Prison by Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar

A highly readable tour de force that not only critiques but offers creative yet feasible solutions. “Law and Schenwar deliver the first comprehensive examination of how mass incarceration continues to change in order to remain the same. “A must-read- Prison by Any Other Name offers an urgent counter-narrative to the lies of prison reform and so-called ‘alternatives to incarceration.’” -Ann Russo, author of Feminist Accountability Essential reading for anyone who wants to know how all Americans can become more safe and more free.” -Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black “This powerful book is essential reading for everyone dedicated to building a society where prisons are obsolete.” -Dorothy Roberts, author of Killing the Black Body and Shattered Bonds “In this timely work, Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law offer us exciting new perspectives that reveal abolition to be the most reasonable path toward a just future.” -Angela Y. Essential reading for anyone serious about ending mass incarceration.” -Dan Berger, author of Captive Nation

With a foreword by Michelle Alexander, Prison by Any Other Name exposes how a kinder narrative of reform is effectively obscuring an agenda of social control, challenging us to question the ways we replicate the status quo when pursuing change, and offering a bolder vision for truly alternative justice practices. Whether readers are seasoned abolitionists or are newly interested in sensible alternatives to retrograde policing and criminal justice policies and approaches, this highly praised book offers “a wealth of critical insights” that will help readers “tread carefully through the dizzying terrain of a world turned upside down” and “make sense of what should take the place of mass incarceration” ( The Brooklyn Rail).

But in a searing, “cogent critique” ( Library Journal), Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law reveal that many of these so-called reforms actually weave in new strands of punishment and control, bringing new populations who would not otherwise have been subject to imprisonment under physical control by the state.

These are some of the key alternatives held up as cost effective substitutes for jails and prisons.

Prison by Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar