Criminal InJustice: National Lawyers Guild Calls for Prison Abolition

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† Criminal InJustice is a weekly series devoted to taking action against inequities in the U.S. criminal justice system. Nancy A. Heitzeg, Professor of Sociology and Race/Ethnicity, is the Editor of CI. Kay Whitlock, co-author of Queer (In)Justice and Considering Hate, is contributing editor of CI. Criminal Injustice is published every Wednesday at 6 pm CST.

National Lawyers Guild Calls for Prison Abolition
by nancy a heitzeg (h/t Kay Whitlock)

A breathe of fresh air in the midst of stagnating class or reform. Yesterday the National Lawyers Guild released a resolution in support of prison abolition, From Executive Director :

nlg“Excited to announce that the National Lawyers Guild just passed a resolution in support of prison abolition ! We continue to strategize and vision towards forms of accountability for harm that are transformative and honest but will not support an extension of the punitive-racist-extension of slavery-prison-industrial complex. Thanks to brilliant co- authors Sharlyn and Oren and ever-fierce coaches, comrades and dreamers of a better world Gabriel Arkles , Fri End and Jason Lydon.”

The full text of the resolution is below. Yes, Abolition.

Resolution Supporting the Abolition of Prisons_2015 NLG Convention (2)

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  • NaomiWolff

    This is refreshing to read. Until I had the privilege of taking classes under the direction of Professor Heitzeg, the injustices perpetrated and perpetuated by the prison industrial complex were not on my radar. We are socialized to think of prisoners as “criminals”, as receiving “justice” for their “choices”, and to forget about them before we ever even heard about them. Just eight months ago, I never would have considered legalizing marijuana, but now, I cannot imagine spending money imprisoning so many (brown and black) bodies over something that does not affect or harm anyone else. It is time we return humanity to our fellow humans, and end the senseless and endless state violence. Abolition now.

  • There is no other way