About ICOPA

 

The International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA) is a bi-annual gathering of activists, academics, journalists, practitioners, people currently or formerly imprisoned, survivors of state and personal harm, and others from across the world who are working towards the abolition of imprisonment, the penal system, carceral controls and and the prison industrial complex (PIC).

At these meetings, discussions amongst participants often focus around the following questions:

• What is to be abolished?
• How is abolition to be achieved?
• What alternative relations will emerge in post-prison, post-carceral futures?

In the spirit of the politics of abolition, this website is 'unfinished' and the content will change as abolitionist thought and action evolves.

 

The Founding of ICOPA

With different groups engaged in prison abolitionist struggles across the world in the 1960s, 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, most notably in Europe and North America, the Quaker Committee on Jails and Justice in Canada determined that there was a need to establish an international forum where the politics and practices of prison abolitionism could be discussed. With the initiative of many and the efforts of conference founder Ruth Morris, the planning for the first International Conference on Prison Abolition began in 1982. A year later, the first ICOPA was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

For more on the history of ICOPA and the targets of abolitionism read:

• Morris, Ruth (2000) "History of ICOPA", in W. Gordon West and Ruth Morris (eds.), The Case for Penal Abolition, Toronto: Canadian Scholars? Press.
  
  
• Finateri, Lisa and Viviane Saleh-Hanna (2000) "International Conference on Penal Abolition: The Birth of ICOPA", in W. Gordon West and Ruth Morris (eds.), The Case for Penal Abolition, Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.
  
  
• Davis, Angela and Dylan Rodriguez (2000) "The Challenge of Prison Abolition: A Conversation", Social Justice, 27(3): 212-218.
  
  
• Piché, Justin and Mike Larsen (2010) "The Moving Targets of Abolitionism: ICOPA, Past, Present and Future", Contemporary Justice Review, 13(4): 391-410.

 

 

Targets of Abolitionism

The Prison
At ICOPA I (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), it was resolved that the prison system is both a cause and a result of violence and social injustice. Throughout history, the majority of prisoners have been the powerless and oppressed. We are increasingly clear that the imprisonment of human beings, like their enslavement, is inherently immoral, and is as destructive to the cagers as to the caged. It is with this in mind that delegates called for alternatives to imprisonment.

The Penal System
At ICOPA II (Amsterdam, Netherlands), it was widely acknowledged that the introduction of alternatives often did not reduce the use of imprisonment where they had been implemented and had extended the reach of the penal system in the community. This being the case, delegates agreed that ICOPA be changed from the International Conference on Prison Abolition to the International Conference on Penal Abolition. Participants also called for alternatives not only to imprisonment, but also to the penal system itself ? what is sometimes also called the prison industrial complex ? composed of policing, the courts, imprisonment and agencies responsible for community supervision such as probation and parole.

The Carceral
At various ICOPA meetings, the continued expansion of imprisonment and the penal system, as well as the rapid expansion of carceral practices including surveillance and carceral spaces such as immigration detention centres, have been the subject of abolitionist thought and action. These issues were the primary focus of the Colloquium on the Universal Carceral held at ICOPA XII (London, England) and continue to be an important part of the agenda of the conference.

 

Why Abolition?

Research and experience has shown that imprisonment, the penal system, carceral controls and the prison industrial complex are used to suppress marginalized groups who are disproportionally targeted by these systems. Targeted groups include the poor, ethnic and racialized minorities, women and transgendered communities, communities of prohibited substance users and people defined as mentally ill.

The penal system and what is generated by it are seen as a cure-all tasked with addressing complex social conflicts and harms in our communities that have been designated as 'crimes'. Seen in this light, responses and solutions to these issues are taken up by the state in a way that systematically erodes the ability of people impacted by them to have meaningful input in the process and outcomes of their personal affairs.

