A collection of essays from incarcerated writers on the institutionalized harm of the prison system from which a vision for a future of collective care rather than punishment can emerge

Prison is neither the beginning of the inquiry nor the end. The incarcerated authors in this volume illuminate violence as a contextual phenomena shaped by historical trauma, cycles of deprivation, and systemic inequities. They reveal the interconnectedness of personal and structural violence, tracing the way violence often emerges within the fabric of communities profoundly shaped by poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. And in so doing they insist that violence, whether it unfolds within or beyond prison walls, must be understood in relational and systemic terms rather than individualistic or moralistic ones.

The stories, testimonies, and reflections in Harm and Punishment serve as bridges toward a new imagination. They expose the limitations of punishment and move us closer to a vision of collective care and mutual responsibility. In bearing witness to the experiences of incarcerated writers across the country, readers become part of a profound collective endeavor to dismantle barriers of misunderstanding and fear that can lead us toward action and change.