as an anarcho-communist i know that you're pro prison abolition, can you tell about possible alternatives to prisons and what is there to do with people who are seen as unredeemable (rapists, serial killers etc)? ive always wanted to ask other anarchists about this, i would also greatly appreciate if you recommend literature on this topic cuz im genuinely interested
This is a really interesting question which I hope to answer clearly, thank you for asking. Let me know if you still have any questions after reading.
My stance for prison abolishment is typical of what you might hear from other anarcho-communists. To try and keep it short, the current prison system does not work, it doesn’t rehabilitate prisoners for “society”, at least, those who need rehabilitation, because it often incarcerates people wrongly. Most of the current crime we see in society, is a result of societal flaws and theoretically, a lot of crime will become diminished if society changes. Most of the crime you see happen, is because of scarcity of resources, economic unfairness, or systemic marginalization. An anarcho communist society structured through mutual aid, common ownership, and universal access to resources would drastically decrease the frequency and severity of crime. An emphasis on social equity rather than reaction through coercive authority might improve the prison situation.
For those whose behavior is persistently dangerous, anarcho-communists favor a system that is non-punitive and non-carceral. This might include supportive intervention teams, community based supervision, or therapeutic environments focused on rehabilitation. Take the prison system in Norway as an example, they use educational, work based, or skill building vocational training programs to rehabilitate prisoners, mostly while still functioning in society, and even in some cases, prisoners remain in the program because they like it and it has helped them.
In severe cases where the prisoner might not rehabilitate smoothly, this could result in confining physical separation, still designed to be temporary and non-coercive, still focused on healing and rehabilitation, rather than incarceration as an institution. There are many psychology theories that suggest other (voluntary) methods can help rehabilitate the criminal, such as hypnosis or something like that… (ik it sounds crazy, but it’s an actually scientifically proven psychology, and I can be a witness to it, as it has worked with me and my religious trauma)
As for those who are deemed “true criminals”(rapists/murderers/etc) the question is more complex. In an anarchist or communist society, they might typically be banished from said society, and only allowed back into the society by the approval of the people. In most cases, the people may democratically decide what to do with these criminals, and unfortunately, in some cases… theorists are not against the death penalty, for many reasons. This may seem not very humane coming from an anarchocommunist, but the amount of people that would fit this scenario is LESS than 0.01%…. And the worry about banishing them from a society is that they may create their own society that will only worsen their symptoms or ideology, and still pose a threat to everyone else. It is a touchy and very complex subject, so I won’t dive too deep into it besides that…
I’ve only read a small amount of literature on the subject of prision abolishment unfortunately, but what I have read, has answered a lot of the questions I previously had myself.
Here are some readings I may suggest:
Highly suggested but longer:
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/prison-research-education-action-project-instead-of-prisons
Prison Research Education Action Project Instead of Prisons A Handbook for Abolitionists 1976
Also suggested (medium length):
Bob Black An Anarchist Response to “An Anarchist Response to Crime” 2011 Response to “The Anarchist Response to Crime” by Scott of the Insur
Kim Kelly What the Prison-Abolition Movement Wants December 26, 2019 Kim Kelly is an anarchist coloumnist for Teen Vogue.
