We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia.
Angela DavisRead
Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prisons remove individuals from society rather than addressing the root causes of social problems.
Angela Davis highlights the flawed approach of using prisons to deal with complex social issues such as homelessness, unemployment, and addiction. By isolating individuals in cages, society ignores the underlying problems that lead to these issues, suggesting that true solutions require addressing the social conditions rather than simply removing those affected from view.
Themes
PrisonSocial ProblemsHomelessnessAddictionMental Illness
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting about criminal justice reform.
More from Angela Davis
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Similar quotes
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I don't want to sound Pollyannish about this. I understand that poverty is never just poverty. It's often this collection of maladies, this compounded adversity. I'm not naive about the problem. But I think that stable, steady housing is one of the surest footholds we could have on the road to financial stability.
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I'm very much interested in getting prisons off the stock market. I'm very much interested in upgrading the public school system... and taking a second look at capital punishment.
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Race impacts 90 percent of our society - and I'm probably undershooting that figure. I find this fascinating and like to address it when pertinent.
Jemele HillRead
When I was confronted with just the bare facts of poverty and inequality in America, it always disturbed and confused me.
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When the human race neglects its weaker members, when the family neglects its weakest one - it's the first blow in a suicidal movement. I see the neglect in cities around the country, in poor white children in West Virginia and Virginia and Kentucky - in the big cities, too, for that matter.
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