“Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration

Myths Made in America

by Victoria Law

"Utilizing narrative, statistics and history, this book identifies and dispels 21 popularly-held myths about mass incarceration"--

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Social Justice, Sociology, Social Issues, Race, Education

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2021

Reviews

[Reading on Wheels · Rating 3 out of 5]

It does what it says. Very surface level, and for some people this'll be great. Sadly, I wanted it to go deeper. Not much else to it, not much else to say

[Erikka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough about this book. I took NOTES on this book. I just started a job I'm very excited about that works to end incarceration, so this book came into my hands at exactly the right time. Through a series of busted myths littered with facts and stats, the author explores the causes of mass incarceration, the supposed positive effects of it on society, the people affected by it, and ways to end it. (Highlight chapters include: "but what about all the rapists and murderers?" and "we should just base it on Norway!") It leads to very interesting conversations about how much more nuanced crime is than we think. In America, we tend to just lock everybody up and throw away the key. This book establishes that that is not nearly enough forethought or discrimination (in the positive sense). Several of the statistics threw me for a loop, I appreciated the fact that it was extremely bipartisan (no president is safe because they’ve all done terrible things!), and I liked that I had my own thoughts and beliefs checked on several occasions. This is how you grow and learn. I think I will be better at my new job having read this book, which I’ve already shared with my new colleagues. And several friends. And people on social media. I’ve told everyone about this book. Now let’s go out there and abolish the prison system! You now have 21 pieces of ammunition against the naysayers and whataboutists--fire at will.

[Jenna Freedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highlighted about 30 brilliant/devastating passages from Victoria Law's brilliant/devastating Prisons Make Us Safer. In a quick read for a work dense with scrupulously sourced myth-busting statements about mass incarceration, Law fires vicious truth bombs at the unjust criminal "justice" system.

The term "criminal justice system" refers to the legal system in which people are arrested, prosecuted, and threatened with imprisonment. Advocates, particularly abolitionists, are increasingly rejecting the use of that term, noting that the system does not provide justice, it metes out punishment.

The heart of Law's book is that prison doesn't do anything for anyone, and she anticipates any "Yeah, but..." a person might come up with. In particular, Law has no time for prison as a preventative measure. Incarceration takes place after harm is done, and she shows that incarceration is not a deterrent.

I could go on, and if you want me to export all of my highlights, I will! In the meantime, thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. I should also disclose that I'm friends with Vikki--and dazzled by her!

[Angelina Puente · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book touched on many important issues that I had not previously known or learned about mass incarceration and the criminal legal system. This was a very thoughtful way of introducing new ideas to the people who need it most (people who have never heard of these ideas or do not know enough to support them). I really liked all of the detailed examples because it really helps me picture and understand the issue at hand and how it impacts real people. The only thing I didn’t like was how repetitive it read, and how some arguments were definitely surface level. However I saw this more as an intro rather than a place to dive deeper.

[alissa rams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of research with both legal and anecdotal evidence here, but it got to be redundant. I would have preferred a deep dive on 5 myths over a surface level explanation of 20

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. This book made me realize I still have a lot to learn about prison reform and abolition. It countered my views often, lead with empathy, and was overall a great nonfiction read. I will say I wanted more statistics, because I feel like anyone can pick real-world examples that validate their point. (Not to say there wasn’t a lot of statistical factual information—there was, but I needed more.) This is SUCH a nuanced conversation, and the truth is ultimately so gray, therefore I was given much to think about and encourage others to read similar stories. Victoria Law herself spent time in prison, which she doesn’t mention. I thought that was an interesting choice, but now, ultimately, think it was a good one. There is so much prejudice around prisoners or “criminals” and by deliberately leaving her own personal experience out of the book, I think people are more likely to consider her arguments.

[Andrew Eder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot!! It was the perfect audiobook being a bunch of essays that are connected to a bigger topic! I don’t think I would’ve liked reading it in print very much.

The author did a great job trying to tackle a lot of different pieces and parts while giving each part a decent amount of time. There’s always the opportunity to go deeper, but this was a really good introductory piece to beliefs around incarceration.

I’d definitely recommend!! It can be read it short spurts or a sit down and study type book. It’d be a great discussion piece to read one essay and then discuss / dig deeper with others.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easily digestible look into American prison systems

[Ray johanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wanna just ROCK your idea about prisons read this. The main point is we have this idea that prisons make us safer when reality its just places where we put the "un-sightly" and the things we don't know what to do with. The biggest thing I found interesting was how many times these "reform" programs don't work, and not due to people's psychological makeup or behavioral issues but instead due to the program itself not working.

