Summary Of Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis

Overview of Readings Chapter Five in Angela Davis’ book, Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003), describes the prison industrial complex (PIC) as a network of agencies, governments, corporations, and institutions which benefit from and promote mass incarceration and inhumane free labour in the ultimate pursuit of profit (p. 84); profit being a major theme in this reading. What fuels this slavery in disguise is exactly what fueled its classical counterpart — structural racism and the ideology of racialized peoples' inferiority (p. 85). This racism is evident in the continuous social destabilization of vulnerable populations, followed by their criminalization through legalities and policing, which leads to their ultimate incarceration. The latter of the

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. 24-26. The syllable of the