Are Prisons Obsolete?

Are Prisons Obsolete? is a 2003 book by Angela Y. Davis that advocates for the abolition of the prison system. The book examines the evolution of carceral systems from their earliest incarnation to the modern prison industrial complex. Davis argues that incarceration fails to reform those it imprisons, instead systematically profiting from the exploitation of prisoners. The book explores potential alternatives to the prison system that could transform the justice system from a punitive instrument of control and retribution into a tool capable of changing lives for the better through a combination of autobiography and academic examination. It is a core text in the prison abolition movement.