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!