Non-disposability is the idea that just because someone does something illegal or harmful, whether intentionally, mistakenly, or because they were coerced into it, they do not deserve to be ‘disposed of,’ they are not only ‘bad,’ and they are not incapable of doing ‘good.’ Non-disposability is critical of using carceral punishment as a solution to societal challenges. Carceral punishment and the prison system is not only rooted in the maintenance of slavery, displacement, and oppression, but continues to expose those who are incarcerated to human rights abuses. Moreover, the needs of the person who experiences harm are not centered in carceral systems, the state decides what harms have occurred and what should happen in response.
The criminal justice system often fails people who experience harm, causing further harm. This is evident in many cases of race- and gender-based violence, as well as the 2020 decision by the Ontario court to allow self-induced intoxication to be used as a defense in sexual assault cases. Neither prisons nor legal decisions that allow people to refuse responsibility for their actions can solve systemic gender-based violence. There are better and safer ways to hold people accountable for the harm that they may cause, get them the support and healing they need to change, and ensure those who experience harm get the healing and support they need.
“Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages.”
Angela Davis, Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex
Non-disposability believes that we all make bad decisions, we all make mistakes, we all cause harm, and we can all do better, we can all grow, heal, learn, and care for others. The following activity invites you to consider your own mistakes and non-disposability, and alternative forms of justice that center healing, transformation, and restoration instead of punishment.
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- Question 1 of 2
1. Question
Think about a time you made a mistake. Perhaps you ended up hurting someone you care about or hurting someone you don’t even know, maybe you hurt yourself in the process.
How did it feel to realize you made this mistake? If there was anyone else involved or harmed, how did you feel for them?
How was your mistake responded to by others? Was this response useful for your personal growth?
What helps you come to terms with making a mistake? What supports help you grow and heal to avoid making a harmful mistake in the future?This response will be awarded full points automatically, but it can be reviewed and adjusted after submission.
Grading can be reviewed and adjusted.Grading can be reviewed and adjusted. - Question 2 of 2
2. Question
Take a look at one of Mariame Kaba’s many alternative justice projects TransformHarm.org. Using their articles and entries, pick one of Healing, Transformative, or Restorative justice and respond to the following questions:
- How does this form of justice work? What are it’s intentions and steps?
- What do you think of this form of justice?
- How can this form of justice inform the way you support youth who experience exploitation?
This response will be awarded full points automatically, but it can be reviewed and adjusted after submission.
Grading can be reviewed and adjusted.Grading can be reviewed and adjusted.