Erica R. Meiners

Aug 2, 2024 | truthout.org | Erica R. Meiners |Beth E. Richie |Ash Stephens |Gina Dent

Part of the SeriesThe Road to AbolitionWhat would you do with 900 million dollars? People incarcerated at two maximum-security prisons in Illinois are brimming with ideas about how to spend that sum: Ending poverty via a guaranteed minimum income. Offering free public post-secondary education nationwide. Providing accessible, free and affirming mental health care for all. Creating programs to work with boys and men to end gender-based violence.

Jan 3, 2024 | popularresistance.org | Victoria Law |Erica R. Meiners

Above photo: Ayo Walker / Truthout. To make abolition possible, grassroots groups of people directly impacted by incarceration must mobilize globally. In 1992, formerly incarcerated women created Sisters Inside to advocate for the rights of women and girls behind bars in Queensland, Australia. While other grassroots groups and ad hoc campaigns had formed to work with incarcerated women, Sisters Inside remains the country’s first organization founded and run by formerly incarcerated women.

Jan 1, 2024 | truthout.org | Victoria Law |Erica R. Meiners |“Blind Spots |Gina Dent

Part of the SeriesThe Road to AbolitionIn 1992, formerly incarcerated women created Sisters Inside to advocate for the rights of women and girls behind bars in Queensland, Australia. While other grassroots groups and ad hoc campaigns had formed to work with incarcerated women, Sisters Inside remains the country’s first organization founded and run by formerly incarcerated women.

May 26, 2023 | truthout.org | Erica R. Meiners |Shirley Leslie |Melanie Brazzell |Austin McCoy

Part of the SeriesThe Road to AbolitionIn the summer of 2020, at the onset of a deadly pandemic, George Floyd’s murder propelled unprecedented numbers of people across the globe to take to the streets. From Australia to India, from Johannesburg to Saskatoon, demands reverberated to defund police and invest in safer communities.

May 17, 2023 | truthout.org | Fania Davis |Floyd Collins |Amaia Cook |Erica R. Meiners

What do successful alternatives to policing, prosecution and prison actually look like? And how would they work? A group of Chicago’s leading community safety, health and justice innovators gathered at the DePaul Art Museum last summer to provide much-needed clarity on these crucial questions.