A review by mentat_stem
The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration by James Kilgore, Vic Liu

challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

When we look back on the movement to abolish slavery, it seems absurd to think of tinkering with slavery to create a few rules and policies to make for a gentler, kinder enslavement.

That's from the last page of the book. Part 3 is titled: "Dismantling the System and Building Anew." It compares and contrasts the reformist and abolitionist views. The above quote makes it clear where the authors stand.

Part one uses history and statistics to paint a picture of the current state of the prison industrial complex. Part 2 personalizes the experience of incarceration. Together they provide a clear view of the cycle of harm that desperately needs to be broken.

Another framework from the final section is 3 types of justice:
- Retributive - punishes those who commit a crime
- Restorative - provides healing for those harmed by a crime
- Transformative - works to change the underlying systems that led to the crime

Here's hoping we can find pathways for more transformative justice.