Abolish Criminology: An Introduction

• In Event: Abolish Criminology: Book Panel and Discussion

Abstract

This introduction to the edited collection Abolish Criminology contextualizes the times during which the bulk of this book was written. These were years shaped by the global pandemic that sent so many around the globe into lockdown, and the rise of Black Lives Matter protests as the murder of George Floyd and countless Black and Indigenous victims of policing pushed so many disenfranchised communities over the edge of putting up and staying quiet. This was also a time of reckoning as many within privileged communities and dominant cultures could no longer turn a blind eye as gruesome images of policing in broad daylight went viral. In this introduction we reflect on that context in relation to the chapters that comprise this book. We provide a summary of each chapter to provide an overview on why the abolition of criminology is necessary and needs attention in the on-going fights against colonialism, heteropatriarchy, and white supremacy.

Authors

• Viviane Saleh-Hanna, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

• Jason M. Williams, Montclair State University

• Michael J. Coyle, California State University, Chico