Using the abolition democracy framework to improve research on race and public safety

What is it about?

Racist systems, like unfair policing and punishment, continue to harm Black communities. This article explores how psychology can help support efforts to rethink and rebuild public safety systems in ways that reduce racism and promote true equality. This process examines the idea of “abolition democracy,” which means not just ending unfair systems (like racist policing) but also building new systems that are more just. Much of psychological research focuses only on incremental steps, like reducing bias among police officers, instead of asking bigger questions about what safety really means and how it could be created in better ways.

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Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The article challenges traditional psychological approaches to public safety and calls for research that supports transformative justice rather than incremental reform of unjust systems. By introducing abolition democracy as a framework, it encourages scholars to focus on building new systems rooted in dignity, equity, and care. This shift expands the scope of psychological research on race and safety and has important implications for how society defines and achieves public safety.