Reimagining Justice Systems in a Post-Abolitionist World

FEATURED DR. GINA DENT - How do we think about creating a world free of policing and prisons, a world where the constant fear of state violence is a thing of the past? We turn now to Gina Dent about how adopting an abolition mindset isn’t just relegated to the criminal justice system. It means reimagining society as a whole, especially in how we think about our responsibilities to one another while balancing our individual rights. 

Dr. Gina Dent has spent years alongside the godmother of abolition, Angela Davis, in exploring how abolition ideals intersect with feminism and social justice movements. She codirects the Visualizing Abolition project at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she is a Feminist Studies professor. The project challenges narratives that link prisons to justice and imagines new ways of thinking about a prison-free future. She has also published a conversation with Angela Davis titled “Prison as a Border,” and is coauthor with Davis, Erica Meiners, and Beth Richie of the book Abolition. Feminism. Now. 

Sonali Kolhatkar spoke with Dr. Dent last year as part of 12 interviews she did with 12 leading abolitionists, part of the just-published book, Talking About Abolition: A Police Free World is Possible.