Abolitionism and Carcerality: Reflections, Perspectives, and Approaches

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

This panel considers the intersection of abolitionism and practices in and adjacent to the American carceral system. Through personal and professional reflections, we discuss how we conceptualize the role of abolition in criminology and criminal justice education, settings, and policies. The first paper examines the injection of trauma-informed care in juvenile detention and underscores the tension between the trauma embedded in carceral spaces and abolitionist and reformist reforms. Utilizing personal and professional perspectives, the second paper draws from a Black queer criminologist's experiences to comprehend the complexity of working within a discipline inextricably linked to the carceral system. The third paper, discusses abolition as it relates to reproductive health care, or the lack of it, in carceral settings. Finally, the fourth paper critiques contemporary harm reduction strategies to argue that the integration of abolitionist principles into harm reduction can address the root causes of addiction and institutional harms. Largely, this panel bridges together critiques of punitiveness within the carceral system, advocating for a paradigm shift toward transformative and community-centered solutions.

Subtopic

• Topic 6: Perceptions of Crime and Justice / Attitudes about Punishment and Criminal Justice System

Chair

• Alessandra Early, John Jay College

Individual Presentations

• An Abolitionist Perspective of Trauma-Informed Care in Juvenile Detention - Nicole McKenna, John Jay College; Valerie Anderson, University of Missouri-St.Louis

• The Scarlet "A" of Criminology and Criminal Justice: Abolition, Positionality, and Pedagogy - Alessandra Early, John Jay College

• Abolition and Reproductive Justice: Addressing Health Care Deprivation in U.S. Prisons - Nicole McKenna, John Jay College; Katie Leigh, University of Cincinnati

• Abolition as Harm Reduction - Roger Schaefer, Central Washington University; Alessandra Early, John Jay College