61 Search results for "prison abolition"

The Unpretty Everyday Practices of Prison Abolition
The man grabs her arm tightly and presses her against the gate, and in someone’s fantasy this, without context, might have been erotic. I want it to be—for her sake, I’d say if you asked—but I also want it for mine. I do not want to personally get involved in a violent dispute between strangers, […]
Prison abolition is more than a lofty theoretical. It’s also unpretty, everyday practices of resisting state policing
The man grabs her arm tightly and presses her against the gate, and in someone’s fantasy this, without context, might have been erotic. I want it to be—for her sake, I’d say if you asked—but I also want it for mine. I do not want to personally get involved in a violent dispute between strangers, […]
An evening with Angela Davis inspired me to advocate for prison abolition for Black girls
by Stephanie Younger About a year ago, I had the amazing and unforgettable opportunity to meet legendary activist and prison abolitionist Dr. Angela Y. Davis. We met at the Afrikana Independent Film Festival where I was volunteering at as a youth ambassador. This Black film festival prides itself on celebrating cinematic arts through a “global […]
The Kalief Browder Docuseries Builds a Clear Case for Prison Abolition
State violence does not only show up as false arrests and physical harm. State violence is also the unwillingness of the State to rehabilitate those that are impacted by it’s terrorizing reach.
What does prison abolition mean to the mother whose son has been decapitated?
On February 17, 2005, New York City transit workers stumbled across two suspicious garbage bags beside the train tracks at the Nostrand Avenue stop in Brooklyn. The bags were filled with the remains of a dismembered 19-year-old queer Black man, Rashawn Brazell, who was supposed to meet with his mother for lunch that Valentine’s Day […]
Beth Richie on how anti-violence activism taught her to become a prison abolitionist
This post originally appeared on Feminist Wire and was written by Dr. Beth Richie. Dr. Richie is engaged in several research projects designed to explore the relationship between violence against women in low-income African American communities and violence. For more information go to http://www.uic.edu/depts/wsweb/people/faculty/richie. By: Dr. Beth Richie Sometimes we learn our most profound political lessons […]
It’s no surprise more women are being imprisoned as less men are. We need abolition, not reforms.
By Stanley Fritz Last year during Mother’s day weekend, the National Bail out Collective, a coalition of black organizers working, including participants from The Movement for Black Lives and multiple affiliated groups joined forces on an initiative whose main goal was to liberate hundreds of mothers and caregivers who had fallen victim to the criminal justice […]
The legacy of Christian Abolitionism
by Jo (Foderingham) Brown “When we say abolish police. We also mean the cop in your head and in your heart.” — Tourmaline Liberation theology is defined as “a movement in Christian theology that emphasizes liberation from social, political, and economic oppression.” This philosophy has been utilized in freedom struggles from Latin America to Palestine, […]
Big Pharma and the prison industry are colluding to overmedicate incarcerated populations
by Boké Saisi Large corporations that own brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Revlon, Old Navy and McDonald’s have come under public scrutiny for using Black and racialized prison labour to manufacture their commodities. Little attention, however, has been paid to Big Pharma’s predatory profiteering from prison labour and the practice of incarceration itself. The Prison […]
Why the plan to replace Rikers, or reform any prison, is doomed to perpetuate the problem
By Ragini Srikrishna and Monica Mohapatra Before the controversy around Amazon coming to New York dominated the headlines, the mayor and city officials were quietly working on opening four new skyscraper jails within the city. Although the city’s plan to close the Rikers jails complex solicited initial excitement within criminal justice communities, it has since […]
What do we do with abusers like R. Kelly if we abolish prisons?
Editor’s Note: This essay contains discussions of childhood sexual violence I didn’t order that extra whiskey ginger last week. I went home when my body told me to, even though it was still early and my friends were still partying. I rested when I got sick, or as much as I possibly could without missing […]
The story of Black queer women imprisoned for defending themselves to reminds us this criminal system cannot save us
By Gabrielle Noel The legal system was never built with Black queer people in mind. This system assigns victimhood, or refuses it, according to social biases, and society’s perception of who is more likely to be a victim or more credible thus affects who is allowed to receive justice. When it comes to sexual harassment, […]