The State of Abolitionism

This introduction to the special issue on abolitionism provides a detailed synopsis of abolitionist thought found in academic communicational networks. Our main purpose is to introduce readers to the diversity and vitality of abolitionist scholarship. In the penal field, we can distinguish between prison, penal and carceral forms of abolitionism, yet this distinction is not satisfactory, as abolitionism can be articulated to both narrower and more expansive ends. The multiple abolitionist ends are sustained by a variety of logics, premised on assemblages of normative, conceptual and factual elements. This contribution identifies and dissects seven core logics sustaining abolitionist thought in contemporary academia.