Prison Abolitionism: Rethinking Justice Beyond The Bars
- IJLLR Journal
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Sanidhya Gaur, National Law University, Jodhpur
Introduction
According to the UN, 11.2 million people face solitary confinement at any given time, and governments spend around billions of dollars to maintain them, but is it desirable for anyone? Some say that such measures are essential to counter the rise in the use of recreational drugs and growing crime rates. These are some arguments surrounding the prolonged debate on prison abolitionism that reflect the extent to which the laws and policies on conviction have created an impact. Examining if regulations have accomplished their true objective or not, they function as an extension to the age-old question- what is better, retribution or rehabilitation? While the principle of atonement emphasizes the need to pay the price of one’s deeds and sets an example that immoral deeds will not go unpunished, the principle of reform advocates for providing another chance to the culprits for their reassimilation in society and striking at the root caused that compelled them into the world of crime. Both aim to resolve the issue of high incarceration rates that have not only been a concern for the public at large but also for the government’s finances, crumbling under the pressure of managing the immense number of inmates suffering in prison. The only question is whether prison abolitionism will result in positive reforms to the criminal justice system, or will it create an offset that impedes reform efforts.
To weigh the impact of the desirable reforms that could make the legal system more efficacious, we should also keep in mind the multiple factors like the transformative power of community engagement, global resistance movements, and inclusive education frameworks that can facilitate potential solutions, while considering prison abolitionism as a policy change aimed at making the world a more peaceful place.
Background of The Debate
The omnipresence of incarceration for ages is what one can call its 'controversial history.’ As an attempt to reform the criminal system, the prison abolition movement started with the Attica..............
