AOC says we need to look at prison abolition

quote:

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
Mass incarceration is our American reality. It is a system whose logic evolved from the same lineage as Jim Crow, American apartheid, & slavery.

To end it, we have to change.

That means we need to have a real conversation about decarceration & prison abolition in this country.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
I know the term “prison abolition” is breaking some people’s brains. The right is already freaking out.

Yet the US incarcerates more than anywhere in the world.

We have more than enough room to close many of our prisons and explore just alternatives to incarceration.

/1

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
First of all, many people in jailed or in prison don’t belong there at all.

Whether it’s punitive sentencing for marijuana possession or jailing people for their poverty & letting the rich free through systems like cash bail, we wrongly incarcerate far, far too many people.

/2

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
Secondly, our prison & jail system is so large bc we use them as de facto mental hospitals, homeless shelters, & detox centers instead of *actually* investing in... mental health, housing, edu, & rehab.

If we invested meaningfully, what do you think would happen to crime?

/3

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
Lastly, people tend to say “what do you do with all the violent people?” as a defense for incarcerating millions.

Our lawmaking process means we come to solutions together, &either way we should work to an end where our prison system is dramatically smaller than it is today.

/4

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