Prison Abolition may seem like a radical idea to some people but it is quite an easy and simple concept to grasp!
It is more than closing down prisons, it is dismantling the systems that create oppression, violence and inequality (to name a few)!
To decolonize something in Australia means the undoing of colonialism & all that it represents. It means unlearning the settler colonial behaviours, language, attitudes, racism, discrimination, violence and so on.
All of the above relate to Prison Abolition and until we dismantle the structures that create & enforce those representations from colonialism will we truly never understand what it is like to engage in meaningful equality for everyone in society.
It includes, housing, education, health, social & political justice - so many things are impacted by colonisation & will continue to be unless society unlearns but also critically engages with challenging the dominant paradigms of policy & law making.
We must look beyond the overreliance of prisons as protection. The use of protection within the CJS is a farce. We have seen this through polices that created Stolen Generations, child removal, forced assimilation, racist legislation that controlled Aboriginal people. A land grab
We must all explore what Prison Abolition is, listen and hear those with lived experiences within corrections, post-release & parole. The harm it causes is not individual, it is generational, it is family & community wide and must stop!
Some information from APH (2016 p.9) paper on non-violent offenders:
“For nonviolent offenders, the annual cost of incarceration is up to $1.8 billion nationwide”
“About 46 percent of prisoners nationwide are incarcerated for nonviolent offences.”
We could almost halve the prison system, redirect funds into services who need them & help the individuals & community. Too much money is being poured into a broken system - too many lives lost - too many families & communities impacted! It is time!
This is one of the main reasons why we need #PrisonAbolition. There have been too many instances, failures in the system, zero training or understanding of #MentalHealth which has been a contributing factor in #AboriginalDeathsInCustody - in WA, from this report! #AbolishPrisons
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.