MASS LIBERATION SCHOOL: WEEK 4 Carceral Feminism & How it Fails Survivors

Facilitator: Richie Schulz, Lutheran Settlement House

“The major strategy relied on by the women's anti-violence movement of criminalizing violence against women will not put an end to violence against women--just as imprisonment has not put an end to "crime" in general.” - Angela Davis

Over the last 4 weeks, you’ve learned a lot about the problems with our criminal legal system, and you now have a better understanding of the abolition movement. Our upcoming class will be focused on how the anti-violence movement and the criminal legal system have created harsher penalties for certain crimes but have fallen short on creating pathways to safety and healing for most survivors. 

Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 995 abusers will walk free. This fact alone is not the only reason many survivors don’t report their assault to law enforcement. A lot of survivors feel like reporting the assault will make their abuser more violent towards them, others believe the police won’t do anything to actually help them. Black women, trans and nonbinary folks, non-English speakers, and other marginalized communities are often criminalized themselves when seeking help. It is critical that we create pathways to safety that protect the most vulnerable people and don’t rely on the carceral state. 

*If you or someone you know have experienced sexual assault or violence, you can call WOAR’s 24-Hour Hotline: 215-985-3333. You can also call Philly's Domestic Violence Hotline: 866-723-3014. Counselors at both call centers will help you figure out a safety plan that feels right for you, regardless of if you choose to involve the police.

Helpful Resources:

• A Reckoning Inside the Domestic Violence Movement

• Who Keeps Us Safe?

• How Police Became the Go-To Response to Domestic Violence

• Locking People Up Won’t Help Combat Sexual Violence

• Hetero-Patricarchy Kills: Challenging Gender Violence in a Prison Nation

• “To Stop Gender Violence, Start Changing the Tune” 

• INCITE-Critical Resistance Statement on Gender Violence and the PIC

• Interview with Mariame Kaba on Black Women, Rape, and Resistance

• Andrea Richie: The Anti-Violence Movement and the Non Profit Industrial Complex

• Podcast Transcript: Thinking about how to abolish prisons with Mariame Kaba

• Some Mental Health, Harm Reduction, and Domestic Violence Resources