Page 1
Image One:
Text: “If you ever hear about prison abolitionism, it’s usually presented as absurd, dangerous, and delusional.”
ALT Text: A caricature of cartoonist David Horsey is shown holding a protest sign that reads “Burn the jails,” with Nicole Thomas-Kennedy depicted as an activist.
Image Two:
Text: “But given that the U.S. locks up its population at a rate unprecedented in human history, at great social and economic cost, abolitionists are simply asking us to consider a very rational question.”
ALT Text: A speech bubble poses the question, “What is the purpose of this, and is it achieving that purpose?” A map of the U.S. is highlighted, with text stating, “The U.S. has 5% of the global population but 25% of the prison population.”
Image Three:
Text: “The explosion in the prison population is the result of policies like the 1994 crime bill that incarcerate Black people at a rate six times higher than white people.”
ALT Text: A scene of Joe Biden on the Senate floor, appearing stern as he gestures while saying, “Lock the S.O.B.s up!”
Image Four:
Text: “But the system has always been racist. The modern penitentiary and the ‘Black Codes’ used to fill them with Black prisoners recreated the conditions of slavery.”
ALT Text: A split-panel image shows two time periods: on the left, enslaved Black people are picking cotton “Before the Civil War”; on the right, a similar scene takes place inside a prison, with Black prisoners working under supervision “After the Civil War.”
Image Five:
Text: “Prison labor is still used to make Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, and other products, under conditions that fit the dictionary definition of slavery, according to an Associated Press investigation on 1/29/2024.”
ALT Text: A cereal box labeled “Modern Slavery Flakes” is depicted next to a milk carton, referencing forced prison labor.
Image Six:
Text: “People are often blocked from using skills they pick up while incarcerated, including thousands who fight wildfires in California.”
ALT Text: A former incarcerated firefighter, wearing a shirt labeled “EX-CON,” is being denied an EMT license by a bald official pointing at him, saying, “No EMT license for you!”
Page 2
Image One:
Text: “Prisons deprive families of parents, partners, and siblings, and force them to pay a collective $1.5 billion on prison phone calls.”
ALT Text: A woman on the phone looks distressed as she receives a message stating, “You have been disconnected.” A caption credits The Marshall Project for this statistic.
Image Two:
Text: “The hidden tolls on children of incarcerated parents include decreased cognitive skills, and higher rates of hunger and homelessness.”
ALT Text: A young child struggling to focus in school sits at a desk under a dark storm cloud, symbolizing the emotional burden of having an incarcerated parent. Other children in the background appear similarly distressed.
Image Three:
Text: “Still, it’s hard to imagine life without prisons, partly because their ubiquity in popular culture makes them seem an inevitable part of public safety.”
ALT Text: A police officer reassures a worried woman by saying, “Don’t worry, we’re putting him away for a long time,” while holding handcuffs.
Image Four:
Text: “But multiple large-scale studies have found that prisons can actually increase crime.”
ALT Text: A map compares two states: one where incarceration increased by 83% and crime rose by 4%, and another where incarceration dropped by 37% and crime dropped by 30%. The statistic is credited to The Prison Paradox from the Vera Institute of Justice.
Image Five:
Text: “Rather than a single replacement for prisons, abolitionism proposes re-directing resources to healthcare, education, and other things that let people thrive, while holding individuals accountable for actions that harm the community.”
ALT Text: A healthcare worker in scrubs provides a medical check-up to a patient, symbolizing alternative investments in public well-being.
Image Six:
Text: “To dismiss abolitionism without even understanding it is to close our imaginations to a better world.”
ALT Text: Reverend Jason M. Lyndon, wearing religious attire, confidently speaks to an audience, saying, “Abolition is not some absurdist pipe dream. It’s about creative hope right now.”
