"Socialism and prison are antagonistic terms."

Eugene Debs, ~1920

I just finished Debs' incredible Walls and Bars: Prison and Prison Life in the 'Land of the Free', a collection of essays published after his death in 1927.

Debs was a socialist and an ardent prison abolitionist, and saw the two as inextricable. Sharing some more quotes below:

"The prison at present is at best a monumental evil and a burning shame to society. It ought not merely to be reformed but abolished as an institution for punishment and degradation of unfortunate human beings." (1926)

"Multiplied thousands of men, women & children are killed & maimed in American industry by absolutely preventable accidents every year, yet no one ever dreams of indicting the capitalist masters who are guilty of the crime...(cont)"

...Laws in the aggregate are largely to keep the people in subjection to their masters."

"Capitalism needs and must have the prison to protect itself from the criminals it has created"

"There is an intimate relation between the poorhouse and the prison. Both are made necessary in a society which is based upon exploitation."

"Socialism will abolish the prison by removing its cause and putting an end to the vicious conditions which make a hideous thing as the prison a necessity in the community life."

I really enjoyed this book, both as an analysis of prisons and capitalism, and also as a reminder that history is much more radical than we're taught, and prison abolition is not new!

I will say, the most glaring disappointment from this book is that Debs doesn't appear to have really any analysis of race or racism as it relates to the prison or capitalism, at least in this book (haven't read or studied Debs' other work, but yeah it's glaring here).