Thereadingschallengedustorethinksomeofourassumptions aboutabolition

“This article cleared up many misconceptions about what abolitionist means. I always thought that abolitionists worked to stop the use of prisons and incarceration with no middle ground. But now I get it. That in order to bring about change abolition must be the goal. Like it said in the reading abolitionists must stay with that goal in order to bring at least small changes that take the state’s power to dehumanize those already marginalized by society.” ~Katt & Mauro

“It’s so important to consider not just tearing down prisons, but how can we actually build up something better.” ~Sylvia (outside member)

Toquestiontheideaofpunishmentitself

“Maybe our focus should be less on prison abolition than on punishment abolition. Of course, dismantling the paradigm of punishment necessarily includes abolishing prisons, but it goes beyond that. Punishment never teaches people morality… It only teaches how to be obedient.” ~Dymitri

“Punishment is the easy button. It doesn’t require thought and society gets to feel like, ‘We took action; we fixed it.’ But usually it’s only made things worse, not just for the directly affected individuals but for families and others on both sides.” ~Felanie

It’s not just ‘what do we do’ with people after they’ve done violence, it’s also everything leading up to that point, including thinking about how we can cultivate environments that allow people to hold themselves accountable (in contrast to the existing punishment system that radically discourages any personal responsibility and acceptance of blame).” ~Caz

“I loved the quote, ‘Abolition is about presence, not absence. It’s about building life-affirming institutions.’ That gets lost in the convos I have about abolition. What are the life-affirming institutions we should push for? What do I say when people ask “so if prisons are gone, what is there instead?” I grew up taking prisons for granted, like most ppl, I think, so it’s hard too to fully wrap my head around what abolition really means, in the end.” ~Dymitri

I don't think that we can effectively reduce violence in our communities without engaging with people who have experienced harm, but also people who have done harm, and the traumas they have likely experienced. There's just no way to actually be reducing harm in our communities without being engaged with folks. ~Anja

Maybe just maybe, now's the time to push for our prison alternatives. The time seems more ripe now than ever. ~Anastasia

“It really puts into perspective how backwards we have it. And how much more helpful it could be to have alternative responses to these scenarios and how feasible it seems when you read the alternatives that are out there.” ~Racheli

“The ways we're trying to support each other and resist the violence of the system can also be a way that we come together and connect with each other and build our own systems.” ~Dorsey

From: Who’s Left: Prison Abolition

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