You’re a prison abolitionist. You’re in a high stakes discussion where you have to answer seriously and be convincing.
Someone asks you : “yeah, but what are we to do with people breaking the law, then? What will you replace prisons with ?”
What will you answer?
Edit : Thanks a lot for your answer, they were very interesting and reflecting different ways to frame a world without prisons.
Except from one or two edgelord hot takes, of course.
I almost feel like I’m being contrarian by asking this, though it isn’t my intent: your alternatives sound great at first blush, but how do you intend that those alternatives are enforced? Does that lead into your estimated >1% of offenders?
These are not really my alternatives, but common solutions where I live. They are usually enforced through the police or in a court system where they base it on stuff like what you have done, what your intensions are, where you are in life, and what you yourself think will help you to not repeat your crimes It is not perfect, parties that pretend to be tuff on criminals are undermining it for cheap votes, and way too many still go to prison. But it is an alternative that works and that rehabilitate people without hurting them I wish we could go the opposite way