ABSTRACT
With a bloated prison population—a population that studies indicate is grossly under-educated—the need to re-imagine systems of justice and education in the United States is great. In this essay, I first explore the notion of “prison abolition,” wondering on the page about resistance to the radical possibility. Next, I offer a glimpse into “Freedom Square,” a laboratory that tested abolitionist politics on the West Side of Chicago. Then, I reflect on my own introduction to our prison nation, offering an intimate description of the ways in which it impacts families and communities. Finally, I conclude with implications for educators and a call for school-based work that pushes against prisons and the educational pipeline to them.
