RESOURCES

Abolition and Transformative Justice Resources

Much has been written not only on how to implement a system of justice designed for reparation instead of retribution, there’s mounting experiential evidence of the advantages of these approaches.

BOOKS

Are Prisons Obsolete? (Angela Davis) (free!)

Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black (bell hooks)

Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire) (free!)

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (Michelle Alexander)

Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons (Various Authors; edited by Colin Kaepernick

Prison by Any Other Name (Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law)

The End of Policing (Alex Vitale)

White Reconstruction: Domestic Warfare and the Logistics of Genocide (Dylan Rodriguez)

Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing (Ruth Wilson Gilmore)

Change Everything: Racial Capitalism and the Case for Abolition (Ruth Wilson Gilmore)

Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation (Ruth Wilson Gilmore)

No More Police: A Case for Abolition Book (Andrea Ritchie and Mariame Kaba) (see below for companion study guide)

We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (Mariame Kaba)

Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color (Andrea Ritchie)

Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom (Derecka Purnell)

How to Abolish Prisons: Lessons from the Movement Against Imprisonment (Rachel Herzing and Justin Piché)

Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings that Formed the Movement (Kimberlé Crenshaw)

The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America (Naomi Murakawa)

Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families — and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World (Dorothy Roberts)

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (Alisa Bierria)

No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity (Sarah Haley)

Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation (Beth Ritchie)

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (Robin DiAngelo)

The War Before: The True Life Story of Becoming A Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in Prison & Fighting for Those Left Behind (Safiya Bukhari)

Abolition Feminisms, Vol. 1: Organizing, Survival, and Transformative Practice (Alisa Bierria, Jakeya Caruthers and Brooke Lober)

Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America (Kristian Williams)

Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology! (INCITE!)

How to Not Call the Po'Lice Ever (POOR Press)

Abolishing the Police (Koshka Duff and Cat Sims)

Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership (Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor)

Abolishing State Violence A World Beyond Bombs, Borders, and Cages (Ray Acheson)

Badges without Borders How Global Counterinsurgency Transformed American Policing (Stuart Schrader)

The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America (Khalil Gibran Muhammad)

An Abolitionist's Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World (Patrisse Cullors)

The Streets Belong to Us: Sex, Race, and Police Power from Segregation to Gentrification (Anne Gray Fischer)

Assata Taught Me: State Violence, Racial Capitalism, and the Movement for Black Lives (Donna Murch)

The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison (Hugh Ryan)

Insurgent Love: Abolition and Domestic Homicide (Ardath Whynacht)

Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable (Joanna Schwartz)

Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present (Robyn Maynard)

Rehearsals for Living (Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson)

N*gga Theory: Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law (Joey David Armour)

Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism: The Hidden Costs of Being Black in America (Joey David Armour)

From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America (Elizabeth Hinton)

Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter (Jordan T. Camp and Christina Heatherton)

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America (James Forman Jr.)

Violence Work: State Power and the Limits of Police (Micol Seigel)

Chokehold: Policing Black Men (Paul Butler)

Coal, Cages, Crisis: The Rise of the Prison Economy in Central Appalachia (Judah Schept)

WEBSITES

TOOLKITS, CURRICULA, GUIDES, PRINTOUTS AND REPORTS

Creative Interventions Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Stop Interpersonal Violence (Creative Interventions / INCITE!) (100 pages)

Your #AbolitionForThePeople Resource Guide

So is this Actually an Abolitionist Proposal or Strategy? (Interrupting Criminalization)

Concrete Steps Toward Divestment from Policing & Investment in Community Safety (Interrupting Criminalization / The Movement for Black Lives)

The Demand is Still #DefundPolice (Interrupting Criminalization)

What's Next? Safer and More Just Communities Without Policing (Interrupting Criminalization)

In It Together: A Framework for Conflict Transformation in Movement-Building Groups (Interrupting Criminalization)

What About the Rapists? (An Abolitionist FAQ) (Interrupting Criminalization)

A (Companion) Reading and Discussion Guide for No More Police: A Case for Abolition by Mariame Kaba and Andrea J. Ritchie (Interrupting Criminalization)

