state of the prison industrial complex.

Isabella 

it is very informative, and well-written. a great introduction to prison abolition. i know a bit about the horrifying reality that happens in prisons, but in all honestly, abolition has never crossed my mind. this specific topic has never been opened to me, so i had a lot of takeaways while reading it. while i do agree, at some extent, i still have a lot of questions about it. i think a deeper dive into prison abolition would be much better as well, however as an introduction book, it's great. moreover, i would have liked to see more possible alternatives since i feel like the last chapter was a bit too optimistic; i would love to read something about a deeper dive in the alternatives.overall, an amazing read and i think everyone should read this

Laura Mauler

Overall I think this book was great. I really liked how the author discussed the history of American prisons, and how they form the latest link in a chain that includes segregation and Jim Crow laws, the Black Codes of the South, and ultimately slavery. Her point about how people of power - white people - could not imagine a different system for dealing with crime/"crime" than what was in place during their lives, and how these systems did ultimately change, is useful to keep in mind when thinking about prisons and crime in America.

However, I have a major problem with this book.

(view spoiler)[The author never gives adequate answers to the question of what to do when someone commits a crime. Throughout the book she discusses how we as a society need to become less racist, less sexist, and less discriminatory against poor people, and that this will prevent crime. The final chapter is titled 'Abolitionist Alternatives', and where one imagines she will finally elaborate on true ideas for prison alternatives. But no - in fact she chastises the reader for thinking that there should be a punishment when a crime is committed. The author then goes on to rehash her opinions that better education and job opportunities will make prisons obsolete, and then offers the well-worn ideas that making drug and prostitution legal will also make prisons obsolete. 

What about those crimes that are truly crimes, like murder? She suggests that we enact some sort of reparative or restorative justice. Her example of this is of a murder in South Africa of a white American woman (an anti-apartheid activist) by a crowd of black South Africans. Her convicted murderers said they were sorry during the Peace and Reconciliation Commissions, and were eventually given cushy instructor/administrative jobs. That's all that happened when these people took away a person's life, and the author would like America to emulate this setup. I cannot agree with her because I think that we owe more to the victims and the victims' loved ones than a simple sorry. (hide spoiler)]

So aside from my major problem with this book, I feel like this is an excellent read.

Julia

5/5. I’m making this required reading for everyone, actually.

With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis has put the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of the prison. As she quite correctly notes, American life is replete with abolition movements, and when they were engaged in these struggles, their chances of success seemed almost unthinkable. For generations of Americans, the abolition of slavery was sheerest illusion. Similarly,the entrenched system of racial segregation seemed to last forever, and generations lived in the midst of the practice, with few predicting its passage from custom. The brutal, exploitative (dare one say lucrative?) convict-lease system that succeeded formal slavery reaped millions to southern jurisdictions (and untold miseries for tens of thousands of men, and women). Few predicted its passing from the American penal landscape. Davis expertly argues how social movements transformed these social, political and cultural institutions, and made such practices untenable. In Are Prisons Obsolete?, Professor Davis seeks to illustrate that the time for the prison is approaching an end. She argues forthrightly for "decarceration", and argues for the transformation of the society as a whole.

obviously super excellent and informative. would like it if it extrapolated on solutions to the issue but technically the title doesn’t mislead you in any way—the question is fully answered and the answer is yes.

lauren amitirigala

farah

Really outlined the "Prison Industrial Complex" and how corporate and political interests have formed the current prison climate. 

It goes through the historical formation of prisons and discusses some alternatives to our current system. I might not agree with everything, but I think these are conversations that we should be having.

Eri Asahi

** spoiler alert **
           Finishing this amidst of us presidential election is truly surreal. I firstly cannot imagine how the world could be if prisons were abolished, but now i can imagine the works that need to be done. That maybe, little by little, it’s not so impossible.

Deyana

If you haven't read this yet, read it. If you haven't watched DuVerney's "13th" yet, watch it.

Angel Martinez

We've known and accepted the existence of prisons for so long, it's hard to imagine any other form of punishment for wrongdoers. But in reality, we have to start asking why we should punish at all!!! 🤯

雪 xue

it's good but i was expecting it to be more insightful than it was

elif sinem

Excellent and essential reading. Beware though, though the prose isn't too hard or anything, every sentence is very densely packed with information. I learned a lot out of this and it's a fantastic ~introductory course into the industrial prison complex system and to more radical reading.

ben wolfson

This should be mandatory reading for all high school students (and just all adults) in the US.

Arden Kowalski

Excellent points and research stated in a meaningful way.

Mark Stenberg 

really stunning. given that so much of why we as a society sanction prisons rests on our collective decision to not think too deeply about them, a book written about them is a pretty good antidote to that apathy! 

if anyone wants to have a good faith debate about the legitimacy or illegitimacy of prisons, they need to read this first. anti-prison arguments have been obscured for so long partially because they are so persuasive, which makes this a very powerful book. 

NB: the last chapter made me regret all those well-meaning debates about death penalty vs. life imprisonment. neither is the correct choice!

Nat Lim

There are a lot of books being recommended for their analysis of systemic racism, how to be antiracist, and their practical application, right now. I'd recommend this one for its perspective of racism as it exists institutionally. This book takes a long-term, sociological view of the prison. This is a powerful case for the abolition of the prison, as centre of social destruction, reiteration of storical injustice, and means of punishment. An eye-opening read and a powerful call to action.

Anna Kulwikowska

ostatni rozdział trochę mnie zawiódł :/

caroline wilson

Great introduction on the formation of prisons, reform movements, and effects of prisons on women and persons of color. 

This book is separated into 6, main chapters and themes which are: 

CHAPTER 1 Introduction- Prison Reform or Prison Abolition?

-The difficulty of imagining life without the prison system
-Mental Illness and Prisons

CHAPTER 2  Slavery, Civil Rights, and Abolitionist Perspectives Toward Prison

-13th amendment and how it deals with labor
-How prisons were created and formed after slavery as means of control
-How prisons steal labor and rights
-Prisons overwhelmingly white, then overwhelmingly black

CHAPTER 3 Imprisonment and Reform

-Capital punishment, Carceral punishment, and Isolation
-Prison labor and surveillance

CHAPTER 4 How Gender Structures the Prison System

-"Strip/cavity search" and the systematic sexual assault of women in prisons
-The history of incarcerated women & eugenics
-Men in prisons were criminals. Women were insane. 
-"Rehabilitation" in women's prisons promoted servitude

CHAPTER 5 The Prison Industrial Complex

-Privatized prisons and the incentive to fill prisons
-How prison labor is ingrained into most major facets of society
-Medical and Psychiatric testing on the incarcerated

CHAPTER 6 Abolitionist Alternatives

-Abolition does not = immediately tearing down every prison. Changes must be made within schools, community funding, drug abuse, etc.

Notable points:
-Thomas Jefferson's support of prison labor, excluding enslaved prisoners was particularly telling of the prison system. Jefferson points out that since slaves already preform hard labor, there would be no difference in prison labor to them. 

-Davis' mention of the memoir of a female warden: "The Warden Wore Pink" struck me as an incredibly important show of neo-liberal feminism and how it harms progress. The author, Tekla Miller seems to praise herself for her "feminist" acts of equality, bragging that she changed the system for escape attempts for women. No longer would escaping prisoners be caught on the other side, now they would simply be shot! What an achievement for women's rights, Miller. Miller also brags about her acts in preventing an incarcerated woman to graduate UoM because men didn't have the "privilege". This excerpt greatly angered me and I had to take a run just to burn off steam. When I got to the part about the female chain gangs I legitimately cried out of frustration.

Takeaway:
-While this book did not discuss alternatives to prison, it made me much more intimately aware of the details of incarceration. I was already an abolitionist, but this book gave me a much more sound understanding of prisons. Davis is excellent at giving information and putting points together. I recommend this book to everyone, but particularly those starting out with theory and abolitionist text.

Mariana Afonso

(3.5)
Very interesting. Would like to see a more updated version, to see what conclusions, evolutions and regressions happened on the last twenty years.

I enjoyed the most to read about the way prisons are gendered, and also about the ways in which the colonialist and slavery systems heavily influence the prison models.

Kelsey Holtaway

This is small but mighty. 

There is a ton packed into this little book. Davis methodically details the history of the penal system and its transformation over time to root itself as an institution in American society that is pivotal in upholding the structures of white supremacy and how it’s become so normalized. She also shows a very rational path for radical change. 

This should be required reading.

Are Prisons Obsolete?

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