Resources for Learning About Prison & Police Reform/Abolishment
Below is a bibliography of sources for folks who wish to learn more about police reform and abolition. (Note: The Greater Us will keep updating this page with curated information.)
For notes on how to begin engaging with anti-racism and anti-oppression work, start with this blog post.
Books
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement, edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, and Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP; Illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
Articles & Infographics
What the Prison-Abolition Movement Wants
The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration
‘Cops’ Is Off the Air. But Will We Ever Get It Out of Our Heads?
11 Things To Do Besides Say ‘This Has To Stop’ In The Wake Of Police Brutality
List of Companies That Use Prison Labor
Reformist Reforms vs. Abolitionist Steps in Policing
Police and Popular Culture
How 70 years of cop shows taught us to valorize the police
'Washington Post' Reporter Explores How Pop Culture Influences Views Of Police
Linda Fairstein Was The Inspiration Behind 'Law And Order: SVU' — Will You View It The Same?
Law & Order’s New York was never real
Bad Boys: How COPS Became the Most Polarizing TV Show in America
Copaganda: How Cop Shows Lie to You (The Daily Show)
Organizations
Documentaries, TV Series, & Movies
13th (Ava DuVernay - available on Netflix)
When They See Us (available on Netflix)
Just Mercy (available on Prime and to rent)
Alternatives to Calling Police
What to do Instead of Calling the Police
How to Never Call the Cops Again: A Guide with a Few Alternatives to Calling Police
For a World Without Police: A Study Guide
Many thanks to our colleagues in the field, including at VISIONS, Inc., who have contributed to this list!
