The Coupling and Decoupling of Safety and Crime Control
In the past several years, the U.S. feminist anti-violence social movement’s reliance on criminalization has weakened under the weight of mounting criticism of what is now known as “carceral feminism.” This recent shift towards the consideration of explicitly anti-carceral practices and policies within the mainstream feminist anti-violence movement signals a significant break in what has been a steady progression toward a solid pro-criminalization stance since the 1970s. This Chapter provides a timeline outlining some key moments contributing to the pro-criminalization position of the anti-domestic violence movement as well as countervailing events and initiatives that have constructed an anti-carceral alternative. The timeline demonstrates that the anti-carceral turn that is now redefining the mainstream movement is the result of two decades of resistance and counter-hegemonic movement building led primarily by women, gender non-conforming, and trans people of color.