As someone who deeply admires Angela Davis, reading the first three chapters of “Are Prisons Obsolete?” has been incredibly thought-provoking. Davis challenges the conventional wisdom about prisons, highlighting how they often fail to address the underlying issues that lead to crime. This aligns with broader discussions on the societal impacts of maintaining illiteracy among prisoners and dismantling educational programs behind bars. It’s clear that denying education to inmates not only undermines their chances of rehabilitation but also perpetuates cycles of poverty and crime, which ultimately burden society as a whole.
At the Northwestern Human Rights Conference in Chicago, similar ideas were shared about the importance of adopting correctional strategies that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. Davis’s insights resonate with this perspective, emphasizing the critical role of education in reducing recidivism and promoting successful reintegration into society. The historical context provided, including the closure of college programs like the one at Greenhaven Prison, underscores the detrimental effects of shifting away from rehabilitative approaches within the criminal justice system. Davis’s call to rethink our reliance on prisons and invest in alternative forms of justice further motivates me to advocate for change and work towards creating a more equitable and humane society.
Kaylee Wyrick
I also thought that the idea you bring up about a “humane society” is very important in regards to the chapters that we read. The chapters really made me think about how much the US relys on prisons vs. the rest of the world, and this is something that I never really thought about before.