Dismantling to Build Decarceral Futures: Understanding Prison Abolition with Professor Justin Piché

Preventing interpersonal and state violence are pressing societal concerns. Professor Justin Piché is dedicated to examining these issues and advocating for alternatives to punishment as a response to, and as a form of, violence. His research, which focuses on the material and symbolic dimensions of criminalization and punishment, offers an in-depth analysis of punitive landscapes and their impact on individuals and communities.

Full professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Department of Criminology, Justin Piché conducts research aimed at documenting and proposing alternatives to costly, ineffective, unjust and inhumane approaches to community well-being and safety. Professor Piché’s dedication to the advancement of social justice is evident in his public awareness work and his community organizing. As co-editor of the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons (JPP) and a founding member of the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project (CPEP), he actively works to amplify the voices of those impacted by the prison system and to push forward transformative alternatives. His exceptional contributions have garnered him a number of prizes, including the 2012 SSHRC Aurora Prize, as well as both the 2016 Young Researcher of the Year Award and the 2020 Award for Activities in the Media or the Community from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa.

His new book, co-authored with Rachel Herzing, a long-time organizer working to abolish the prison industrial complex, is entitled “How to Abolish Prisons: Lessons from the Movement Against Imprisonment” . It offers an in-depth examination of abolitionist strategy and tactics, highlighting how grassroots organizations are working day-in and day-out to dismantle oppressive systems and create effective, just and humane alternatives to incarceration. Through in-depth interviews with abolitionist organizers from across Canada and the United States, the book highlights the grassroots work that is building communities of care, not cages. Examining community release initiatives, prisoner solidarity projects such as pen-pal groups, and prison ride-shares are some of the ways How to Abolish Prisons illustrates practical and meaningful ways to challenge imprisonment and build the people's power needed to achieve liberation.

For over a decade, Professor Piché has been involved in research and community organizing that has informed academic and public discourse on imprisonment and its alternatives. His work highlights the harmful consequences of imprisonment, which are deeply linked to the perpetuation of social inequalities and the cycle of violence and trauma. By advocating transformative approaches to justice, his research offers valuable insights to organizers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to create a more just and equitable world.

Learn more about Professor Piché's work on Collabzium and explore the innovative research conducted at the Faculty of Social Sciences.