Why Minimalist Carceral Reform Beats Abolition for Socialist Goals

The piece observes that 2020’s abolitionist wave has faded, leaving many democratic socialists to soften their stance on defunding police and prisons. It introduces “carceral minimalism,” a concept championed by scholars like Máximo Langer, Luigi Ferrajoli and Loïc Wacquant, which seeks to drastically limit but not erase state coercive power. Central to the idea is the “law of the weakest,” which protects victims at the offense stage and the accused during trial and punishment.

The author argues that abolishing police would likely increase violent crime, especially among the poor, and that well-funded prisons are essential to curb inmate violence, citing comparative data from Florida, Norway and Brazil. While agreeing that the current justice system is riddled with abuses, the essay calls for reforms—such as reducing prison populations and expanding alternatives to incarceration—within a broader challenge to capitalist power structures.