This book issues a powerful call to action: queer justice requires the abolition of the prison industrial complex. Bringing together historical, empirical, pedagogical, and personal essays that welcome readers into the complex and hopeful work of abolition, this collective project highlights a range of anticarceral resistance work. Intersectional and actionable by design, Abolition and Queer Justice features the voices of scholars and activists from across queer criminology and invites students, scholars, and activists to join together to advance truly transformative goals.
Allyn Walker is Assistant Professor of Criminology at Saint Mary's University in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and author of A Long, Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity.
Aimee Wodda is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Law and Society at Pacific University and coauthor of Sex-Positive Criminology.
"Abolition and Queer Justice provides an essential theoretical and empirical intervention from a diverse group of scholars challenging some of the central tenets of mainstream criminology. If we are serious about creating real justice and safety, we must integrate these experiences and ideas into our theoretical frameworks, methods, and research objectives."—Alex S. Vitale, author of The End of Policing
"In this groundbreaking volume, Allyn Walker and Aimee Wodda bring together a dynamic team of scholars who skillfully unpack abolition through critical narratives, theorizing, and research. Utilizing a queer lens, this book offers chapters for folks across the abolition spectrum—from those who are just learning about it to those who are starting to embrace it to those who are avidly fighting for it. There is no doubt that Abolition and Queer Justice will become a go-to resource for students, scholars, and activists."—Emily Lenning, coauthor of Queer Criminology
"An outstanding contribution. Grounded in the rigorous scholarship and well-examined lived experiences of a diverse array of academics, organizers, and students, this book's exploration of pressing issues surrounding abolition will encourage meaningful debate and discussion in and outside of the classroom."—Christina DeJong, Emeritus Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University
296 pp.6 x 9Illus: 3 b/w figures
9780520399082$95.00|£80.00Hardcover
Dec 2025