This library guide--and the accompanying book and zine display in the lobby of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library in April-May 2023--is an invitation to learn about the movement to abolish prisons and policing in the United States. It seeks to amplify research, writing, artwork, films, radio, and organizing work focused on liberating society from carceral systems and logics.
This guide is not meant to be exhaustive. It offers starting points and pathways of learning in a variety of media: books, websites, podcasts, exhibitions, research reports, journal articles, zines, documentaries, and more.
Many of the resources highlighted here are explicitly abolitionist. Others may not use that label, but are included because they interrogate the history, present, and future of prisons and policing, and/or fight for justice reform.
There are many other guides and resources available to learn about abolition. This guide cites, links to, and is indebted to those. It also attempts to offer something new by including sections focused Tulane and New Orleans. The guide will and should be continually revised. Your feedback, suggestions, and critiques are deeply welcomed. Please email Scholarly Engagement Librarian, Rachel Stein, at rstein7@tulane.edu to get in touch.
