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Angela Davis Are Prisons Obsolete Summary

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In “Are Prisons Obsolete,” Angela Davis, an American activist who served 16 months in prison before being acquitted, argues that today's prison systems fail to address the root causes of crime. Despite their intended purpose, prisons lack the structure needed to rehabilitate inmates. We become so quick to assume that imprisoning criminals leads to a safer environment. As prisons continue to expand and their inmate population rises, they become embedded in society's norms without the consent of the people or critical examination of their effectiveness. Davis argues for reform, noting that the current system has serious flaws in addressing criminal behavior, as she believes crime will continue to persist and keep growing exponentially within …show more content…

This does not mean incorporating prison substitutes like house arrest or electronic surveillance bracelets, but giving high-crime communities the resources so they can succeed in society. Davis advocates for a shift towards rehabilitation over punishment, envisioning a future where prisons serve as centers for healing rather than institutions of revenge. The prison system has become so "natural" in today's social constructs that it is hard to imagine life without it, but Davis explores the alternatives and writes, "Demilitarization of schools, revitalization of education at all levels, a health system that provides free physical and mental care to all, and a justice system based on reparation and reconciliation rather than retribution and vengeance" (p. 107). By enabling this, schools would emerge as a better alternative to jails and prisons, and education would become a priority in societal progress, improving and expanding opportunities for the future. Currently, there are more people with mental health disorders in prison than in mental institutions (p. 108). Access to healthcare, which is a human right, would allow those who need medical care to receive it, thereby helping to promote economic stability. Also, providing access to resources to combat drug and alcohol use is important to decrease incarceration rates. Criminalized communities deserve access to effective and affordable treatment options. The Betty Ford Center is recognized as one of the top treatment centers for individuals dependent on drugs and alcohol, but the price can be up to $525 per day (p. 109). Limited accessibility highlights the inequality in society and healthcare, making it hard to diminish the cycle of imprisonment. Davis also mentions these alternatives as “job and living wage programs, alternatives to the disestablished welfare

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Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis Sparknotes

764 Words | 4 Pages

Author’s Credibility Angela Davis, activist, educator, scholar, and politician, was born on January 26, 1944, in the “Dynamite Hill” area of Birmingham, Alabama. Active at an early age in the Black Panthers and the Communist Party, Davis also formed an interracial study group and volunteered for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while still in high school In 1960, Davis traveled to Germany to study for two years, and then to the University of Paris for another year. After returning to the United States, Davis attended Brandeis University, where she graduated in 1965. Davis then returned to Germany for further study before enrolling in the University of California, San Diego, where she earned her M.A. degree in 1968. Davis became

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Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis: Chapter Analysis

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I hope this letter finds you well. I just wanted to share some thoughts on racism, slavery, and the prison system after reading this recently. I read important points in Angela Davis' book, "Are Prisons Obsolete," in one chapter. The chapter, titled "Slavery, Civil Rights, and Abolitionist Perspectives Toward Prison," talks about prison/jail and slavery and how closely they resemble each other. It explores the continuation of racism even after the abolition of slavery, also speaking out on continued exploitation.

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Summary Of Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis

1462 Words | 6 Pages

The last of which causes the destabilization of communities and an increase in imprisonment of vulnerable populations, thus increasing profits and starting the cycle all over again. Reflection of Readings in Relation to the Course This cycle is mirrored by another topic discussed in class — the school-to-prison pipeline. The exponential prison expansion and its consequent leaching of community development funding means that resources like affordable housing, recreational amenities, accessible food, and available education, which racialized and disadvantaged populations rely on, cease to exist (p. 88). Without said resources, and with the ever-present racism and over-policing that these groups experience, those vulnerable become the “perfect candidates for prison” (p. 16). Once incarcerated it becomes hard to gain an education, let alone transferable skills which would help one work, and financially reintegrate into outside society (Jackson et al., 2022, pp.

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Summary Of Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis

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Angela Davis, political activist, scholar, and speaker has been such a prominent figure throughout the Black Panther Party till now with the Black Lives Matter Movement. A woman such as she, and countless others who showed the evils of white America and as well fought for the social injustice of African Americans in the United States. Has paved the way for many movements that exist today. Davis' book, Are Prisons Obsolete?, shows that the time for prisons is approaching an end. She argues for "de-carceration", and for the change of our society as a whole.

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540 Words | 3 Pages

In chapter “Are Prisons Obsolete?” Angela Davis strictly points out factors in results of the elites methods to be in total control. African Americans are highly accounted for in incarceration as an addition to the prison industrial complex. Mental health conditions are then vulnerable in the prison community which helps the cycle. This Cycle as she describes, is a great catalyst towards business and global economics.

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Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis Summary

1074 Words | 5 Pages

Eduardo Mendieta constructs an adequate response to Angela Davis’ Are Prisons Obsolete? in his article, The Prison Contract and Surplus Punishment: On Angela Y. Davis’ Abolitionism. While Mendieta discusses the pioneering abolitionist efforts of Angela Davis, the author begins to analyze Davis’ anti-prison narrative, ultimately agreeing with Davis’ polarizing stance. Due to the fact Mendieta is so quick to begin analyzing Davis’ work, the article’s author inadvertently makes several assumptions about readers of his piece. For instance, Mendieta assumes that readers will automatically be familiar with Angela Davis.

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For instance, tackling issues such as health care and education, which provide severe inequality and adversity, would create an equal and safer society that would thus reject any need for criminal behavior, Davis herself suggests, “Rather, positing decarceration as our overarching strategy, we would try to envision a continuum of alternatives to imprisonment-demilitarization of schools, revitalization of education at all levels, a health system that provides free physical and mental care to all…” (Davis 107). It is clear that prisons and

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With drug treatment, more probation, and community service, inmates will get the true chance to change for the better without having to face imprisonment. Cullen’s research says “... Sometimes, longer stays can even increase recidivism” (Cullen). Sometimes, serving a long sentence for a small crime makes the inmates worse off instead of better. This is why alternatives to incarceration are so important not only for the inmates, but it helps with overcrowding. Although the alternatives solve mass incarceration, it does not solve the agendas being pushed out that cause a lot of people to be arrested.

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Angela Davis states that: "What was once regarded as progressive and even revolutionary represents today the marriage of technological superiority and political backwardness". (390) Any social structure can be seen as a logical product of its previous historical formations, and these previous forms bear significant influence on later forms. However, the current prison system has mutated. In addition to being increasingly repressive, its present existence raises the question about the effectiveness and the

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The first thing that stood out to me from Dr. Angela Davis’s speech was that some African Americans feel that they are not even considered human. I did not realize that people felt that way and I do not think I will ever forget that statement. One thing I learned from many sociology classes is that I have white privilege which means I will never question my self-worth based on the color of my skin.

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During the 1950s was when the “modern movement” regarding community corrections began, however it wasn’t until the late 1960s when this modern movement truly began to get under way; which lead to a reassessment of community corrections. This reassessment of the community corrections system was initiated to bring forth “rehabilitation, reintegration, and restorative” aspects to it rather than being one of punishment. Additionally, community-based corrections provide an intermediary punishment between release and confinement, which allows for a more personalized response to the crime committed and the offenders’ idiosyncratic circumstances. (Vivona, 2008)

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1728 Words | 7 Pages

The United States has a larger percent of its population incarcerated than any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and its incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for several reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. This literature review will discuss the ineffectiveness of the United States’ criminal justice system and how mass incarceration of non-violent offenders, racial profiling, and a high rate of recidivism has become a problem.

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