What Are the Alternatives?
New!
From: Solidarity Beyond Bars
$2.00
Chapter Five considers the alternatives to the existing forms of prison labour in Canada and considers proposals ranging from abolition and privatization to prisoners’ co-ops and sole proprietorships. The chapter discussed the existing and historical examples of alternative forms of prison systems, the critiques of unionizing prisoners from both the prison justice and labour movements, understanding prisoners not as “criminal others,” prisoners as fellow members of the working class, and a discussion why the authors believe the unionization of prisoners would be productive to struggles for not only prison justice, but social justice in our society more broadly.
Preview
Contributors
Jordan House
Jordan House is an assistant professor in the Department of Labour Studies at Brock University. His research focuses on prison labour and prisoner-worker organizing, new forms of worker organization and labour movement renewal. His work has appeared in several publications, including Labour / Le Travail, Labor Studies Journal, Rankandfile.ca, Canadian Dimension and Jacobin. He previously worked as a labour organizer and union researcher and is a long-time prison justice activist.
Asaf Rashid
Asaf Rashid went from being an aspiring scholar in environmental studies to a community agitator and campaigns coordinator of the Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group. He is a lawyer, based in k’jipuktuk/Halifax and a board member of the Halifax Workers Action Centre, a member of the Canadian Prison Lawyers Association and supporter of the East Coast Prison Justice Society. Rashid has also been a union organizer and labour rights activist, among other social justice activities.