This book sets out to consider all aspects of incarceration, its purpose and consequent harms.
Using an approach he calls ‘Afro-analytical Marxism’ – a combination of philosophical and political traditions – Shelby explores the values that emerge from a utopian vision of a society without prisons.
An important feature of the discussion is a comparison of the radical proposal of prison abolition with the alternative of prison reform – the latter being seen by some as not going far enough.
The work of activist and writer, Angela Davis – whose work on prison abolition spans many decades – serves as an exemplar for the idea of abolition.
A former fugitive and political prisoner herself, Davis was initially concerned with freeing other political prisoners.
This was at a time (the early 1970s) when some Black radicals saw prison as a violent weapon that the state used against those who resisted oppression.
Additionally, Davis and others saw the US prison system as directly born out of slavery and therefore needing to be abolished. Shelby dismantles this particular argument for abolition but goes on to put other aspects of Davis’ reasoning to the test.
In a chapter on racism, he employs Davis’ own method of ‘functional critique’.
Prison can have a ‘manifest’ purpose – such as to limit criminal activity or rehabilitate offenders – at the same time as it performs a hidden function, namely, maintaining equilibrium in an otherwise unjust society. As a consequence, it may intensify racism and injustice.
However, Shelby notes, as a result of society;s tendency towards maintaining the status quo, the violence and injustice of the prison system could reappear in other areas in society even if prisons were abolished.
An extensive chapter on the ‘prison industrial complex’ covers topics such as commercial bail bonds and the employment of prisoners. The author notes that private companies – for example, food suppliers – will inevitably profit from the existence of prisons.
However, when prisons themselves are run for commercial gain, the injustice and racism of capitalist society is reflected there too, leading Shelby to ask whether it is ever possible to have a fairly-run prison in an unjust society.
Ultimately, a for-profit company that owns a prison has an interest in maintaining a steady supply of criminals.
Shelby concludes by laying out in detail some ideas for a not-for-profit, privately-run prison.
Prison is a place of suffering and hardship for both criminals and their families. Even without harsh treatment, taking away two of an individual’s human rights – their rights to freedom of movement and assembly – is a serious hardship that also creates a responsibility for society.
A thorough and enlightening discussion, The Idea of Prison Abolition is equally applicable to prisons and the criminal justice system in the UK and in the US.