Many people look at the concepts of police and prison abolition as aspirational visions of the future. Instead, Prof. Vitale will lay out how an abolitionist analysis helps us make concrete decisions today to move us in the practical direction of a safer and more just future. In the process, he will lay out specific examples of efforts underway across the US that meet these criteria from civilian mental health crisis response in Denver to community centered violence reduction efforts in Newark.

Alex Vitale, Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center