INSTEAD OF PRISONS: A HANDBOOK FOR ABOLITIONISTS

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Voices of abolition • Advocates of swift and massive change • Constitutionalists • Advocates of moratorium • Peace advocates • Developing an ideology • Economic wsocial justice • Who decides? • Who benefits? • Concern for all victims • Reconciliation rather than punishment • Abolition strategies • Power and prison change

2. Demythologizing our views of prison

Crime: Myths & realities • A society of criminals? • Who gets defined as "criminal?" • Crime wave statistics & public fear • Myth of the criminal type • What causes crime? • The culture of violence • Patriarchy and violence • Official violence • Guns • Organized crime • Drugs • Criminal law & social change • The myth of protection • The few who get caught • The few society fears • Prisons & a safer society • The myth of deterrence • Difficulty in wading deterrence • Theories of deterrence • Problems with special deterrence • Problems with general deterrence • The myth of rehabilitation • A lesson for abolitionists • "Rehabilitation" = punishment & control • The cage • Indeterminacy & the treatment model • Behavior modification • The "game" • Hard days for rehabilitation • Three directions & our response • The myth that punishment works • Prison punishment: Cruel and illegal • Escalatory nature of punishment • Justifications of punishment • Learning punishment: There's no place like home • Prisoners & childhood abuse • New directions • Nonpunitive alternatives: Reconciliation • The myth that prisons are worth the cost • Economic origins • Tracking the dollar • Prison prospects • Costly decisions • Prison life is unconstitutional

3. Diminishing/dismantling the prison system

Value of creating a model • The attrition model • Moratorium • Decarcerate • Excarcerate • Restraint of "the few" • Building the caring community

4. Moratorium on prison/jail construction

Public education • Arguments in favor of prison construction • Moratorium responses • Developing a strategy for local moratorium • Researching a moratorium campaign • What do we need to know about the prison establishment? • Where do we find the information we need? • Sources • Funding prison/jail construction • How do we use the data collected? • What every prison changer should know about LEAA • The Federal Bureau of Prisons: A growth industry

5. Decarcerate

Strategies for decarceration • Decarcerating a juvenile prison system • Abolitionist proposals • Interim strategies • Modes of decarceration • Abolishing indeterminate sentences & parole • Indeterminate sentences unjust • Voices against indeterminacy • Maine's new law • The struggle in California • An interim sentencing proposal • An interim parole proposal • Prisoners view parole • Sentence review process • Relieve prison overcrowding • Restitution to victims • The Minnesota Restitution Center • Parole contracts

6. Excarcerate

Moving away from incarceration• Paradox of interim strategies • Modes of excarceration• Decriminalization • Why decriminalize? • Undercriminalization • Decriminalizing prostitution • Decriminalizing homosexuality • Decriminalizing public intoxication • Decriminalizing marijuana • Abolition of bail & pretrial detention • Constitutionality • Who pays? • Who benefits? • Is bail necessary? • Costs to hostages • Costs to the taxpayer • Release on recognizance • Pretrial diversion • Abolishing bail • Interim strategies • Community dispute and mediation centers • Mediation & arbitration • The moot model • Kinds of conflicts /crimes • Abolitionist criteria • Community Assistance Project • Restitution • Outside the system • Within the system • Victim Offender Reconciliation Program • Fines • Suspended Sentences • Probation • Alternative sentencing • Alternative sentencing thru law • Current status of sentencing • Interim strategies

7. Restraint of the few

The politics of dangerousness • "Dangerousness" and predictability • Counteracting belief in predictability • Research challenging overprediction • Shifting the emphasis • Prison: More dangerous than prisoners

8. New responses to crimes with victims

Crimes against women and children • Rape: Myth and realities • The victimization of women • Patriarchy • Sex-role socialization . • Wife assault • Rape & the criminal (in)justice systems • Placing the victim on trial • Rape law reform • Compensation • Restitution • Racist use of the rape charge • Repeating the cycle of violence • Empowering the victims of rape • Rape crisis centers • An empowerment model: BAWAR • Washington, D. C. Rape Crisis Center .• Women Organized Against Rape • Rape Relief • Innovative action projects • Men Against Rape • New responses to the sexually violent • Breaking the cycle of violence • Alternative House • Prisoner self help: PAR • Sex Offenders Anonymous • Sexuality re-education: BEAD • Treatment program for Sex Offenders • New responses to sexual abuse of children • Myths of sexual abuse of children • Child victimization study • Can a child consent? • Training in fear and silence • Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Program • Recommendations for action • Street crime • Media manipulators • Street crime & its victims • New responses to street crimes • Crime & the Minority Community Conference • CLASP

9. Empowerment

Empowering the community • Services needed • Community solutions • The House of Umoja • Delancey Street Foundation • Empowering prisoners • Qualities of a prisoner ally • Folsom prison strike manifesto • A bill of rights for prisoners • Prisoners' Union • Prisoners' voting rights • A prisoner voting rights project • Empowering the movement • Researching the prison power structure • Prisons as industry: Jobs • Research methodology • Your right to public information • Educating the public • Research/action as organizing

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INSTEAD OF PRISONS: A HANDBOOK FOR ABOLITIONISTS

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