A review by orcamagicka
Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis

2.75

This is one of those books where the premise has a lot of potential and is something I largely agree with, but the writing itself lacks detail and nuance and kinda falls flat. The final chapter about abolitionist alternatives, which was the topic I (and probably other people) was most interested in really fell flat and simply did not have enough satisfying arguments and alternatives. Which is especially frustrating because I know for a fact they exist. It’s not enough to lay out the historical context for an issue if you can’t lay out in detail the alternative solutions, especially in a human culture that has normalized prisons and punishment as “justice” since (arguably) civilization began. 

I highly recommend the podcast Truer Crime for those who want a more in-depth look at the systemic nature of crime and abolitionist theory (hosted by a Black woman who was herself a victim of crime). That podcast more greatly impacted and challenged my previous views on prisons, crime, and the death penalty than this book did.