Prison Scholar and Activist Ruth Wilson Gilmore on the Case for Abolition

Is prison necessary? That’s a central question in the work of
longtime prison abolitionist and well-known prison scholar, Ruth
Wilson Gilmore. A co-founder of activist organization Critical
Resistance, Gilmore’s seminal book “Golden Gulag” analyzed
California’s role in propelling both the prison building boom and
tough-on-crime sentencing in the U.S. Today, criminal justice
reform is under a brighter spotlight, as calls to defund the police
have increased and as jails and prisons became hotspots for
COVID-19 with effects rippling through surrounding communities.
Gilmore joins us to share her thoughts on the movement to defund
police and the case for abolishing prisons.