Abolition Quote by Fred Moten and Stefano Harney
““What is, so to speak, the object of abolition? Not so much the abolition of prisons but the abolition of a society that could have prisons, that could have slavery, that could have the wage, and therefore not abolition as the elimination of anything but abolition as the founding of a new society.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Abolition, 2015
Abolition means dismantling the social conditions that create prisons, not just removing the prisons themselves.
In simple terms: Abolition is about changing society, not just closing prisons.
Key Takeaway
Focus on building alternatives before tearing down institutions.
Themes
justice
social change
prison reform
systemic oppression
Mood
critical
hopeful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy reform
- community organizing
- education curricula
- restorative justice
Key Concepts
structural violence
radical democracy
social reconstruction
Questions to Reflect On
- What new institutions would replace prisons?
- How can we prevent new forms of oppression?
A Different Perspective
Abolition without new structures can lead to chaos.
![“God knows that I detest slavery, but it is an existing evil, for which we are not responsible, and we must endure it, and give it such protection as is guaranteed by the constitution, till we can get rid of it without destroying the last hope of free government in the world,”[629]” quote by Robert J. Rayback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cca/robert-j-rayback-49369_god-knows_god-knows-that-i-detest-slavery-but-it-i_3213596.jpg)
![“You have not been mistaken in supposing my views and feeling to be in favor of the abolition of war. Of my dispos[i]tion to maintain peace until its condition shall be made less tolerable than that of war itself, the world has had proofs, and more, perhaps, than it has approved. I hope it is…” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/77f/thomas-jefferson-43_abolition_you-have-not-been-mistaken-in-supposing_184816.jpg)
