Free Them All: A Feminist Call to Abolish the Prison System

by Gwénola Ricordeau, Silvia Federici (Foreword), Emma Ramadan (Translator)

An indispensable guide to the feminist case for prison abolition

How does the criminal justice system affect women’s lives? Do prisons keep women safe? Should feminists rely on policing and the law to achieve women’s liberation?

The mainstream feminist movement has proposed "locking up the bad men," and called on prisons, the legal system, and the state to protect women from misogynist violence. This carceral approach to feminism, activist and scholar Gwenola Ricordeau argues, does not make women it harms women, including victims of violence, and in particular people of color, poor people, and LGBTQ people.

In this scintillating, comprehensive study, Ricordeau draws from two decades as an abolitionist activist and scholar of the penal justice system to describe how the criminal justice system hurts women. Considering the position of survivors of violence, criminalized women, and women with criminalized relatives, Ricordeau charts a new path to emancipation without incarceration.

WWith a new foreword by Silvia Federici.
 
Translated from the French by Tom Roberge and Emma Ramadan.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics, Theory, Social Justice

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2023

Reviews

[Miri Maravall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many things about prison abolitionism but this is the first time that a book focuses solely on women incarceration. I have enjoyed it very much, as I believe it is true that women incarcerated suffer (in some ways) more than men, principally due to the fact that their children are given to childcare, whereas when men are incarcerated (usually), their spouses take care of their children and even bring them to visits in prison.

Moreover, she shares an opinion about the victims in relation to restorative justice, and how the perpetrators are seen (in this process) as real people and not as thefts, rapists, murderers etc that I found fascinating.

"If prison abolition requires creating a world where prisons are no longer needed, then the real work of abolition must be done away from prisons" 🫂❤️

[☽ Chaya ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a pretty nuanced view of prisons ever since my uni days studying law. I have at times been absolutely anti prison, at other times I harboured a more nuanced view. I’ve consumed some anti prison content before but never about penal abolitionism as such. It was interesting to see my personal feelings on the question be backed up by facts and numbers. I don’t agree with everything (yet?), i’ve much more research to do. This book is a good beginners’ introduction i’d say but definitely not sufficient to form an informed opinion on the subject.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was good. It’s an informative and relatively straight forward read about abolition from a feminist perspective, drawing on cases and data from the US, Europe, and Canada. There was a very helpful section describing the difference between reparative justice, restorative justice, and transformative justice. It’s not long - only 136 pages - so an accessible read.

[Magalys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great topic for a book. Even though I am not new to abolition, reading this made me realize that despite most of my learning about abolition has come from women, I have been severely lacking in a feminine perspective in one of the biggest social movements of our time. I am grateful for this book for making headway in that regard. I also enjoyed the "international" (international to me since I am American,the author is French) point of view on this issue. My favorite section was the discussion on the burdens that fall on women when a loved one is incarcerated, I think that is something that usually happens silently and should be talked about more so we can build better support networks for these women. I would love to see more books on this topic published as I think this book specifically is best as a primer or introduction for people who have learned what abolition is, but are ready to dive deeper. Maybe someone with a basic knowledge of abolition. I also like the pink cover hahaa

[milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Femina Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to rate this book a 3/5, not because I didn't feel the content was relevant but because I felt elements were missing from this side of the conversation.

I think the subject matter is brilliant and useful for many people. I learned a lot about the insights of someone who had experienced the prison system from a relational point of view. I appreciated the elements of the book that acknowledged that some alternatives to the penal system were also flawed: such as reeducation. I also enjoyed the elements of the book that explored how long sentences for prisoners adversely punished their loved ones.

At the same time, there were issues I had with some areas of the book. One that stands out is how the chapters seem to come to an abrupt ending with no real conclusion. For example in chapter 3, Ricordeau began discussing identity politics, a subject I love to learn about. I wanted to hear more about this from an Abolitionist perspective and the book didn't grant me this.

