This powerful statement critiques the punitive nature of the carceral system. Davis argues that incarceration merely removes individuals from sight without solving underlying social issues, effectively erasing lives and exacerbating societal problems rather than addressing them constructively.
Quote by Angela Davis: “Prisons do not disappear problems, they disappear people.”
Prisons do not disappear problems, they disappear people.
Insight
Historical Context
This quote is central to her influential argument for prison abolition, where she systematically critiques the prison industrial complex as an ineffective and harmful institution that perpetuates inequality.
About the Author
American political activist, philosopher, and academic whose work addresses prison abolition, feminism, and Black liberation. A member of the Communist Party and the Black Panther Party in the 1970s, she became an international symbol of resistance after her 1972 acquittal following a high-profile political trial.
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