Truthout
The Road to Abolition
Exploring abolition — both in imagination and in practice — and the movement toward a more liberated future.
Series Introduction
Amid this galvanizing moment of uprisings and calls to defund the police, Truthout has gathered together some of our most important work on the abolition of policing and prisons. For a decade, we’ve been documenting this work and the ideas behind it. In this feature, we’ve gathered together some recent and past pieces that can help us to envision abolition — both the imagination and the practice of it — and move together toward a more liberated future.
Honduran Activists Are Protesting “State of Emergency” That Suspends Civil Rights
Activists say the measure implemented as part of a “war on extortion” actually amounts to a criminalization of poverty.
These Men Fought White Supremacists and Got Sentenced to Over 200 Years
How the criminal legal system slammed two Black men for standing up to white supremacist guards in an Indiana prison.
After 28 Years Behind Bars, Harm Reduction Brought Me and My Brother Together
I started harm reduction work in prison after years of addiction. It’s helped me build relationships I never expected.
While Ex-Elected Officials Invest in Cannabis, I Remain in Prison for Selling It
I've spent over 24 years in prison for marijuana charges while others profit from it. How is this fair?
Formerly Incarcerated People Seek Discrimination Protection as “Protected Class”
Formerly incarcerated people in Atlanta won collective protection from discrimination, inspiring organizing nationwide.
Beyond Valentines: Five Ways to Write Letters That Can Change the World
Join me in writing letters in support of clemency, letters to the editor, letters to people in prison, and more.
Biden Pledged to Take On “Junk Fees.” He Should Start With Jails and Prisons.
Private prison companies use junk fees to extract profits from incarcerated people who have no other options.
A Victory for Abolitionists: ICE-Run Immigration Prison Shuts Down Today
It took nearly a decade of exposing the patterns of abuse and neglect at the facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Let’s Abolish Systems That Criminalize and Punish Survivors of Abuse
U.S. courts often reject domestic and sexual violence as legitimate justifications for self-defense.
Record Police Killings in 2022 Show Need to Continue Organizing for Abolition
Building power and transformation is about encouraging the grassroots while confronting a resilient carceral state.