Reimagining Justice: The Challenges of Violence & Punitive Excess (Bruce Western, Daedalus, American Academy of Arts & Sciences)

Police and Prison Abolition 101: A Syllabus and FAQ (Rachel Kincaid)

If You’re New to Abolition: Study Group Guide (Abolition Journal)

Reformist Reforms vs. Abolitionist Steps in Policing (Critical Resistance)

Policing in the USA, 1492-Present: A Timeline (Critical Resistance Oakland / Working Families)

#DefundPolice (BCRW Social Justice Institute)

What’s Next? Safer and More Just Communities Without Policing (BCRW Social Justice Institute)

Stop Law Enforcement Violence Toolkit (INCITE!)

A Revenue Generation Playbook: How to Fully Fund Our Communities (Action Center on Race & the Economy / The Community Resource Hub for Safety & Accountability)

How to Start Your Own Courtwatch (Survived & Punished)

We Came to Learn: A Call to Action for Police-Free Schools (Advancement Project)

Freedom to Thrive (Popular Democracy)

Agenda to Build Black Futures (Black Youth Project 100)

Police and Prison Abolition Resource Guide/Syllabus (Thinking Abolition)

Navigating DOJ Consent Decrees in the Context of Campaigns to Defund Police (Community Resource Hub for Safety & Accountability)

Help is NOT on the Way: How Family Policing Perpetuates State Directed Terror (upEND Movement)

Get in Formation: A Community Safety Toolkit (vision change win)

No Abolition Without Autonomy (Hasta Muerte Coffee, Huichin Village and Lisjan Ohlone territory)

The Prison Industry (Worth Rises)

Reimagining Judging (The Square One Project)

States Can Help Reduce the Burdens of Harmful Fines and Fees. Here’s How. (Tax Policy Center / Urban Institute)

1850 Slave Patrol vs 2015 Law Enforcement (Interracial Jawn)

In the Belly, Vol. 1 (In the Belly)

In the Belly, Vol. 2 (In the Belly)

In the Belly, Vol. 3 (In the Belly)

In the Belly, Vol. 4 (In the Belly)

The TEN DEMANDS Abolitionist Guide for Community Organizers and City Councils (TEN DEMANDS)

STUDIES AND REPORTS

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

What About the Rapists and Murderers? (Angel Parker)

So You’re Thinking About Becoming an Abolitionist (A Roadmap) (Mariame Kaba)

Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police (Mariame Kaba)

Police ‘Reforms’ You Should Always Oppose (Mariame Kaba)

The Demand for Abolition (Colin Kaepernick)

Why Arguments Against Abolition Inevitably Fail (Angela Davis)

Instead of Rehabilitation, Prisons Fuel a Vicious Cycle of Instability (Phillip A. Jones)

Cops Don't Stop Mass Shooters, Community Investments Do (AWKWORD)

What happens in prison becomes the norm (William C. Anderson)

We Don’t Need Cops to Become Social Workers: We Need Peer Support + Community Response Networks (Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu)

What Is and What Could Be: The Policies of Abolition (Dan Berger and David Stein)

From One Struggle to Another: Lessons From the First Abolition Movement (Mumia Abu-Jamal)

How to Build a Global Abolition Movement (Brendan O'Connor)

Police Reform Works — For the Police (Naomi Murakawa)

Reformism Isn’t Liberation, It’s Counterinsurgency (Dylan Rodriguez)

The System Is Built for Power, Not Justice (Derecka Purnell)

Black Cops Don’t Make Policing Any Less Anti-Black (Bree Newsome Bass)

The Shiny, High-Tech Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Ruha Benjamin)

We Must Center Black Women (Kimberlé Crenshaw)

How Abolition Makes Schools Safer (Kihana Miraya Ross)

We Don’t Need Cops to Become Social Workers: We Need Peer Support + Community Response Networks (Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu)

Pop Culture Helped Turn Police Officers Into Rock Stars — And Black Folks Into Criminals (Mark Anthony Neal)

The Feds Are Watching: A History of Resisting Anti-Black Surveillance (Simone Browne)

