Prison abolition and reform in Australia: A case for campaigners to take abolition seriously

Abstract

This article responds to criticisms that the abolition of carceral systems is an impossible ideal which inadvertently undermines criminal justice reform. I discuss the mixed results of criminal justice reform and contend that abolition can shine a light on the dehumanising nature of punishment which may cause some reforms to lead to increased incarceration. Drawing on abolitionist campaigns in the US, I suggest that using the language of abolition is a powerful way to shift public discourse. I then demonstrate that abolition is a practice happening in Australian communities today, not an ideal awaiting government action.