Go back and look over Chapter 6 of Angela Davis’s Are Prisons Obsolete? (“Abolitionist Alternatives”). Answer these questions in paragraph form:
At the beginning of Chapter 6, Davis explains why, in order to consider alternatives to prison, we should shift our focus from prisons to the prison industrial complex. What is her reasoning for this?
What are four alternatives Davis lists to prisons?
As you know, for your Advocacy Project, you will research “solutions” to the issue you wrote about for your Contexts Project. You will want to think about how to address the root causes of your issue. In considering abolitionist alternatives to incarceration, Davis acknowledges that many people are uncomfortable imagining certain crimes going unpunished. She discusses violence against women, for example. Where does Davis feel resources/ “strategies” to address this problem should be directed? (Hint: This is toward the end of Chapter 6.)
As you’ve likely found when you were doing research for your CP, one source can lead to many others. Take a look at the “Resources” and “Notes” sections of Davis’s book. Are there any sources here you may be able to use for your Advocacy Project? Even if there are not, it’s good practice to look at your sources’ sources, not only to help you determine your sources’ credibility, but to find new avenues of research.
Now that you’ve finished the book, do you agree with prison abolition versus prison reform? No need to cite page numbers for this answer, but please use specific details you can recall from either this book or other sources to support your point.
