By Micah Herskind on Medium
Last updated: June 2020
“Remember to imagine and craft the worlds you cannot live without, just as you dismantle the worlds you cannot live within.”
This resource guide offers introductory sources on policing, prisons, and punishment that have been particularly helpful for me over the past several years. You can find another truly fantastic resource hub, created by Mariame Kaba, here.
In general, I’ve tried to list shorter pieces, articles, and listening/viewing material. Though the sources are organized thematically, there is no issue in the carceral state that doesn’t intersect with another; therefore, most of the categories are necessarily false divides used for purposes of organization. In places where I’ve listed books, I include a link to the book or to an interview with the author.
Contents:
Prison Policy Initiative, “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020.”
Chandra Bozelko, “A Primer on Mass Incarceration,” 2018.
The Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions**,** “An Open Letter to Our Friends on the Question of Language.”
Shorter Pieces
Dan Berger, Mariame Kaba, and David Stein, “What Abolitionists Do,” 2017.
Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes**,** “A Jailbreak of the Imagination: Seeing Prisons for What They Are and Demanding Transformation,” 2018.
Rachel Kushner, “Is Prison Necessary? Ruth Wilson Gilmore Might Change Your Mind,” 2019.
Elisabeth Epps, “Amber Guyger Should Not Go to Prison,” 2019.
Mariame Kaba and John Duda, “Toward the Horizon of Abolition: A Conversation with Mariame Kaba,” 2017.