Are Prisons Obsolete?

Sample Solution

  Reading the first three chapters of Angela Davis’ book, Are Prisons Obsolete?, has been an eye-opening experience for me. Before reading this book, I did not have a comprehensive understanding of the history and function of prisons. Upon reflection, it is clear to me why there is so much disagreement about whether or not prison should be abolished: because the idea of prison is so deeply entrenched in our criminal justice system and culture.

In the prologue and Chapter 1, Davis provides some powerful arguments against prisons as they currently exist. She points out that many people are incarcerated without even having committed a crime, due to our current system’s reliance on arrests for minor infractions as well as its harsh sentencing laws. This brings up several critical questions around racial disparities within our criminal justice system: How do race and poverty influence who ends up being arrested (and ultimately imprisoned) more than others? How can we ensure that everyone receives fair treatment before being sent to jail? In addition to her analysis of over-incarceration in America, Davis also explains how our prison system serves economic interests rather than providing true rehabilitation services for inmates. By viewing inmates through a purely economic lens, she argues that prisons fail to address root causes like poverty and homelessness which contribute to criminality – something which would make society safer in the long run since recidivism rates would decrease if prisoners had access to meaningful education upon release from incarceration. As I continued into Chapters 2 & 3, my thoughts began turning towards potential solutions that could replace mass incarceration - such as restorative justice models which focus on healing relationships between victim and offender instead of traditional punitive measures like imprisonment or fines/penalties/probation imposed by courts/law enforcement authorities. In Chapter 3 specifically, Davis describes several examples from different countries across the world where alternative approaches such as these have been implemented with some success; although far from perfect solutions themselves (as with any new approach), these initiatives offer tangible hope for change in terms of creating fairer systems overall which take into account both victims' rights and offenders' rights alike -- something I found incredibly inspiring! Overall, my experience reading Are Prisons Obsolete? has provided me with plenty food for thought when it comes to understanding how our current prison systems function – but more importantly how they could potentially be reformed into something much better suited for all citizens.