Published on 9/20/23
Criminology and criminal justice studies have frequently missed the opportunity to integrate insights from the forefront of movements advocating for radical transformations within the criminal justice system. This gap is particularly conspicuous in the context of the recent advancements towards police abolition. In the past couple of years, abolitionist activists and thinkers have begun to reshape and redefine central concepts within the disciplines, such as safety, violence, and justice. They have elevated public expectations regarding the potential reforms that can be demanded from the systems we scrutinize. However, when students approach the criminal justice departments seeking guidance in understanding these changes, the majority of the current research and analysis available is authored by scholars outside of the academic domains.
The question arises: what does it signify about criminology and criminal justice studies that the forefront of reflection on questions that should be fundamental to the fields lies so far beyond the disciplinary boundaries? Why does the integration of abolitionist perspectives on policing into critical criminology remain a challenge? How can this moment stimulate a potential restructuring of the disciplines?
In 2016, Brown and Schept addressed criminologists during a similar moment of upheaval, following the uprisings triggered by the murder of Trayvon Martin, which prompted a shift in awareness concerning systemic racism and policing in the United States. In an article in Punishment and Society, they urged for a critical reassessment of criminology in light of the prevailing carceral crisis.
In the context of ongoing protests and the establishment of alternative safety and accountability measures, criminology's stance on police abolition as a legitimate objective remains underdeveloped. We are not interested in rescuing criminology but recognize, based on research and experience, that numerous critical criminologists who aspire to effect social change still do not fully embrace abolition. For those within the field of critical criminology and criminal justice studies who seek to contribute to social justice, the relevance and effectiveness of the knowledge about the criminal justice system hinge on the willingness to engage with abolitionist insights.
Why should we invest efforts in promoting abolition within criminology and criminal justice studies? As with any discipline, the political orientation of criminology and criminal justice studies has shifted across time and regions. In his 1988 reflection on the origins of radical criminology, Platt describes a discipline that was reshaped by the uprisings and protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s, only to be subsequently reverted to its conservative status quo at the time of his writing. Notably, he references this journal as one of the few remaining bastions of that radical legacy.
Although critical criminology has flourished, and academic work in penal abolition has continued to advance, the leading-edge discussions on policing and community safety have largely moved beyond the confines of criminology and criminal justice studies. This has positive aspects: examining the criminal justice system within other academic contexts allows us to consider it in relation to broader histories, political contexts, and societal structures. Those who exclusively focus on reforming the criminal justice system can inadvertently become instruments of reform, narrowly concentrating on improving the mechanics of justice administration without questioning the system as a whole. One of the roles of abolitionist criminologists is to emphasize the idea that the process of transforming the criminal justice system cannot be isolated from the process of changing the world at large.
While we do not intend to staunchly defend a particular discipline, we can explore how advancing abolition within criminology and criminal justice studies still holds value. The fields provide us with tools and a body of literature that can contribute to the collective pursuit of abolition. We are equipped to debunk many of the myths propagated by law enforcement and even some police-friendly academics. Furthermore, we can challenge the myths crafted by criminologists themselves that are sometimes adopted by the police. In response to abolitionist demands, many criminologists persist in advocating for reforms that lack historical context and effectiveness, dismiss abolitionist objectives as utopian, and perpetuate the misconception that expertise on the criminal justice system entails alignment with the system itself. Those of us well-versed in the same canons of knowledge can directly address these assertions and actively counter the policing myths often advanced by liberal and conservative administrative criminologists (and recognize the financial interests that can underpin them). We can also insist that while we may possess expertise on how the system operates, we cannot claim expertise on the array of community safety visions and strategies constituting the spectrum of "alternatives."
Shifting direction to keep up with the pace of change, in the article, we take stock of developments that have occurred outside the field, which are directly relevant to criminology and criminal justice studies. We also reflect on the conditions that have led to the substantial divergence between the established avenues for thinking about criminal justice and the uncharted paths forged by abolitionists in reimagining community safety. We question why criminology and criminal justice studies have failed to absorb the lessons from the vanguard of social transformation.
Amid the ongoing waves of protests, some criminologists, who even attempted to organize themselves under the banner of "evidence-based policing studies," openly voiced their concerns that the call for police abolition is too radical and perilous. However, these criminologists appear to have overlooked those for whom the absence of policing serves as an established premise, and who are already mapping out strategies for safety and survival.
Criminology and criminal justice studies have much to contribute when it comes to describing the criminal justice system, including its inner workings and underlying reasons. However, without directly addressing the demands put forth by abolitionists, contemporary criminological research on public safety is unlikely to resonate with the individuals who have the capacity and determination to drive change.
In summary, common sense perceptions of the criminal justice system have undergone a substantial transformation in recent years. The events of recent uprisings and protest movements have catalyzed this shift in awareness, building on a foundation of decades of abolitionist praxis. While critical criminology and criminal justice studies have fallen behind in this transformation, we should consider how the disciplines can remain pertinent and contribute to the theory and practice of changing the responses to harm and transgression. The fields have the potential to engage in more than just describing the criminal justice system; we can also investigate the process of changing the system itself, how to organize effectively, and how to scale up small-scale interventions. These are all valid areas for criminological inquiry.
To gain a deeper understanding of how the criminal justice system evolves and how to effect change, we must decenter it and examine its relationship with other structures and systems. Abolitionists remind us not to isolate the criminal justice system from the broader systems with which it interacts, and to frame the discussions of the criminal justice system in the context of the multiple systems that collaborate to produce violence and responses to it. This call essentially encourages a more conjunctural analysis, a method that has existed within our disciplinary history.
Ultimately, by engaging with the abolitionist movement, we can enrich criminology and criminal justice studies by incorporating the insights generated by activists, organizers, and communities engaged in the redefinition of community safety. This will help ensure that the disciplines remain relevant, engage with current issues, and facilitate the transformation of the criminal justice system into a more just and equitable institution.
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