From the first moment an act (such as consuming an ?illicit? drug) or status (such as not having legal documentation of citizenship) is criminalized, an enormous industry emerges of people profiting from that criminalization. That profit extends through the public, private and 'non-profit' sectors and benefits from the security services, surveillance, policing, judicial proceedings, imprisonment and community supervision. Because the institutions and practices that form the prison industrial complex have a vested interest in the continued expansion of the penal system and other repressive tools they represent a substantial barrier to a world without prisons and carceral controls.

Prison, penal, carceral and PIC abolitionists are working towards building a society concerned with generating solidarity instead of criminalizing difference, building community instead of othering, and promoting self determination instead of authoritarian forms of repression.

 

 

Mission of ICOPA

1. Motivate the abolitionist community while increasing solidarity;
   
   
2. Provide a forum for the flow and exchange of ideas advancing abolitionist goals;
   
   
3. Contribute to the public sensitization and education on abolitionist issues;
   
   
4. Addressing questions of viable alternatives to the prison industrial complex.
   
   
5. Acknowledge and involve those most affected by penal policies, people inside and those connected to them.

 

 

 

Get Informed

To learn more about prison, penal and carceral abolitionism, check-out the videos, audio commentary and literature linked from this site.

 

 

Past Conferences

To view past conferences, the abstracts, resolutions, literature, video/audio for each of the conferences, click on the header tab.

 

 

 

 

ICOPA 14 - Trinidad & Tobago
Inspiring Abolition: Strengthening Ourselves for Local/Global Influence
June 13-15, 2012

Burnt bodies of Libyan detainees, systematic torture in Afghanistan prisons and severe sentencing following rioting in the UK, were world headlines. The impact of growing economic crisis in the US and Europe on penal practices globally is very worrisome, while the current state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago and penal expansion project have raised fresh questions on justice, punishment, and law that interest many. What is the true cost of prisons, penal systems and carceral controls? How to educate on abolition? Can Trinidad and Tobago transition differently from crime to justice and development? Answering these questions may generate inspiration for abolitionists and opportunities for bridging abolitionism and restorative justice. It takes a different energy to re-constitute an ideal world and emotional intelligence. That's the transformation abolitionists desire and work to realize. The frontiers of peace beckon.

Join us at ICOPA 14 in Trinidad and Tobago hosted by the University of the West Indies Criminology and Mediation Studies, Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences at the St. Augustine Campus.

Conference Themes:
What is justice?
What is law?
Why do we punish?
How do we change?
Rethinking development and justice at the 50th of independence in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica 

Preliminary Conference Agenda:
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - Pre-conference
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - Day 1: Interrogating Justice, Law and Punishment
Thursday, June 14, 2012 - Day 2: Inspiring Abolitionists Locally, Undoing Punishment and Peacemaking
Friday, June 15, 2012 - Day 3: Stepping Away from the Carceral Project
* View the preliminary conference program as of May 13, 2012


Featured Speakers:

Wendy C. Hamblet
Professor of Philosophy, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
"Punishment and Shame: A Philosophical Study"

Vincenzo Ruggiero
Professor of Sociology, Middlesex University
"An Abolitionist View of Restorative Justice"

Call for Contributions:
If you would like to present a paper or another form of contribution please send the following four pieces of information to the ICOPA 14 Conference Chair Catherine Ali (mediate1@hotmail.com).

1) Full name and any affiliation
2) An abstract detailing your presentation (150-200 words)
3) Your e-mail address
4) Your audio-visual presentation need

Local Context:
In Trinidad and Tobago (TT) the history of the use of "abolition" goes back to the abolition of slavery; today abolition is used in relation to the death penalty. The on-going State of Emergency, since September 2011, expanded the carceral project, doubling the prison population and provided a critical framework for strategic change. The state of emergency sets the stage for considering penal abolition.

The 2012 UNDP Caribbean Report on Human Development and Citizen Security can be found at:
http://www.hdr-caribbean.regionalcentrelac-undp.org/.

