Case Study

Compare the incarceration of the Mirabal sisters with the text, “Are Prisons Obsolete?” by Angela Davis, with the current state of the prison-industrial complex in the United States, and finally, with the current efforts in prison-abolition work. That’s four subjects for comparison, and ideally, four to five body paragraphs. • The apprehension and incarceration of the Mirabal sisters takes place in the second half of the novel, “In the Time of the Butterflies,” by Julia Alvarez, chapters 9 – PostScript (pages 190- 324). You are welcome to refer to quotes and plot detail beginning in chapter 8, but your plot focus will need to be the experience of the Mirabal sisters during their incarceration and afterwards. • When comparing the experience of the Mirabal sisters to Angela Davis’, “Are Prisons Obsolete?” you will need to carefully consider Davis’ ideas and points; then, you will need to address the current prison industrial complex in the United States and draw parallels from all three subjects. Finally, you will need to investigate current activism and action taking place to derail or dismantle the prison-industrial complex in the United States – what organization exist to end prisons or to greatly reduce prison populations? who are the speakers against prisons? what are their demands? Prompt: Please write your essay in response to this prompt:

In Angela Davis’, “Are Prisons Obsolete?”

She writes:

The question of whether the prison has become an obsolete institution has become especially urgent in light of the fact that more than two million people (out of a world total of nine million) now inhabit U.S. prisons, jails, youth facilities, and immigrant detention centers. Are we willing to relegate ever larger numbers of people from racially oppressed communities to an isolated existence marked by authoritarian regimes, violence, disease, and technologies of seclusion that produce severe mental instability? According to a recent study, there may be twice as many people suffering from mental illness who are in jails and prisons than there are in all psychiatric hospitals in the United States combined. (10)

Focusing on her question, “Are we willing to relegate ever larger numbers of people from racially oppressed communities to an isolated existence marked by authoritarian regimes, violence, disease, and technologies of seclusion that produce severe mental instability?” write a 4-5 page essay response. In your thesis, answer Davis’ question above and state your claim: what does incarceration do to people and how will we destroy the system of mass incarceration? To generate your answers for your thesis and your topic sentences, rely on Davis’ text, the experience of incarceration for the Mirabal sisters, your research on the current state of the prison industrial complex, and your research on the prison abolition work being done today.

Brainstorm:

To support brainstorming your connections among the texts, consider answering some of our previous Reader Response questions: • How do the SIM terrify and harass the Mirabals and their families? What threatening tactics are used? How does do Dedé and Jaimito change their understanding of the resistance following the arrests Manolo, Pedrito, Nelson and Leandro? How has the Trump administration used fear as a tactic to repress advocates of women’s rights, gay rights, prison abolition, and environmental health? (You will need to research your evidence). • What perversions do the Mirabal sisters and their husbands face in prison? How do they continue to resist the Trujillo regime even while incarcerated? • What is mass incarceration and why has it been largely permitted by US society? Why do corporations invest in private prisons and how to do they make money off of prisoners? Why do private prisons support Trump? How is Trump exacerbating mass incarceration? What prison abolitionist efforts exist today and how are activists, students, educators and members of society fighting mass incarceration?

Logistics: Your essay will need to be 4 to 5 pages, with a minimum of 4 pages, and a maximum of 5 pages. You will need 3 outside sources to support your claims; you will need to use in-text citations and create a Works Cited page.