In order to maintain the true definition and study of Prison Industrial Complex abolition—which Critical Resistance describes as “PIC abolition is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment. From where we are now, sometimes we can’t really imagine what abolition is going to look like. Abolition isn’t just about getting rid of buildings full of cages. It’s also about undoing the society we live in because the PIC both feeds on and maintains oppression and inequalities through punishment, violence, and controls millions of people. Because the PIC is not an isolated system, abolition is a broad strategy. An abolitionist vision means that we must build models today that can represent how we want to live in the future. It means developing practical strategies for taking small steps that move us toward making our dreams real and that lead us all to believe that things really could be different. It means living this vision in our daily lives. Abolition is both a practical organizing tool and a long-term goal”—for people who are newly interested in the belief, I wanted to create a collection of new useful abolitionist resources to use in development of abolitionist praxis. This selection of useful abolitionist pieces is by no means fully comprehensive, but it’s a small place to turn to if you decide that abolition is your end goal in fighting for true justice. As world-renown PIC abolitionist Mariame Kaba says, “Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.”
- So Is This Actually An Abolitionist Proposal or Strategy? by Interrupting Criminalization
- Beyond Criminal Courts by Rachel Foran and Zohra Ahmed, in collaboration with Andrea J. Ritchie, Mariame Kaba, and Woods Ervin
- Abortion Decriminalization is Part of the Larger Struggle Against Policing and Criminalization by Interrupting Criminalization
- Police Abolition 101 by Interrupting Criminalization
- What About the Rapists? by Interrupting Criminalization
