---
product_id: 1700861
title: "Are Prisons Obsolete?"
price: "£15.87"
currency: GBP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1700861-are-prisons-obsolete
store_origin: GB
region: United Kingdom
---

# 4.7/5 rating from 2,075 reviews Used book in good condition Top 10 in Government Social Policy Are Prisons Obsolete?

**Price:** £15.87
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## Summary

> 📖 Unlock the truth behind the prison system—because knowledge is the ultimate power move.

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- **What is this?** Are Prisons Obsolete?
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## Key Features

- • **Accessible Used Copy, Ready to Ship:** Get your hands on a quality used edition with free shipping—don’t miss out on this essential read.
- • **Top-Ranked Social Policy Bestseller:** Join thousands of readers engaging with one of the most influential books reshaping criminal justice debates.
- • **Endorsed by Experts and Readers Alike:** With over 2,000 glowing reviews, this book is a must-have for socially conscious professionals.
- • **Eye-Opening, Thought-Provoking Content:** Challenge your assumptions with powerful journalism that’s changing minds nationwide.
- • **Critical Insight into Mass Incarceration:** Explore why the US holds 25% of the world's prison population and what that means for justice.

## Overview

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis is a critically acclaimed, bestselling book that challenges the foundations of the US prison system. With a 4.7-star rating from over 2,000 readers, this used copy in good condition offers a powerful, eye-opening analysis of mass incarceration, social justice, and policy reform. Ranked top 10 in Government Social Policy, it’s a must-read for professionals seeking to understand and influence the future of criminal justice.

## Description

With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis has put the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of the prison. As she quite correctly notes, American life is replete with abolition movements, and when they were engaged in these struggles, their chances of success seemed almost unthinkable. For generations of Americans, the abolition of slavery was sheerest illusion. Similarly,the entrenched system of racial segregation seemed to last forever, and generations lived in the midst of the practice, with few predicting its passage from custom. The brutal, exploitative (dare one say lucrative?) convict-lease system that succeeded formal slavery reaped millions to southern jurisdictions (and untold miseries for tens of thousands of men, and women). Few predicted its passing from the American penal landscape. Davis expertly argues how social movements transformed these social, political and cultural institutions, and made such practices untenable. In Are Prisons Obsolete?, Professor Davis seeks to illustrate that the time for the prison is approaching an end. She argues forthrightly for "decarceration", and argues for the transformation of the society as a whole.

Review: SMART, CLEAR, WORTH THE READ, CRITICAL - The average person in the USA likely thinks like I did for many decades. Prisons are for sociopaths, most deserve at least their sentence, and the death penalty is possible in some cases. Most of all was a certainty that I was not like the jailed. They were law breakers and I was a friend to many cops, sheriffs, troopers, and federal law enforcement. Over years of doing prison work and being an expert witness jobs and experiencing sadist and criminal law enforcement harming others and that includes quality patients I have a few comments that make this book useful. 1) I believe in capital punishment, but NOT in the USA any longer until all aspects of corruption,money making, arrest rewards and stupidity is removed from the place between the scene of a crime to the execution. In those layers is dirt and trash--and as a believer in USA liberty we have fascist cops, lawyers, attorney generals naive as popcorn, and appeals judges in a space suit. DEATH BY STATES WITH HIGHEST PRISON POPULATION ON EARTH, AND MORE PRISONS THAN PAST HUNDRED YEARS IN A DECADE IN SOME PLACES? We have more inmates than the population of many countries. WE HAVE DEATH PENALTY CASES WITH LESS EVIDENCE THAN HEBREW AND CHRISTIAN BIBLE REQUIREMENTS--MAKES FOR A SOBERING READ THAT THE JEWS WERE BETTER IN LAW THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO THAN THE USA. One needed witnesses and not circumstantial evidence. The witness was the executioner, not someone 300 miles away--this is merely one example. 2) IF YOU ARE A "CHILD" WHO HAS NEVER SEEN A COP LIE OR WRITE A CANNED REPORT MATCHING THE LAST 50, like I was childish and naive, please stop the stupid idealism of my 40's. Some police are dear and loved friends, and some are freaking criminals who deserve jail. If that does not translate, you are not in touch with USA reality. 3) Be honest. Most do not care a dime about jailed people. It will never happen to me. Ha ha ha... We are all a cranky mad cop away from arrest--30 seconds. And I do mean the well off, super educated and very pro-social like me. NO PASS FOR US ANYMORE--WE ARE HATED FOR EDUCATION, INTELLECT, SNOBBISHNESS--REAL OR IMAGINED AND OTHER REASONS. 4) Spend a day in a prison. You will never be the same. You will understand the bill of rights--they do not exist in prisons. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A DAVIS CLONE TO LISTEN TO SMART POINTS! OR DO YOU FEAR OTHER TV OR RADIO STATIONS ALSO? THAT IS ANTI-KNOWLEDGE, AND A DASH FASCIST. In sum, she was right. We have gone from 20% of world inmates to 25%!!!
Review: Interesting and vital look at the modern prison system - I believe that this is a very important book. In it, Angela Davis puts forth an extremely compelling case for the abolition of the modern prison system. It was a complete surprise to me to learn that the modern prison system (being locked up as the final punishment) is a fairly recent phenomenon that was considered to be very progressive and humane compared to the former shaming, corporal, and capital punishments that were meted out hundreds of years ago. This book focuses a great deal on the intersection of African American history with prison history, which adds a whole extra layer of horror to the way the system works. I'd be very interested to see how the numbers and statistics have changed (or not) in the past 15 years since it was published, but the book is definitely still relevant and informative. It's also easy to read, not dry or dull at all. Very interesting and flows well which makes the reading enjoyable even while the subject matter is often difficult. As a Quaker, prison reform is an important topic in my social circles, but I had never seriously heard anyone put forth the idea that prisons should somehow be done away with. I finished this book with a new perspective with which I wish more people would become familiar. I recommend this book to anyone who's interested or involved in prison reform, African American history, and/or social justice issues in general.

