Overview

Arguing against incarceration by using feminist philosophy and moral psychology, Barrett Emerick and Audrey Yap bring theoretical arguments about personhood and moral repair into conversation with the practice of abolition. They develop the concept of moral abandonment and contrast it with moral solidarity as they argue that it is inherent in our present carceral practices. Contemporary carceral systems in the United States and Canada fail to treat people as genuine moral agents in ways that also fail victims and their larger communities. As part of this argument, the book directly addresses one of the paradigm cases of wrongdoing often used to justify carceral systems: sexual violence. Current systems that treat sexual violence offenders as irredeemable monsters both obscure the reality of sexual violence and are harmful to everyone involved. As an alternative to carceral systems, Barrett and Yap argue for an orientation towards justice grounded in the requirements of moral repair. This incorporates elements of restorative justice, mutual aid, and harm reduction. Instead of advocating for one specific and universal approach, the authors argue for a multigenerational collective action that aims to build resilient communities that support the wellbeing of all.

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9781538176474

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Reviews

Barret Emerick and Audrey Yap have written a humanistic book, in the best sense of that term. Their work is rigorous, carefully argued, empirically informed, original, and focused on making life better. They take both responsibility and forgiveness seriously, asking how to heal after harm in a way that respects both the perpetrator and the victim of that harm. This book connects prison abolition, conflict resolution, feminism, and much more into an important new vision of individual and societal transformation. -- Mark Lance, professor of philosophy and justice and peace, Georgetown University

Author Information

Barrett Emerick is associate professor of philosophy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He works in normative ethics, social philosophy, feminist philosophy, moral psychology, and philosophy of race (as well as how each of these areas relate to each other). Audrey Yap is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Victoria. he has published articles in Hypatia, Feminist Philosophy Quarterly, Argumentation, Synthese, Erkenntnis, and Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.

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