We Make Our Own Justice

What if we abolished police, courts, and prisons? Where would we turn for justice? Do we need laws? Punishment? These questions are not just the preoccupation of an abolitionist pipedream. Their answers already exist, if only we know where to look. Professor Sitrin introduces readers to communities worldwide that resolve harms and conflicts without looking to the state or the judiciary. The book focuses on alternative forms of justice, peace-keeping, and adjudication in selected locations, with particular attention to indigenous and women-led movements from across Mexico, Argentina, Rojava, and the USA. Marina Sitrin traces how each came to be and examines the theoretical and political underpinnings of the process. We Make Our Own Justice allows the reader to reflect on how these alternative forms of justice and adjudication have been planted and nurtured over time—often over decades—and to consider the possibilities for other communities and regions to produce something similar. We Make Our Own Justice offers an invaluable resource, fostering optimism and open-mindedness as we seek to transform our neighborhoods, groups, and communities into abolitionist spaces, both in theory and in practice.