Prisons Are a Public Health Crisis — and the Cure Is Right in Front of Us (Kenyon Farrow)

Disability Justice Is an Essential Part of Abolishing Police and Prisons (Talila "TL" Lewis)

Broken Chains & Colonial Cages (Morning Star Gali)

The Queer and Trans Fight for Liberation — and Abolition (Dean Spade)

Why We're Fighting for a World Without ICE (Cristina Jiménez Moreta and Cynthia Garcia)

Policing Has Failed: For Real Public Safety, We Need A Million Community-Driven Experiments (Mary Hooks, Movement for Black Lives)

How I Became an Abolitionist (Derecka Purnell)

Reckoning with Violence (Michelle Alexander)

Abolish Family Policing, Too (Dorothy Roberts)

What's in a Movement? Understanding Resistance, Justice & Allies (Olayemi Olurin)

Looking back at the Black Panther Party's community-based 'survival programs' (Elías Villoro)

The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration (Ta-Nehisi Coates)

What Will it Take to Stop the Police from Killing (CrimethInc.)

Broken Windows Policing (Bench Ansfield)

How to End the US Prison State Quick and Easy (Lee Camp)

The George Floyd Killing in Minneapolis Exposes the Failures of Police Reform (Alice Speri)

Stemming Violence by Investing in Civic Goods (Jennifer Doleac and Anna Harvey)

Policing and Militarism Go Hand in Hand. We Must Abolish Both. (Destiny Harris)

Media Indifference to Report on Deadly Chicago Water Contamination an Object Lesson in How Crime is Socially Constructed (Adam Johnson)

Arrests for Low-Level Crimes Climb Under NYC Mayor Eric Adams (and don't improve public safety) (Fola Akinnibi)

The Rise of Defund the Police: The New Civil Rights Movement 2.0 (Nick, TEN DEMANDS)

The Case of Ramsey Orta (AWKWORD)

The Case of Temujin Kensu (AWKWORD)

Prisons Serving as Litmus Test for How Governments Worldwide are Responding to COVID-19 (AWKWORD)

INTERVIEWS

VIDEOS

So after we abolish prisons and policing... then what? (Derecka Purnell and Charlene Carruthers)

Building Accountable Communities (BCRW Social Justice Institute)

What Does it Mean to Defund the Police (CBS News)

The Path from Incarceration to Transformative Justice in the United States (Olayemi Olurin on The Young Turks)

An Interview with Dylan Rodriguez, Author, Professor & Critical Resistance Founding Member (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Tiffany Flowers, Organizer, #DayWithoutUs & The Frontline (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Carlton Williams, Movement Lawyer & Cornell Professor (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Nicole Porter, Sentencing Project Director of Advocacy (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Victoria Law, Author, Prison By Any Other Name (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Alec Karakatsanis, Founder and Executive Director, Civil Rights Corps (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Scott Hechinger, Civil Rights Lawyer (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Alex Vitale, Author, The End of Policing (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Emily Galvin-Almanza, Co-Founder, Partners for Justice (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Michael McKay, formerly of NARSOL, on the Sex Offender Registry (AWKWORD)

An Interview with Brian Dolinar, The Appeal, on Municipalities Using COVID Funds to Increase Police and Jail Funding (AWKWORD)

TEN DEMANDS Keynote Address at Extinction Rebellion XR World 2021

Nick Breaks Down the Ten Demands for Justice

The TEN DEMANDS Team Breaks Down Demand 1: Defund the Police and Reallocate Resources to Impacted Communities

The TEN DEMANDS Team Breaks Down Demand 2: Demilitarize the Police

The TEN DEMANDS Team Breaks Down Demand 3: Eliminate Discriminatory Policing, Prosecution and Sentencing

The TEN DEMANDS Team Breaks Down Demand 4: Institute Complete Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability

The TEN DEMANDS Team Breaks Down Demand 5: Independently Investigate All Police Crimes and Abuses of Power

The TEN DEMANDS Team Breaks Down Demand 6: Install Community Representation, Oversight, and Safety Measures

The TEN DEMANDS Music Video

PODCASTS