With a foreword by Naomi Murakawa and chapters on seeking justice beyond the punishment system, transforming how we deal with harm and accountability, and finding hope in collective struggle for abolition, Kaba’s work is deeply rooted in the relentless belief that we can fundamentally change the world. As Kaba writes, “Nothing that we do that is worthwhile is done alone.”

Excellent compilation of thoughts on abolition. If you're interested in the idea of restorative justice but don't know where to start, this is a great place to begin. This isn't a coherent book though, with many of the stories and ideas being repeated verbatim throughout, making me think I messed up where I was reading. Still worth everyone's time. ( )

I am about as far away from the target audience for this book as it is possible to be: I am white, male and British. I therefore wish to be cautious about gainsaying the arguments made. I do understand that the US have a privately owned prison system and even more problems with ethnic and sexual minority groups than we have in the UK but, the logic of this book seems a little naïve.

I am in total agreement that better treatment of people on the edge of society would lead to a large fall in the number of criminals. Some of the stories used as evidence in this book are truly horrendous and change is certainly needed but, I cannot foresee a time when society in general will be improved by ALL criminals retaining their freedom.

I do not feel empowered to discuss the US police force, but certainly British police have issues upon which they should hang their heads in shame: the miners' strike showed how the police could be used as a private army to carry out some disgusting actions, both in the attacks upon miners but also in the way moles were parachuted into communities and entered relationships with the locals.

As I have already said, I am white so, I don't have direct experience of racial bias - both overt and subconscious, but I am convince that both are not only historically true, but continue to this day. We hear less of it, but there is almost certainly still a sexual bias...why wouldn't there be when it is still true in society generally?

These issues are the tip of an iceberg, many of which I am probably unaware thanks to my privileged position. It goes without saying, that we must find methods to alleviate and eventually eradicate them but the idea that a society without some form of enforceable law and order could run smoothly is one that I struggle to believe. ( )

Wow. This book is SO good. Unbelievably good. Abolitionist treasure! ( )

Come on, this would never work for the whole country. First of all, we'd have to give up capitalism and establish an idealized communism. Fat chance. Then we'd have to assume the "bad guys", you know the rapists, torturers, murderers that they want to listen to their community and express concern for their victims, then reform. She specifically mentions Weinstein, Nassar, and R. Kelly and says they shouldn't be in jail but instead should be involved in her kind of transformative justice. That's a lovely thought, as if any of them would be willing to transform. Police who kill and torture civilians also should not be in jail but should be involved in transformative justice. It makes no difference that she doesn't know how all this can be accomplished. It's a process that we have to be willing to work hard to develop. It's a lovely thought and might work in families or even in some communities, but this is the era in which 1/3 of the US thinks we need to destroy democracy and infect our neighbors with a pandemic in the name of freedom. Pie in the sky. ( )