[Alison Notter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very compelling and interesting read that challenged some things that I thought I knew about mass incarceration

Very well researched and attainable-well organized, and I particularly liked the feminist lens this book took.

While the alternatives regarding community support, restorative and transformative justice are incredibly important at reducing harm and creating conditions in which crime is less likely to happen, I wish there had been more concrete suggestions for alternative options to prison. Like yes, all of this is good and important, but what would the consequences be for dubious crimes, such as murder?

Additionally, I would’ve like to see a discussion on how we work to shift the cultural and societal attitude when it comes to punishment for crimes that we collectively particularly heinous.

Over all a good read and would recommend!

[yan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great introductory perspective when it comes to learning about broad systems regarding incarceration

Probably a continued reading for deeper insight will be New Jim Crow

But main idea can be centered around having a punitive system being unhelpful to anyone and to foster communities where people’s needs are being met as true crime prevention (but this is the real explanation of course on a broad scale)

[grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if some passive aggressive bitch on twitter tells you that google is free and to read a book about the prison industry in America.

Law covers it all - Ronald Regan (vom), how we glorify Norway (boo), to how prison is actually doing EXACTLY what we designed it to do. A great beginner book that unpacks why prison is the way it is (basically because we needed to figure out a legal way to get black people out of society because racism is alive and well).

What I think this book does overall though, is discuss the fact that prisons are not good for either side of the crime equation. They are not good for people who have had a crime committed against them, and they are not good for people who commit crimes. This books discusses what happens to victims of crimes after the perpetrator has been "locked away" often times these people receive no help from the state or from the "justice" system to fix the harm that has been done to them and thus end up with all the same trauma and hurt decades down the road, ad they felt when the crime first occurred. Restorative justice, as Law mentions, can only be used when people who commit crimes want to give reperations for their actions and feel truly guilty, but it is a away of having people rectify what is wrong for their crimes, often committed out of necessity or gang violence.

Law also unpacks that prisons are not helping those who commit crimes. The atmosphere of a prison does not look for people to unpack why they committed a crime, or even come close to taking accountability for their actions, but instead pushed people to be harder and tougher and to never have personal reflection. The education system within prisons' is limited to only a select few, and then those opportunities are held over their heads in order to suppress bargaining by the inmates. The percentage of recidivism after one has been in prison is incredibly high due to the lack of help felons get. There is also "checking the box" which is a further punishment that felons have after already paying their time in prison, where they can legally be descriminated against.

My jaw dropped when Law mentioned that there were only 200 women in Norwegian prisons a year. The amount of people the US has in the carceral system is truly staggering, with close to two million people incarcerated. There is of course, a huge population difference, but even adjusting for that, the percentages are just way off.

This book of course reminds me of Michelle Alexander's "the New Jim Crow" in how it deconstructs the idea that prisons and the justice system somehow fell off and doesn't work any more. Law serves to remind us that this is always how the justice system was set up - that prison is a place where we put people who we do not want in society and make them think bad thoughts until we feel like they are ready to join us. And thanks to a wave of politicians wanting to seem "tough on crime" in the 1980s-90s, lots of crimes now have mandatory sentences, no matter the circumstances. Judges who don't want to be seen as "soft on crime" (and lets be honest, soft on crime will always mean, soft on Black Americans and the poor) so they give out these sentences even if the conditions are way to harsh.

As for private prisons, I couldn't help draw the comparison between the private prison corporations of America and Blackwater USA. Private prisons aren't the reason why incarceration is so high in America, they came about BECAUSE incarceration was so high in America and someone saw an opportunity to make money. Private prisons can't make more crime appear but, they don't need to, the problems within the justice system do that for them, and then they are able to fill the gaps the federal or state prisons can't because there are just WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE IN PRISON.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The criminal legal system isn’t broken. It’s functioning as intended-as a form of surveillance, control, and punishment and as a way to conceal rather than address society’s problems.”

This is one of those sobering reads which seems to do quite an efficient job of taking apart many of the persistent myths and clichés which surround so much of American incarceration (such a weird word, one of those which seems unique to the Americans).

“Safety for whom? And from what?”

The sheer scale of inhumanity and indifference endured by millions can be quite disturbing to read and the way that America has seemingly so effortlessly engineered a culture where it seems to delight and celebrate the art of mass incarceration twisting it into a political and societal gain, rather than a dark and troubling reflection of a broken, twisted society which acts as a cautionary tale to the rest of the world.

