Abolitionist teaching strategies: CCLJ researchers publish ‘Towards More Just Futures’ paper

A new paper titled ‘Towards More Just Futures: Abolitionist pedagogy and lived experience in criminology courses, curriculum and degree program’ in ‘Abolitionist Principles and Pedagogy’ has been published in a special issue of Feminist Pedagogy, authored by CCLJ researchers Simone Rowe, Michael Baker, Phillip Wadds, Ingrid Matthews and Andy Kaladelfos.

The paper discusses abolitionist teaching strategies for subverting criminology’s complicity in the carceral state by discussing the critical and collaborative learning that occurs in the Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UNSW - practices which have been driven by a commitment to responding to those with lived experience of the carceral system as the experts in ‘criminology’.

This includes the incorporation of abolitionist thinkers and activists in our courses, the introduction of a course on abolition and alternative futures, as well as the formation of a Lived Experience Advisory Group, the employment of system-impacted staff, and developing support for system-impacted students.

The paper explores the transformative possibilities of embedding lived experience of disability and carcerality in an elective course on ‘Disability in the Criminal Legal System’, which draws on student evaluations and critical reflections.

Finally, the research critically discusses the meaning and enacting of transformation itself, asking what is changed as a result of the pedagogical tools operationalised in this course.