Prisons are neither ‘broken’ nor rehabilitative. They exist to punish and control. In fact, the prison industrial complex (PIC) reinforces systems of oppression that perpetuate the violence we experience. Founded in 2009, Project NIA has been organizing to end the PIC by developing solutions that transform violence. It is part of a movement whose goal is to build a world focused on accountability, healing and transformation for everyone. In this lecture, Mariame Kaba will argue that shrinking the PIC by relying on non-reformist reforms can help move us towards an abolitionist future, offering examples of past and current abolitionist campaigns.
