“My decision to work toward prison abolition is a love story—one in which I seek to better love my community and the world and to create safer communities that can better love the younger version of myself.”— Josie Pickins, bitchmedia.org
“The old cliche must be updated: crime does not pay for the three victims of every crime-the victim, the taxpayer and the crook. Crime does pay, however, and handsomely, for the attorneys who produce the National Crime-Sin Show.”— Timothy Leary, archive.org
“Prison is designed to break one's spirit and destroy one's resolve. To do this, the authorities attempt to exploit every weakness, demolish every initiative, negate all signs of individuality—all with the idea of stamping out that spark that makes each of us human and each of us who we are.’”— Nelson Mandela, books.google.com
“Justice means that every child deserves a chance to grow up safe and secure, without the threat of violence. Justice means that the punishment should fit the crime. And justice means allowing our fellow Americans who have made mistakes to pay their debt to society, and re-join their community as act…”— Barack Obama, whitehouse.gov
“A majority of Louisiana prisoners are housed in for-profit facilities run by local sheriffs, which is a $182 million industry in the state.”— Clint Smith, twitter.com
“This uncompromising posture, which often exploited racial fear, became an essential part of running a political campaign. For years, elected officials competed with one another on how brutally they would be willing to punish people who broke the law, especially regarding drug-code violations. Legisl…”— Daniel Nott, medium.com