Does the Seattle shooting prove a society can’t function without prisons?

[SolitarySolace]

Three people were killed and four others—including a toddler—were wounded at the Bite of Seattle after police say two people exchanged gunfire outside the Seattle Center Armory.

Seattle Police:
https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2026/07/27/gun-violence-at-seattle-center-takes-three-lives/

The DSA’s national program calls for taking steps toward fully abolishing the police and prison system:
https://program.dsausa.org/

To me, cases like this demonstrate why abolishing prisons is an extraordinarily reckless idea. Violent offenders do not disappear because prisons disappear. Society still needs a secure way to incapacitate people convicted of murder, rape, serious assault, and other dangerous crimes.

This is also why I keep telling people to read the whole DSA platform, rather than considering only popular proposals such as healthcare or housing. The same program also proposes major changes to the existing constitutional system.

Do you think a society can realistically function without prisons?

Yes — prisons should ultimately be abolished

No — prisons remain necessary

[Just_Ken]

You only have to look at the migrant rape and gang rape epidemic in Europe.

They commit these crimes because there's little to no legal repercussions other than a slap on the wrist by a very liberal judge or 5 year jail sentence that they serve 2 years of and then released for good behaviour. The prisons of course are more like hotels with plenty of leisure, tv, education and exercise. Then they don't even get deported because "human rights".

[Kaneki05]

Prisons are needed, even if we succussed at making wealth disparity and class issues a thing of the past, built strong social structures and communities.
It would drastically reduce many crimes but crime would still persist.
The idea should not be to remove them but to filter better who can be let out or not and making that transition for those who can far more supported than ya know being let out and to no surprise they commit another crime because they saw no other option.

[exitseven]

If anything, we need more prisons and longer prison sentences,. They should not be like vacation resorts either.

[strateguy632]

prisons are the humane alternative to whipping.

[Cidknee]

So far we can't.