Schools have become sites of policing and surveillance that mirror the criminal legal system. To address this, we need to understand what our guest calls the “school-to-prison nexus,” the intersecting web of racist, carceral systems that criminalize our youth.

We discuss the history of organizing against the school-to-prison pipeline and how the call for “Counselors Not Cops” needs an abolitionist framework to succeed. We also highlight important wins from decades-long fights like the recent vote to end the school resource office (SRO) program in Chicago Public Schools.

Episode Guest:

Erica Meiners is a writer, educator and organizer. Their recent books include For the Children? Protecting Innocence in a Carceral State, a co-edited anthology The Long Term: Resisting Life Sentences, Working Towards Freedom, and the co-authored *Feminist and the Sex Offender: Confronting Sexual Harm, Ending State Violence* as well as 2022’s Abolition. Feminism. Now. Most importantly, Erica has collaboratively started and works alongside others in a range of ongoing mobilizations for liberation, particularly movements that involve access to free public education for all, including people during and after incarceration, and other queer abolitionist struggles. They are a member of Critical Resistance, the Illinois Death in Custody Project, the Prison+Neighborhood Arts and Education Project, and the Education for Liberation Network. Erica is also a sci-fi fan, an avid runner, and a lover of bees and cats.

Episode Notes:

• Transcript: upendmovement.org/podcast/episode-205/
• Support the work of upEND: upendmovement.org/donate
• To understand the difference between reforms and abolitionist steps to end family policing, explore our framework tool at upendmovement.org/framework
• We mention the Repeal CAPTA episode of The upEND Podcast. Learn more about the efforts to repeal the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act at repealcapta.org
• Erica encourages people to check out the work of organizations like Critical Resistance, Dream Defenders, Movement for Family Power, and the blog Black on Both Sides.