“Prisons are partial geographic solutions to political economic crises, organized by the state, which is itself in crisis.”

Mass incarceration is the direct result of capitalism in crisis. As much as we wish it was the result of big bad policy makers waking up and deciding to “lock up bad guys,” this has simply never been the case. However, this crisis of the state (and capitalism) does not mean that mass incarceration is inevitable. As Gilmore states, “crisis is not objectively good or bad, rather it signals a systemic change whose outcome is determined through struggle.”
Thus, if ideological posturing is the only force used against crisis, we are doomed to a cycle of inaction and capitalism chugs on, uninterrupted. Change is dependent upon the people, the masses, forcing that change. 

Gilmore brilliantly frames class struggle both domestically and internationally, focusing primarily on class warfare which really helped broaden my idea of abolition and how our struggle for abolition should look in the future, especially when it comes to the carceral system. Yet, it also weaves together geography, political economy, and anti-Black racism to show how states use race as a way to manage populations. 

I could write a paper on this book alone, but suffice it to say, go straight to the source material. It is absolutely worth your while.