I certainly learned quite a bit from this, like less than 10% of US prisons are privately run, but then this shouldn’t deceive anyone into thinking that this culture isn’t of concern or an area ripe for corruption. Less than half of the 2.3 million prison population work and less than 1% work for private corporations.

This is sharp and to the point, Law brings in a lot of (mostly troubling) first-hand accounts and experiences to boost the authenticity and conviction of her points, though this does suffer from far too much repetition, but this is certainly worth the read.

“Since 1991, violent crime in the United States has fallen more than 51%. Between 1990 and 1998, the nation’s homicide rates dropped by half.”

[pugs · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent resource for readers of all ranges, short, succinct and loaded with information, written more in a conversational style than academic. very well researched, law met her intentions and then some. even if you’ve read the most popular books on mass incarceration, you will still learn something new, especially considering this book also discusses covid, so it’s as up to date as a book on the topic can get; it can even help the way you talk about incarceration to people new to the idea of abolition (though this isn’t an abolitionist text per se, law goes into clearing up misconceptions of modern abolitionism, and shows critiques used against the movement, but focuses on the positive overlaps, too). a good tool to have for whenever someone asks “yeah but what about x y z crimes?” this book has the answers to them.

[Emma Hersom · Rating 4 out of 5]

as someone who has read and researched a great deal about mass incarceration (its origins, longstanding impacts on marginalized communities, and alternative approaches to justice, particularly rooted in abolition), this book largely was a refresher. however, i’d highly recommend it to those unfamiliar with the history of US prisons and jails, and anyone who believes that we need prisons to make us safer, that prisons are places of rehabilitation and safety nets, that mass incarceration and immigrant detention are unrelated issues that can be addressed separately, and that the system is broken and we simply need some reforms to fix it. the book did a great job of dispelling these commonly held myths around mass incarceration, some that i’ve found myself having to work through over the years as an advocate.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good but sad read! A lower rating because I wish some of the topics would’ve been expanded on more. Sometimes a concept felt like a reach because it wasn’t thoroughly explained/explored with real examples and I worry that those unfamiliar with the criminal justice system would immediately discredit the point that was trying to be made.

[Katie ratherbereadinggg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Sophia M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of repetition in this, but an invaluable resource for those considering prison abolition.

[Megan Sanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't recommend this book enough! Law does a great job debunking these myths and making the case for abolition. One quote Law included from CARA (Communities Against Rape and Abuse) organizers that stuck with me was, '"It's a critical shift to decide to use your resources to build the community you want rather than expend all your resources fighting the problem you want to eliminate.'"

[Annie Deutsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book club pic. I thought the information was important and we definitely should talk about the harsh prison sentences in America. I didn’t like the delivery of the book, it felt like a run on sentence of facts.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces the idea prison abolition by addressing whether or not prisons do what we think they do and what are other alternatives. Most of the arguments are convincing though I had one remaining question. While I could see that prison society harms the perpetrator into someone worse when released and this doesn't make us safer, and I could see that prison occurs after the crime, so doesn't make us safer, I don't feel the question of whether or not further harm is prevented by not allowing a potentially violent person out again. I would like to have seen more statistics about recidivism to answer that. (There was some related to sexual abuse, I don't recall any related to murder.)

Some I already knew, like that prisons didn't foster reflection and responsibility taking by the perpetrator, nor did it really provide healing to the victim. But much was new. I was unaware of the small percentage of prisoners who had done "victimless" crimes like drug use. So I learned that we need to address more violent crimes as well. I was unaware of the high percentage of women incarcerated for killing their abusers,for example, and how this requires our rethinking justice procedures.

Two alternatives were presented and clarified: restorative justice and transformative justice. I will definitely be reading more on these.

