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sarabz's review against another edition
5.0
The first half of the book is a thoughtful discussion of how prisons impact prisoners, their families, and communities. The book demonstrates many ways that prisons don't serve useful social functions, but instead cause harm and exacerbate social problems.
The second half talks about new ways of thinking about and addressing conflicts and harm that don't rely on criminalization. There is a lot of in-depth and amazing work being done and these chapters take what could be written of as pie-in-the-sky ideas and ground them in the ongoing work of organizations and individuals working towards both decarceration as well as alternative practices of restorative and transformative justice.
Its a great overview and also provides suggestions for additional resources so you learn more!
The second half talks about new ways of thinking about and addressing conflicts and harm that don't rely on criminalization. There is a lot of in-depth and amazing work being done and these chapters take what could be written of as pie-in-the-sky ideas and ground them in the ongoing work of organizations and individuals working towards both decarceration as well as alternative practices of restorative and transformative justice.
Its a great overview and also provides suggestions for additional resources so you learn more!
laurab2125's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this book further convinced me that we need more than prison reform, we need to figure out another way. The author proposes alternatives, but seemed to have holes in her solution. Still - it's a start and some of the basic premises -- that connection and community are necessary for both success after imprisonment and avoiding jail time to being with -- seem so basic that I can't believe they aren't already being implemented in more places.
undisciplinedbeing's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
doubleinfinity's review against another edition
5.0
This is the PERFECT first thing to read if you range from completely ignorant about the reality of prisons to if you're slightly on the fence about abolition.
So comprehensive, not just in the racist, classist, etc. failings of the current system of carceral institutions, but also in options for replacing that with transformative/restorative justice that focuses on holistically healing the social situations that cause crime, humanizing + acknowledging the needs of people who cause harm, and also working with victims/survivors/communities to ensure they get what they need out of the process.
So good, so highly recommended.
So comprehensive, not just in the racist, classist, etc. failings of the current system of carceral institutions, but also in options for replacing that with transformative/restorative justice that focuses on holistically healing the social situations that cause crime, humanizing + acknowledging the needs of people who cause harm, and also working with victims/survivors/communities to ensure they get what they need out of the process.
So good, so highly recommended.
indielitttttt's review against another edition
5.0
Such an important read! Maya is able to show us why prisons and policing don’t produce safety while also showing us how to build up transformative practices that do. She reminds us that abolition isn’t only about tearing down harmful structures, but also about building up healing ones. This book should be in every abolitionist toolkit.
harmony's review
5.0
Prison is a relatively new institution in our society, and an aggressively harmful one. This covers some of that harm and how and why it works the way it does, and also addresses the prison abolition movement and restorative justice and other prison alternatives. Very well done.
itsjunghan's review
5.0
The day I started reading this book, I was listening to an interview with Roxane Gay on Phoebe Robinson's Sooooooo Many White Guys podcast. Roxane was talking about how women & non-binary folks' writing is often framed as memoir & personal narrative, whereas male writers are tackling subjects without making it about themselves (even if it is). I thought about this frequently as I was reading Locked Down Locked Out, a deeply personal & deeply political book by Maya Schenwar on the need for decarceration & prison abolition. With the stories of her & others' family experiences with incarceration woven through a call to take whatever steps we can toward breaking down the prison industrial complex, Maya writes her values of connection, self-determination, & vulnerability, simultaneously showing how incarceration impacts people in both individual & systemic ways. Locked Down Locked Out is packed full of facts & information but doesn't collapse under its own weight; I left it feeling moved & inspired toward action, for sure, but without the dense jumble of too much information all at once. I'd recommend this book to those new to abolition work, as well as those interested in deepening their knowledge. Thank you, Maya, for sharing the stories of your family & many others so that those of us in the free world can continue to learn.
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