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #44,910 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Criminal Procedure Law #91 in Criminology (Books) #231 in Sociology Reference |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,093 Reviews |

## Images

![Are Prisons Obsolete? - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715LLSp6XwL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SMART, CLEAR, WORTH THE READ, CRITICAL
*by U***U on November 2, 2013*

The average person in the USA likely thinks like I did for many decades. Prisons are for sociopaths, most deserve at least their sentence, and the death penalty is possible in some cases. Most of all was a certainty that I was not like the jailed. They were law breakers and I was a friend to many cops, sheriffs, troopers, and federal law enforcement. Over years of doing prison work and being an expert witness jobs and experiencing sadist and criminal law enforcement harming others and that includes quality patients I have a few comments that make this book useful. 1) I believe in capital punishment, but NOT in the USA any longer until all aspects of corruption,money making, arrest rewards and stupidity is removed from the place between the scene of a crime to the execution. In those layers is dirt and trash--and as a believer in USA liberty we have fascist cops, lawyers, attorney generals naive as popcorn, and appeals judges in a space suit. DEATH BY STATES WITH HIGHEST PRISON POPULATION ON EARTH, AND MORE PRISONS THAN PAST HUNDRED YEARS IN A DECADE IN SOME PLACES? We have more inmates than the population of many countries. WE HAVE DEATH PENALTY CASES WITH LESS EVIDENCE THAN HEBREW AND CHRISTIAN BIBLE REQUIREMENTS--MAKES FOR A SOBERING READ THAT THE JEWS WERE BETTER IN LAW THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO THAN THE USA. One needed witnesses and not circumstantial evidence. The witness was the executioner, not someone 300 miles away--this is merely one example. 2) IF YOU ARE A "CHILD" WHO HAS NEVER SEEN A COP LIE OR WRITE A CANNED REPORT MATCHING THE LAST 50, like I was childish and naive, please stop the stupid idealism of my 40's. Some police are dear and loved friends, and some are freaking criminals who deserve jail. If that does not translate, you are not in touch with USA reality. 3) Be honest. Most do not care a dime about jailed people. It will never happen to me. Ha ha ha... We are all a cranky mad cop away from arrest--30 seconds. And I do mean the well off, super educated and very pro-social like me. NO PASS FOR US ANYMORE--WE ARE HATED FOR EDUCATION, INTELLECT, SNOBBISHNESS--REAL OR IMAGINED AND OTHER REASONS. 4) Spend a day in a prison. You will never be the same. You will understand the bill of rights--they do not exist in prisons. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A DAVIS CLONE TO LISTEN TO SMART POINTS! OR DO YOU FEAR OTHER TV OR RADIO STATIONS ALSO? THAT IS ANTI-KNOWLEDGE, AND A DASH FASCIST. In sum, she was right. We have gone from 20% of world inmates to 25%!!!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting and vital look at the modern prison system
*by B***Y on January 5, 2018*

I believe that this is a very important book. In it, Angela Davis puts forth an extremely compelling case for the abolition of the modern prison system. It was a complete surprise to me to learn that the modern prison system (being locked up as the final punishment) is a fairly recent phenomenon that was considered to be very progressive and humane compared to the former shaming, corporal, and capital punishments that were meted out hundreds of years ago. This book focuses a great deal on the intersection of African American history with prison history, which adds a whole extra layer of horror to the way the system works. I'd be very interested to see how the numbers and statistics have changed (or not) in the past 15 years since it was published, but the book is definitely still relevant and informative. It's also easy to read, not dry or dull at all. Very interesting and flows well which makes the reading enjoyable even while the subject matter is often difficult. As a Quaker, prison reform is an important topic in my social circles, but I had never seriously heard anyone put forth the idea that prisons should somehow be done away with. I finished this book with a new perspective with which I wish more people would become familiar. I recommend this book to anyone who's interested or involved in prison reform, African American history, and/or social justice issues in general.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful Voice
*by D***L on July 28, 2025*

What beautiful writing on an argument that is counterintuitive, but convincing! She has changed many minds on the topic, including my own, mobilizing a social justice movement with huge multiplier effects for many underserved communities.

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*Store origin: GB*
*Last updated: 2026-05-16*