The author asks a lot of questions throughout the book, which is not only beneficial from a practical standpoint (allowing the reader to become more engaged with the book) but also demonstrates that the author is open to conversation about her subjects and opinions. I enjoyed how the technical phrases used in French Abolitionist activism were translated into English but also show in French to further inform the reader.

Overall this book was worth the read.

[BROM STONKER · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was doing two things - on the one hand, it was a basic, short intro to abolitionism from a feminist standpoint. On the other hand, it was a call for abolitionists to consider feminism in their approach. Part of what I was most interested to hear about was the response to carceral feminism and how abolitionists approach issues of gender based violence. Ricordeau offers a brief analysis of abolitionist alternatives to the penal system, including their shortcomings, but I found this unsatisfactory as an actual response to these issues.

She also essentially argues that abolition is possible under the current system. While I am sympathetic to the idea that movements shouldn't have to "wait until the revolution," I think it's also a fact that capitalism is unable to function without some form of penal system, that misogyny and many other forms of oppression are inextricably linked with capitalism, and that abolition cannot be carried out under this system.

There were some interesting and important ideas here, most especially her criticism of movements which ignore women, like abolitionists not having developed analyses of gender based violence, but also her criticism of the mainstream of the feminist movement over the last number of decades in relation to abolitionism, arguing that organisations dominated by those from communities less likely to be criminalised (middle class, white, etc) have often ignored issues around prisons.

Overall it was short, and pretty basic, which is fine, but I didn't necessarily agree with everything or find all of it particularly compelling

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who is passionate about the toxicity of the prison system and feminism, my expectations for this book were reasonably high. Though, I found I was a bit disappointed. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't known several of the topics and statistics the author discussed. Overall, I felt underwhelmed; the book felt more like a general overview than a piece that went further than the surface level to explore the topics associated with the connections between feminism, social justice, and prison. I wanted the author to delve more into their arguments and use their facts to back up their claims.

If you want to dip your toe into the prison/social justice discussion water, this book is perfect for you.

[Lolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to see Free Them All available on Netgalley as I had it on my TBR.

Free Them All provides an insightful and in depth analysis of the prison and justice system. I had very high hopes for this, as I find the addition of feminist theory to be incredibly important, but I was a bit let down as the book acted more as an overview and at times felt like I was reading a thesis.

I would suggest this book for anyone interested in learning more about abolition but as someone who reads a lot on this subject, this book reiterated a lot of information that is used largely in other texts. I did enjoy having an international perspective (France) since most work tends to focus on the United States.

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat perspective on the domestic roles of women family & friends of incarcerated people. Ricordeau raises some compelling arguments in favor of penal abolition, especially keeping in mind the wellbeing of womankind, but I have many questions left unanswered. I wished she went more in depth into some topics and backed up her claims more thoroughly, but overall this book did make me curious about penal abolition thru a feminist lens. I intend to read “Abolition. Feminism. Now.” which will hopefully give more context & satisfying answers.

[Renee Eshel · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)

i think this wud be perf if you are someone who hasn’t read abt abolition/feminism before as it’s rlly accessible and covers a lot of topics you could then go back & read more around. wish there was just a bit MORE of this for me - like substance ? idk - was very bored for first chapter but then it picked up !! chapter on loved ones of those incarcerated was good !!

fuck prisons fuck cages free them all <333

[Victor Ogungbamigbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just wanted a little more meat on this one. I'm not sure I would recommend this as a starting place for abolition thought, more a survey of the current state of queer and feminist abolition. A bit of a tedious read if I'm being honest but perhaps that's just a case of being overly familiar with the topic area.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)- as much as enjoyed it I was not convinced

[Noah Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to radicalize my mom do you see the vision

[Caraid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting focus on the women who support prisoners which is an angle I haven’t encountered much before in the abolitionist literature

[Lottie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Just very shallow, no real insight