Defund the Police: Moving Towards an Anti-Carceral Social Work

This article addresses social work's place in the movement to defund the police. We argue that social work's collaboration with police and use of policing constitutes carceral social work. In defining carceral social work, we specify the ways in which coercive and punitive practices are used to manage Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and poor communities across four social work arenas - gender-based violence, child welfare, schools, and health and mental health. To inform anti-carceral social work, we provide examples of interventions in these arenas that dismantle police collaborations and point to life-affirming, community-centered, and mutual aid alternatives.

Automated summary

This article argues that social work collaborating with police constitutes carceral social work, highlighting how coercive and punitive practices are used to manage communities. Examples of interventions in various social work arenas that dismantle police collaborations are presented to support anti-carceral social work.