Introduction to Abolition: 2022 reading list

Welcome to our full Reading List for 2022.

Our aims is for this reading list to introduce you to a range of abolitionist ideas via short, accessible and introductory texts, podcasts and videos. We hope these resources spark informed discussions of abolitionist ideas to take with you to work places, campaign meetings, and conversations with friends and family.

The reading list will guide you on a journey exploring:

  • What does abolition mean in practice and how do we go about it?

  • How might we need to alter our thinking, practices and social institutions to build a world without prisons and policing?

The suggested reading list is not exhaustive and inevitably has many gaps and limitations. This is both because it is not possible to cover everything within six weeks. But there are lots of links to further resources.

Abolitionists have a long and diverse tradition of thinking and organising around these questions. Abolition has been influenced by a range of perspectives, including the radical black tradition, indigenous organising, marxist and anarchist ideas, queer and feminist analysis.

A fair number of the readings are from the US. This is in part due to the more established abolitionist organising there. However, it is important to bear in mind that there are significant differences in context, and we can’t simply import US analysis or strategies to Britain, Ireland and elsewhere. The readings have been chosen to offer some starting points for discussion, including how lessons learned across different contexts might be useful in thinking about your own local situation.

The reading list below is our most recent (2022) edition. If you are looking for our 2018-2021 Reading List version it is here.

Note: If you want to set up your own group, check out our guidance on setting up a reading group and our handy facilitators guide.

Contents

Session 1: Introduction to Abolition

Session 2: What is wrong with reform?

Session 3: Feminist, Queer and Anti-racist Abolition

Session 4: Policing, Anti-Racism and Abolition

Session 5: Transformative Justice and Abolition

Session 6: Everyday Abolition

Further Resources and Reading!


Session 1: Introduction to abolition

Core Reading:

  1. Mariame Kaba (2020) ‘So You’re Thinking about Becoming an Abolitionist’ [4 pages]

  2. Angela Davis. (2003) ‘Introduction: Prison Reform or Prison Abolition?; Are Prisons Obsolete? New York: Seven Stories Press, P. 9-21 [12 pages]

  3. Critical Resistance. (no date) What is Abolition? [1 page]

  4. Prison Research Education Action Project (1976) ‘Diminishing / Dismantling the Prison System,’ from Instead of Prisons: A Handbook for Abolitionists. [4 pages].

  5. Radical Alternatives to Prison (RAP). (1979) Editorial from the first issue of The Abolitionist.

Further reading:

Session 2: What’s wrong with reform? What are non-reformist reforms?

Core Reading:

  1. Berger, Dan and Mariame Kaba and David Stein (2017). ‘What Abolitionists do,’ Jacobinmag.com  [5 pages]

  2. Murakawa, Naomi & #BlackLivesMatter (2015) Liberals, Guns and the Roots of the U.S. Prison Explosion  (2015). [Video] The Laura Flanders Show. *Note: For the purpose of the abolition versus reform discussion, the first 14 minutes are key, but if you have time, the first 21 minutes are recommended.

  3. Ben-Moshe, Liat. (2013) The Tension Between Abolition and Reform. In: Nagel, M. E. and Nocella, A. J. (eds.) The End of Prisons: Reflections from the Decarceration Movement. Amsterdam: Value Inquiry Book Series, pp.83-92. 

  4. Kaba, Mariame (2014) ‘Police “Reforms” You Should Always Oppose’ Truth-Out. [1 page].

  5. Abolitionist Futures (2020) Reformist Reforms vs Abolitionist Steps for Policing [1 page]


Further Reading:

Session 3: Feminist, queer, antiracist approaches to abolition

Core Reading: 

  1. Critical Resistance and INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence (2008) Statement on Gender Violence and the Prison Industrial Complex [3 pages]

  2. Richie, Beth. (2014) ‘How Anti-Violence Activism Taught Me to Become a Prison Abolitionist’ FeministWire.org. [2 pages]

  3. Sudbury, Julia (now Julia Chinyere Opara) (2006) ‘Rethinking Antiviolence Strategies: Lessons from the Black Women’s Movement in Britain’ in Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology  p. 13-24. Available from [12 pages]

  4. Bassichis, Morgan and Alexander Lee and Dean Spade. (2011) ‘Building an Abolitionist Trans and Queer Movement with Everything We’ve Got’. In: Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, Oakland: AK Press, p.15-19 &  33-37. [10 pages]

  5. S Lamble (2021) The false promise of hate crime laws AbolitionistFutures.com [4 pages]

Further reading:

Session 4: Policing, Anti-Racism and Abolition

Core Reading:

  1. Defund the Police [Video by Project NIA]  [4 min]

  2. Mediocre Dave (2021) Policing by Consent Abolitionist Futures. [8 pages]

  3. Sarah Uncles (2020) The slow pace of urgent change to prevent deaths in police custody. Open Democracy. [7 pages]

  4. Adam Elliot-Cooper (2021) Excerpt from Chapter 6: Futures of Black resistance: disruption, rebellion, abolition. Black Resistance to British Policing. Manchester University Press, p.172–183. [12 pages]

  5. Should I call the Police? Steps to ask yourself before calling the police [2-pages]

Further reading:

Session 5: Transformative Justice and Abolition

Core Reading:

  1. Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective (2014) ‘Transformative Justice and Community Accountability’ [1 page]

  2. Barnard Centre for Research on Women / Project NIA (2020) The modern roots of transformative justice. [8 min video]

  3. Creative Interventions Project (2020) What is our bigger vision? (Section 1, page 16-17). Creative Interventions Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Stop Interpersonal Violence. [2 pages]

  4. GenerationFive (2017) ‘Community Response and Accountability & ‘Transformation of Community and Social Conditions that Create and Perpetuate Violence’ in Ending Child Sexual Abuse: A Transformative Justice Handbook, p. 56-61. [6 pages]

  5. Kai Cheng Thom (2020) What to do when you’ve been abusive. Truthout. (Also published in Beyond Survival Book] [12 pages]

Further reading:

Session 6: Everday Abolition

Core Reading:

  1. Barnard Center for Research on Women / Project NIA (2020) Everyday Practices of Transformative Justice [video]. Featuring Shira Hassan, Martina Kartman, Rachel Herzing, Mia Mingus, Priya Rai, Lea Roth, and Sonya Shah. [14min] 

  2. S Lamble  (2021) Practicing Everyday Abolition. In: Abolishing the Police. Edited by Koshka Duff & Illustrated by Cat Sims. Dog Section Press, p. 147-160. [13 pages]   

  3. Dean Spade (2020) Three Key Elements of Mutual Aid.  Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this crisis and the next, p. 9- 20.

  4. Mia Mingus (2020) Pods and Pod-Mapping Worksheet. In: Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement, Edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Oakland, AK press,p. 119-125. [6 pages]  

  5. Ann Russo (2019) Chapter 6: Everyday Responses to Everyday Violence. Feminist Accountability: Disrupting Violence and Transforming Power. New York: New York University Press, p. 132-142. [10 pages]

Everyday Examples:

Further Reading/Other Abolitionist Reading Lists: