Abolition Study Group

If You’re New to Abolition: Study Group Forming

Abolition is about presence, not absence. It’s about building life-affirming institutions. – Ruth Wilson Gilmore

You may be new to abolition as a movement or concept. While definitions range widely, the essence of abolitionism is the construction of a society without imprisonment and policing. It is about dismantling institutions and systems like prisons, jails, detention centers, psychiatric institutions, policing, immigration restriction, state surveillance, and many others.

However, it is also about  building. Prison abolitionists follow those dreamers and warriors who imagined an end to the slave economy and settler colonialism on which the US was founded. We imagine what would be required for a society without prisons, and propose different means to support collective thriving and more effective ways to address harms.

You can read many definitions of abolition–we like this definition from the organization Critical Resistance, whose materials are utilized a lot in this study guide.

This will be an 8-session series: six sessions of topics plus an introductory and a closing session.  Each session requires “homework.”  Please preview this study guide, particularly the “Welcome” section, and let Rev. Karen know if you’re interested in being part of the study group.