Becoming Abolitionists is part memoir, part manifesto, and part political education. Derecka Purnell, a human rights lawyer and longtime organizer, weaves her personal journey with a compelling case for police and prison abolition. At Liberty Law, where we work to confront systemic injustice and champion survivor-centered transformation, this book is an urgent, clarifying text. It reminds us that real safety requires more than reform. It demands that we build a society rooted in care, accountability, and collective liberation.
From Reform to Abolition
Purnell’s story begins not with abolition, but with reform. Like many, she initially believed that body cameras, better training, and community policing could solve the violence and racism embedded in law enforcement. Her evolution came through personal experience, movement work, and deep reflection.
She invites readers into that same process, not with judgment, but with open inquiry. The book examines the failures of reform, not only in policy but in practice. Purnell illustrates how reforms often legitimize policing, even as harm continues or escalates. Her critique is thorough yet accessible, allowing readers to see how they might shift their own frameworks.
A Personal and Political Journey
What sets this book apart is its personal depth. Purnell reflects on her life growing up in St. Louis, the systemic poverty and criminalization her community faced, and how her understanding of justice evolved in the context of Ferguson, the Movement for Black Lives, and global struggles for human rights.
This narrative approach makes abolition feel real and human, not abstract theory, but lived experience. It also reveals how the state targets not just individuals but entire communities, reinforcing cycles of harm, fear, and surveillance.
Abolition as Presence, Not Absence
One of the central themes of Becoming Abolitionists is that abolition is not just about dismantling police and prisons; it’s about building something better. This vision includes housing, education, health care, mental health support, and transformative justice practices that address harm without punishment.
Purnell emphasizes that abolition is both visionary and practical. It is rooted in existing community efforts to care for one another when systems fail. From mutual aid to restorative justice circles, she shows that abolition is already happening in the margins and should be resourced, studied, and expanded.
Intersectional and International
The book also situates abolition within a global and intersectional context. Purnell draws connections between state violence in the U.S. and militarized policing abroad. She critiques capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism as interconnected forces that uphold punitive systems.
This lens aligns closely with Liberty Law’s understanding of justice: harm does not happen in isolation, and our responses cannot either. True justice must be responsive to the intersections of race, gender, disability, and economic inequality.
Law, Justice, and Imagination
As a lawyer, Purnell wrestles with the contradictions of working within legal systems while believing they must be radically reimagined. Her reflections offer important insights for those of us in legal advocacy. She reminds us that legality is not the same as justice, and that law often preserves power rather than protects people.
Yet she also shows how legal knowledge can be used in service of abolitionist goals by supporting movements, resisting unjust laws, and building new norms grounded in care rather than punishment.
Final Reflections
Becoming Abolitionists is a transformative book. It invites readers to think critically, act boldly, and dream collectively. Purnell’s voice is clear, generous, and grounded in lived truth. For those seeking a deeper understanding of abolition, or for those questioning what comes next after reform, this book is essential.
At Liberty Law, we recognize that justice requires more than what our current systems can offer. This book challenges us to move beyond reformist imagination and to embrace the long, imperfect, necessary work of building a world where everyone can be safe, not because they are policed, but because they are supported, seen, and free.
