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Quakers Considering Penal Abolition
17 October 2022, Online
| Prisons in England and Wales are in a terrible state, and the government is expanding their numbers. Why have long proposed liberal reforms – reduce prison use via alternatives and make prisons more rehabilitative - not been realised? Is our witness adequate to the present challenge? Should we follow the example of Canadian Quakers, and consider what abolishing prisons might entail? |
| Most abolitions (eg of capital punishment or slavery) don't seem realistic when first proposed. They take a while. What purposes and interests do prisons, and punishment itself, actually serve? Do they actually make society safer or reduce violence? Can people who do harmful things be made accountable in other ways? What of the “dangerous few" and the limits of abolition? In six 90-minute online discussion sessions, over a six-month period, sometimes with guest speakers, we will cover the deteriorating state of the penal system in England and Wales, how abolitionism fits with Quaker testimonies, our existing Quaker witness on penal matters, Canadian Friends experience of penal abolitionism, and the complications posed by new penal surveillance technologies like “electronic tagging". The date period given for the course is when you are expected to interact with the online material and discussion forum; you can work on this at any time to suit you. The live Zoom sessions are at 19:00-20:30 (UK time) every Tuesdays 18th October, 15th November, 6th December, 17th January, 14th February, and 14th March. during this period. |
More information
For more information contact:
Woodbrooke
Telephone: 07562 624047 and 07935 601512