Abolition of police and prisons

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Abolish is to flourish! Against the prison industrial complex and for transformative justice.

See Critical Resistance's definitions below:

The Prison Industrial Complex

The prison industrial complex (PIC) is a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems.

Through its reach and impact, the PIC helps and maintains the authority of people who get their power through racial, economic and other privileges. There are many ways this power is collected and maintained through the PIC, including creating mass media images that keep alive stereotypes of people of color, poor people, queer people, immigrants, youth, and other oppressed communities as criminal, delinquent, or deviant. This power is also maintained by earning huge profits for private companies that deal with prisons and police forces; helping earn political gains for "tough on crime" politicians; increasing the influence of prison guard and police unions; and eliminating social and political dissent by oppressed communities that make demands for self-determination and reorganization of power in the US.

Abolition

PIC abolition is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment.

From where we are now, sometimes we can't really imagine what abolition is going to look like. Abolition isn't just about getting rid of buildings full of cages. It's also about undoing the society we live in because the PIC both feeds on and maintains oppression and inequalities through punishment, violence, and controls millions of people. Because the PIC is not an isolated system, abolition is a broad strategy. An abolitionist vision means that we must build models today that can represent how we want to live in the future. It means developing practical strategies for taking small steps that move us toward making our dreams real and that lead us all to believe that things really could be different. It means living this vision in our daily lives.

Abolition is both a practical organizing tool and a long-term goal.

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'Relic of slavery': California lawmakers are trying again to raise pay for incarcerated workers (calmatters.org)

submitted 3 days ago by technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/abolition@slrpnk.net

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Many people in California prisons and jails work for less than $1 an hour. Lawmakers are advancing two bills that could lead to wage increases for some of them.

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[–] Sarmyth@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

My uncle who was in prison told me he voted against this last time because he believes if they have to pay prisoners comparable wages, they'll just give the work to contractors they are related to and charge the state.

He also told me that they can give 10 guys cleaning jobs, which gets them some spending money, time out of the cell, and extra perks when they would hire 1 outsider for that cost and have to deny access to that area while they work.

I've never been in prison, so I dont really know, but he and his old cell mate both expressed that the intent was good but the reality would be a negative for prisoners.

[–] Five@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Your uncle is correct in that work isn't given to inmates for their benefit or edification. It's to line the pockets of those in charge. If the state wanted prisoners to more easily 're-integrate' into society, they would let them form unions and pay them a decent wage for their labor. Instead, they'll either abuse their authority to get the inmates to work for peanuts and pocket the difference, or they'll pass the work to one of their cronies.

One of the roles of prison labor is to undermine organized labor outside of the prison. Prisoners are often employed outside of the prison in addition to doing work to maintain the prison. By forcing them to compete for jobs with slaves, it undermines non-incarcerated laborers' bargaining power and pressures them to accept conditions closer to incarceration.

I don't blame your uncle for his position; life in prison is extremely tedious, and the quality of what you're given makes commissary essential. People outside need to organize with people inside to create a situation that benefits both.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Is it a relic of slavery, or just plain 'ol slavery?

...cuz prison labor is just plain 'ol slavery.

[–] SweetCitrusBuzz@beehaw.org 5 points 2 days ago

Yes, prisons are a relic of slavery. They should be abolished. This isn't good enough, even if it helps, it's not where we should be.