There are footnotes to encourage further study. This book is a good place to start.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Yupa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi fa piacere che sia Mimesis a pubblicare questo libro, editore di cui già avevo letto Incarcerazioni di massa - Un viaggio alla ricerca della giustizia di Baz Dreisinger, che sostanzialmente parla dello stesso argomento e con lo stesso intento. Mi fa piacere, dicevo, perché dimostra nell'editore una volontà di portare avanti con metodo un discorso alternativo a quello attualmente dominante sull'argomento giustizia.
Se Incarcerazioni di massa, come indicato anche dal suo sottotitolo, parlava di come nei diversi paesi al Mondo vengono trattate le persone che si ritrovano a infrangere le leggi, questo libro, più breve, più diretto, più semplice, si concentra quasi unicamente sugli Stati Uniti, dove dopotutto si ha la vera incarcerazione di massa, visto che è proprio negli Stati Uniti che si concentra il più alto tasso al Mondo di detenuti in rapporto alla popolazione (un quarto della popolazione carceraria mondiale si trova proprio lì).
Ma quello americano rimane comunque un esempio utile, innanzi tutto perché la tendenza a esigere punizioni sempre più diffuse e sempre più dure è tipico ormai di tutti i paesi da diversi decennî e in secondo luogo perché i discorsi (tra l'altro quasi sempre infondati se si va a guardare le cifre) che giustificano questa tendenza sono praticamente gli stessi ovunque: l'idea che la giustizia sia troppo molle, che ci sia troppo buonismo e perdonismo, che le vittime si sentiranno meglio solo se i colpevoli subiranno le pene più dure, che la criminalità e la violenza siano fuori controllo, che la soluzione a qualunque problema sociale sia la creazione di nuove fattispecie di reati, e così via. Il libro affronta tutti questi e altri miti relativi a giustizia e carceri, e li smonta con pazienza con l'aiuto della logica e dei dati.

Ho apprezzato in particolare tre operazioni dell'autrice, anche perché compiute raramente quando si parla di giustizia penale.
La prima è l'aver parlato del nesso tra disagio mentale e carcerazione. Quante persone finiscono dietro le sbarre perché alle prese con problemi mentali e perché, senza nessuno che le segua e le aiuti, si ritrovano, spesso senza volerlo o persino senza consapevolezza, dalla parte sbagliata della legge? A leggere questo libro sono davvero tante sul totale dei detenuti, e allora si capisce come la prigione sia soprattutto una discarica di indesiderabili, per porre sotto controllo in maniera spiccia chi, suo malgrado, non rientra entro i confini della "normalità" mentale e comportamentale. La prigione come un nuovo manicomio, insomma, forse persino peggiore di quelli vecchî.
La seconda sono le lunghe pagine dedicate alla situazione delle persone trans. Sarebbe interessante avere dei dati relativi anche all'Italia, ma negli Stati Uniti le cifre dicono che essere persone trans, specie se di colore, faccia schizzare in alto il rischio di trovarsi nei guai con la legge, a causa di un sistema sociale e penale incapace di accettare le particolari situazioni di emarginazione di queste persone, situazioni frutto a loro volta di uno stigma potente, che solo in anni recenti e con gran fatica si sta cercando di erodere. Aggiungiamo che per una persona trans, specie se donna trans, finire dietro le sbarre significa subire quasi certamente violenza sessuale da parte degli altri detenuti, o anche direttamente dai secondini. Tutto questo è da tenere a mente tutte le volte che, di fronte al problema della transfobia, si pensa che la soluzione sia creare nuovi reati. Ma le persone ai margini della società non sia aiutano con "più prigione per tutti", anzi, semmai il contrario.
La terza è la capacità dell'autrice di non farsi intimidire, nel suo discorso critico, neanche dai reati considerati peggiori, come possono essere la violenza sessuale o l'omicidio, quelli che spingerebbero i più a "buttar via la chiave". Anche in questi casi estremi il sistema carcerario fa più danni che bene e l'autrice dimostra come nuovi approcci (gli esempî sono quelli della giustizia riparativa e della giustizia trasformativa) possano essere più utili ed efficaci sia per le vittime che per i trasgressori, per aiutare le prime a superare il trauma della vittimizzazione e i secondi a comprendere la gravità di ciò che hanno compiuto.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning about mass incarceration and prison abolition. The chapters are fairly short and the language isn’t too academic so this is an accessible read for people who want the information but don’t want to feel bogged down by academic text. This book also gives new information and perspectives even if you are already well-read on the topic. It was published in 2021, so it’s also one of the first books about prisons that I’ve seen that has been able to address COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic on people who are incarcerated.

Each chapter opens with a commonly shared belief about prisons or the criminal legal system and the author then explores where the myth came from and why it is widely held before challenging it and providing detailed information against it. This format really got me thinking about what myths I was still holding on to without realizing it and helped the author explore the difficult and layered issues within mass incarceration. Law frequently talks about the ways power and punishment affect different groups, including a strong focus on trans people who are often not counted by prison systems and can be made invisible in discussions about mass incarceration. I also appreciated that the author consistently uses quotes from letters and interviews with currently and formerly incarcerated people to support her points.

