State violence thrives in the dark. This is why the state secrets privilege is so abused, it’s why the Obama administration has viciously persecuted whistleblowers, and it’s why states benefit from a  media climate where their legitimacy is assumed and radical ideas aren’t heard. So today I want to highlight some people both inside and…

At C4SS, we recently received an action alert regarding an ongoing death penalty case in Florida. Here’s the action alert: Robert Henry needs your help. Less than 25 days remain until Florida executes Robert using makeshift science and a cruel, untested lethal cocktail. Governor Scott has signed a death warrant and scheduled Robert’s execution for…

The natural question that emerges when one brings up prison abolition is: what would we do about violent crime and similar rights violations? I have several answers to this question. The first is that I don’t fully know. A free society would involve a diversity of institutions emerging and a market discovery process going on…

Trigger warning: Rape and sexual assault A recent investigation by the US Department of Justice found rampant sexual assault and abuse by male guards at the Tutwiler Prison for Women in Alabama. As the New York Post reported, “The lengthy list of indignities includes, officers forcing women into sexual acts in exchange for basic sanitary supplies,…

Last Friday was an exciting day for me as a prison abolitionist. On Friday afternoon, I listened to an absolutely stellar discussion with Reina Gossett and Dean Spade of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project on prison abolition. The highlights were too numerous to discuss them all here, but I’ll mention a few. One really excellent…

Regular C4SS readers may have noticed the emergence of some weekly blogs here at Stigmergy. Trevor Hultner‘s been delivering  excellent media analysis and criticism every Tuesday. And Natasha Petrova brings a litany of left libertarian links with her Weekly Libertarian Leftist and Chess Review. I’ve decided to join the trend with a weekly blog on…

A new report from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service claims that 46 percent of Sweden’s inmates are mentally ill, that 70 percent have severe drug problems and that these problems mostly have their origins in early life. As elsewhere, Sweden’s prison population is made up of the most disenfranchised, poorest and most vulnerable elements…

Trigger warning: The following article discusses rape, sexual assault, and transphobic violence Chelsea Manning, the whistleblower who released evidence of US war crimes to WikiLeaks, has announced that she identifies as a woman. “Given the way I feel and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible,” she wrote…

C4SS Fellow, Nathan Goodman, discusses left libertarianism, prison abolition and the prospects of life in a stateless society with The Annoying Peasant Radio Show. Popular Politics Internet Radio with The Annoying Peasants on BlogTalkRadio

C4SS Fellow, Nathan Goodman, discusses LGBTQ liberation, prison abolition, and the future of resistance activism on Outright Arizona. Online Politics Radio at Blog Talk Radio with Outright Arizona on BlogTalkRadio

In California, prisoners are fighting back against appalling human rights violations. Their hunger strike is into its third week, with nearly 1,000 inmates still participating. When the strike began, 30,000 prisoners refused meals. The prisoners are striking against long term solitary confinement, a punishment recognized as a form of torture by sources as diverse as…