The main author is Professor Anthony Harriott of the the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. The Report provides an in-depth look at 7 Caribbean Islands, including Trinidad and Tobago, focusing on police, courts and prisons and makes recommendations for shifting from crime suppression and exclusion to interventions that assist human development. This is a good jumping off point for understanding the regional context and overviews research in the field.

This site also provides a quick entry to the local cultural context and the problem of empathy deficit. Our murder statistics are the highest in the world, peaking at 550 in a population of 1.3 million in 2009. For information on criminalized harm and victimization read these reports by the UNODC and Dorn Townsend.

Ordering, regulating and punishing are not ICOPA staples, yet, chaos will not get us anywhere. We need to premise a just society on some orderly foundation. In TT, we are figuring out what a just society is as a context for workable justice systems. Paradoxically, the drivers of change are at back end of the criminal justice system. In Trinidad the change agents advocating for re-constituting community justice are prison officers (Read more). They do not believe penal abolition is possible, yet they know first-hand the injustices of the penal system and live with the expansion of reform, and they are curious about a discussion around abolition.

Travel to Trinidad and Tobago
Check early for packages and specials, and stay as long as you can to get value from the ticket. The approximate exchange rates are 6 TT dollars to 1 US dollar, 8TT to 1 euro, and 10 TT to 1 UK pound. For Caribbean Airlines Limited click here. Look out for RedJet, a Ryanair affiliate, for flights from Barbados to Trinidad.

Tourist Information:
Tobago, the holiday Island, is 20 minutes away by air, 3 hours by ferry and is even shorter by water taxi. Group visits in Trinidad can be arranged for relaxation (Maracas Beach), or to places of cultural and education interest. Guests can also spend time in Tobago, and have an exciting week of rainforest and eco spots, as well as breathtaking Caribbean beaches.

For general tourist information and more details about events in Trinidad and Tobago, see the official site: http://www.gotrinidadandtobago.com.

Contact
For more information on ICOPA 14 visit the University of West Indies (St. Augustine Campus) conference website or contact: ICOPA14TT@gmail.com

 

Donations

As a non-profit entity, the International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA) seeks donations to help send delegates from across the world with limited incomes, current or past involvement with criminalization and punishment, and from developing country's to its bi-annual conferences. ICOPA also seeks donations to help maintain this website.

All funds donated through this website are collected and managed by the International Foundation for a Prisonless Society (IFPS) – an entity established by ICOPA founder Ruth Morris – to support the activities of the conference-movement. We appreciate any monetary support to ensure those who participate in abolitionist organizing have a forum through which they can share their experiences with like-minded individuals from across the world.

Please note that the IFPS is not a registered charity and does not issue charitable receipts. Also note that any registration fees are to be paid directly to the local conference organizers and not to the IFPS.

You can show your support for ICOPA by making a donation in either one of two ways: 1) donate online and 2) donate by cheque.

Donate Online
Using our Paypal® Express checkout system you can conveniently make your donation directly online. The system accepts VISA, Mastercard and American Express. Simply click on the "DONATION" button and follow the instructions.

You also have the option to make a donation subscription [consecutive monthly payments]. Simply click on the “Subscribe” button and follow the directions. Of course should you wish to unsubscribe, you may do so at anytime by revisiting this page, selecting the “unsubscribe” button (at the bottom of this page) and following the instructions.

Please note, that if you do not have a PayPal® account you will be asked to set one up.

 

 

Select from one of the options below:

Donate $10 per month : $10.00CAD - monthly Donate $25 per month : $25.00CAD - monthly Donate $50 per month : $50.00CAD - monthly

 

 

Donate by cheque
Make the cheque payable to the “International Foundation for a Prisonless Society”. Please be sure to include the standard postage and address the envelope to:

International Foundation for a Prisonless Society
c/o Ray Morris
281, 8 Street North East
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
Canada V1E 1G9

 

 

 

 

Contact

Should you have any questions about ICOPA or related campaigns, write to:
info@actionicopa.org.

For more information related to the upcoming ICOPA 14 meetings in Trinidad & Tobago, contact: ICOPA14TT@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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