This book also resonated with me because of the author’s focus on the relationship between mass incarceration and domestic/sexual violence. I started learning more about abolition when I worked as a sexual assault victim advocate and saw repeatedly how the criminal punishment system fails survivors of violence and criminalizes them more than it helps them. The chapters in this book that focused on gender based violence confirmed a lot of what I saw as a victim advocate and gave me more insight into how many ways victims and survivors of violence are harmed by mass incarceration, both for victims whose attackers are incarcerated and for victims who are incarcerated themselves.

Overall this was an informative and insightful read. Law provides a list of recommended reading at the end of the book that I also plan on diving into.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely enlightening collection of essays regarding common misconceptions, or "myths," about mass incarceration in America. As much as I consider myself to be informed about many issues, most of the points the author made were foreign to me. Many of Law's assertions (as well as several indisputable facts) were hard to stomach. Having grown up in a conservative household and being closely related to people working in or close to the criminal "justice" field, it's not easy to face the ways I and my family/community have contributed to and perpetuated the harm it causes. Yet the pain of coming to terms with my complicity pales in comparison to that of individuals who have fallen victim to the system. I strongly urge my fellow privileged peers to read this book with an open mind and hope it will enlighten you about the harsh realities of a centuries-old corrupt, cancerous, and dangerous institution.

The -1 star rating was because of two reasons:

1. The chapters had quite a bit of overlap between them, and by that I mean several sentences, facts, etc were copied nearly verbatim from earlier in the book. Not an inherently bad thing, it just bothered me when reading large chunks at a time.
2. The author didn't provide many suggestions for how to get from our current system of mass incarceration to the abolishment of prisons/fails/detention centers. There were some, but not enough, in my opinion, particularly when arguing for such a monumental change.

[cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to say about the ways we all need to be reading this book and using it in our organizing. Others have said it better than I ever could, and best is really the author herself. If you prefer hearing her, check out this amazing webinar recording from Barnard Women's Center (link and description below).

http://bcrw.barnard.edu/event/prisons...

“Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration (April 2021) by journalist and activist Victoria Law offers a synthesis of the massive problem of prisons and policing by tracing the rise and cause of mass incarceration, myths about incarceration, misconceptions about incarcerated people, and steps to end mass incarceration on the way to abolition.

Through carefully conducted research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law identifies the 21 key myths that propel and maintain mass incarceration, including: the system is broken and we simply need some reforms to fix it; incarceration is necessary to keep our society safe; prison is an effective way to get people into drug treatment; private prison corporations drive mass incarceration; mass incarceration only affects Black cisgender men; and bringing up a history of abuse and violence is simply an “abuse excuse.”"

[Noodle’s Book Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very well written and I think for someone who is wanting to learn more about mass incarceration this is a great first step. For me I wish I had read this prior to some of my own knowledge because it became a bit repetitive and not exactly what I was looking for in this read.

If you’re just beginning your journey on this topic I would HIGHLY recommend, I think if you’ve already read books on mass incarceration this might fall a bit flat for you only because it reiterates some common talking points as most books about this topic.

Still a great refresher on some finer points for me though and still obviously well written and informative.

[Ken McDouall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Law presents a very readable survey of issues surrounding our exploding prison population. Though the information here is generally nothing that can't be found in any number of recent books on the subject, her organization of topics and discernment of these issues make this a very approachable book for those who might be discouraged from picking up a lengthy discourse. Brief chapters tackle topics such as convictions for violent crimes, rather than the drug convictions that are commonly thought to undergird mass incarceration; the real impact of private prisons; the efficacy of attempts at rehabilitation; the cruelty and nonsensical nature of the system we have; and many others besides. She is particularly astute when discussing the neglect and trauma suffered by victims of sexual and domestic violence. Highly recommended for all public and undergraduate libraries. Thanks to the publisher for making an advance reader copy available.

[Ai Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just so excellent. Law lays out the truth about each myth, from those that are perhaps obvious to people familiar with arguments against prisons to ones that I still hear repeated frequently by abolitionists (myths about slave labor in prisons!) It's wildly accessible, and does a great job of combining short chapters with a great deal of citation and also extra reading. You could absolutely use this in a classroom with high schoolers, in college classrooms, and you should DEFINITELY read it in reading groups about PIC abolition. I've heard Law note that this book pairs very neatly with Prison By Any Other Name which she co-wrote with Maya Schenwar as she was writing this book, and I would strongly agree. Start with this, and then read that!

[hannah akers · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable read. i’m really well informed on the topic so a lot of this wasn’t super new information but i learned about how mass incarceration trans people differently, which i haven’t read in depth about in any other abolitionist book (yet). also enjoyed touching on the nordic model and how it’s still not a solution. very well researched. so many stats too.