Abolitionism in Red and Black

This chapter aims to show how the writings of early socialist and anarchist thinkers can, and do, speak to present debates on abolitionism. It begins by situating socialist, anarchist and penal abolitionist praxis within historical context, detailing some well-known examples of anarchist and socialist-inspired penal abolitionism in the early 20th century. It then explores not only how ‘mainstream’, statist and democratic socialism has a mixed relationship with penal abolitionism, but also discusses the continuing significance of grassroots libertarian socialist and other penal abolitionist organizing today outside of the orbit of the state. The third section of the chapter explores the ‘libertarian socialist tradition’ by giving an overview of five key themes that are shared among anarchists, socialists and penal abolitionists: the critique of power; the critique of social and economic inequalities; the valorization of freedom; the importance of solidarity, mutual aid and cooperation; and a moral compass informed and evaluated by libertarian socialist ethics. Finally, it argues that socialists and anarchists working together is key to successfully challenging the penal rationale of the State in the future.