159. The Courts System: What Does Prison Abolition Really Mean?

Reflecting on the previous episode, where Deondre' tells us about his experience of jury duty back in February, we talk about what we think the ideal system should be given that Deondre' has now had this experience. Isabel also had a friend of a friend go through a high-profile trial recently, and we grapple with what it really means to be a prison abolitionist, and the many contradictions that come with it. For example, despite identifying as a prison abolitionist, Deondre' also admits that if the defendant had committed first degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt, we should separate the people who commit these kinds of violent crimes from the rest of society. So no matter where we put these people, even if we were to improve the conditions of the place where we put them, like by providing air conditioning and humane living conditions, does that separation still constitute a prison?