Reference Subject Guide: Abolition
Prison abolition has become a hot topic amongst revolutionary circles. As activists try to identify and combat the symptoms of late stage capitalism, the prison-industrial complex is the root cause of most, if not all, the struggles we face in the movement for collective liberation. As abolition during the last century was most centered around ending slavery, modern abolitionism is mainly involved with ridding society of policing and carceral punishment.
This guide will serve to share books, databases, journals, and more about what abolition is and how to take action. Whether studying academically or casually, there is a wealth of information about how abolition has evolved into what it is today.
Works Cited:
Abolition, abolitionjournal.org/.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow. The New Press, 2020.
Anderson, Ashlei. “Prison Abolition Is Needed Now: Prisons and Jails Do Not Keep Anyone Safe.” Prison Abolition Is Needed Now: Prisons and Jails Do Not Keep Anyone Safe | Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives | Georgetown Law, www.law.georgetown.edu/mcrp-journal/blog/prison-abolition-is-needed-now-prisons-and-jails-do-not-keep-anyone-safe/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
“The Banned Books in Your State Prisons: Search Engine & Database by the Marshall Project.” Critical Resistance, 2022, criticalresistance.org/resources/banned-books-database-tmp/.
Burns, Sarah. The Central Park Five: The Untold Story behind One of New York City’s Most Infamous Crimes. Vintage Books, 2012.
Coyle, Michael J., and David Scott. The Routledge International Handbook of Penal Abolition. Taylor & Francis Group, 2021.
Davis, Angela Y. “Race, Class and Incarceration.” Spotify, 1 Jan. 1999, open.spotify.com/track/4ZOXrjW4v7SWDqrvuuPaSK?si=B9x3trszRWCG_tfl1zOXjw&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A4CAWyoeSPevGr4NyTD9U3U.
DuVernay, Ava, director. 13th. Kandoo Films, 2016.
“A Guide to Books on Prison Abolition (Intro).” Abolition Notes, abolitionnotes.org/prison-abolition-books. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Hartnett, Stephen J. Challenging the Prison-Industrial Complex: Activism, Arts, and Educational Alternatives. University of Illinois Press, 2011.
Knopp, Fay Honey, et al. Instead of Prisons: A Handbook for Abolitionists. Critical Resistance, 2005.
Law, Victoria. “Rethinking Incarceration.” Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, 2022, www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ideas/rethinking-incarceration.
McLeod, Allegra M. Prison Abolition and Grounded Justice - UCLA Law Review, 2015, www.uclalawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/McLeod_6.2015.pdf.
Revolutionary Study Guide, 2016, dialecticalartist.wordpress.com/politicalresources/.
Scott, David, and Emma Bell. Against Imprisonment: An Anthology of Abolitionist Essays. Waterside Press, 2018.
Smith, Tiana. The Prison Abolition Movement (1985- ) •, 6 Feb. 2020, www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/prison-abolition-movement-1985/.












