Current or Future Criminals: How Survivorship, Activism, and a Rural Upbringing Led Me from Believing in the Death Penalty to Believing in Prison Abolition (A5 zine)

This zine is about recollections on grappling with concepts of guilt and innocence, good and bad, right and wrong, and the separation between the so-called ‘essential’ parts of a human being and the actions that they take. Having traveled a path from being indoctrinated to have faith in the US legal system to then moving toward believing in the speculative future of prison abolition, this zine is an attempt at showcasing the resources, ideas, workshops, individuals, and conversations that helped the author along during that journey. While taking a retrospective look at these influences that helped to change their perspective, Grey realized that their experiences as a survivor of childhood abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault, along with intergenerational trauma and sobriety from alcohol have all had deep, lasting effects on this process. Their interest in political issues, interpersonal relationships, and questioning dominant narratives all helped Grey to evolve from a person raised to believe wholeheartedly and without pretense in punishment into a person who believes in centering personhood, empathy, and the right to be able to be accountable for one’s mistakes.