Police Reform: An Obituary

The fight against police brutality and impunity is a global struggle. This book argues that police reform efforts around the world should be extirpated and replaced with locally developed and led non-carceral alternatives that can produce community safety, social justice, and quality of life over the long-term from a decolonial, feminist, anti-capitalist, and abolitionist perspective. The book introduces the concept of artificial insecurity, defined as a condition in societies under racial capitalism whereby the social structures that promote safe, secure communities are weakened or removed, and the survival strategies of individuals are criminalized, coercing people to seek protection from policing and other carceral institutions that are undemocratic, violent, and fail to provide security, thus maintaining coloniality and inequality. Academics and other reformers should refuse to engage further in police reform efforts, and should instead seek ruptural social changes democratically based on an uncompromising abolitionist politics that produces genuine community safety and decolonizes economies in the face of hostility from politicians, police, and academic allies and collaborators with police. The book provides alternative policies and practices to reduce crime and promote community safety that do not rely on criminal justice systems. Since the book concerns current, important debates regarding police defunding and abolition, it will be a useful resource for students and scholars of criminology, policymakers, local stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and activists involved in various social justice movements around the world.