Summary Of Are Prisons Obsolete By Angela Davis

It is often difficult for people to question the standards of modern-day society, especially the prejudiced norms present in the United States. A particular establishment historically justified is prisons, which many deem an acceptable punishment for crime. However, criticisms have surfaced about their foundations and operations in contemporary times. Political activist Angela Davis wrote an argumentative composition, Are Prisons Obsolete, which considers the cruciality of imprisonment and questions the societal need for institutions made especially for punishment. At the core of her consideration of abolishing incarnation institutions, Davis suggests her readers are to humanize their perceptions of those who have been ostracized in society for their wrongdoings by analyzing the concept of freedom and absolute liberties, as reviewing our preconceived notions of the relationship between criminality and human rights enable us to think of more suitable methods of

It is easier to comprehend the complexities of such issues by referring to Davis’ work itself. In her explanation of the ethics of the incarceration system, Davis states, “If the individual was not perceived as possessing inalienable rights and liberties, then the alienation of those rights and liberties by removal from society [...] would not have made sense” (Davis, 2003, p. 31). Although many consider the appropriate ramifications for unjust behavior to be incarceration, the moral principles of what imprisonment means become challenging to digest when considering human rights as a concept. Our nation adopted the principles of natural rights from the philosophies of John Locke; however, the numerous moral inconsistencies and unethical practices at the time made these rights exclusionary. Despite social progress, Davis highlights inconsistent