Member-only story
Is it Possible to Have a Prison-Free Society?
Davis and her co-author share thought-provoking views about prison abolition, which contribute to the enrichment of the debate about whether, as a society, we need prisons or not.
Prison abolition is possible, but only in a society where crime, especially severe such as murder, rape, and robbery with violence, drops.
People would be socially, economically, and politically equal in such a society. It would be an egalitarian society with no major incentive for crime because people are almost equal. However, without this, prisons cannot be done away with entirely because there is a need to put dangerous people away from society and rehabilitate them.
Abolitionists speak of alternatives, such as the community justice system but do not demonstrate how practically this is possible in dealing with hardcore criminals and recidivism (Shelby, 2022).
In a nutshell, a prison-free society is possible where there is an egalitarian society and crime is reduced, leaving most crimes petty issues that can be resolved at the community level.
The abolition movement has lost track of its goals, as evidenced by its lack of homogeneity and common agenda. The abolitionist does not know whether to support prison reforms or outright ban prison services.
