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In Washington State, Prison Closure Divides Abolitionist Community

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In Washington State, Prison Closure Divides Abolitionist Community This article was funded by the Marvel Cooke Fellowship. Read more about this reporting project and make a contribution to fund our fellowship budget. I board the transport in an orange jumpsuit, shackled and cuffed at the waist, one of many prisoners in exodus from the Washington State Reformatory. The rattling of our chains fills ...
The strongest version of this narrative highlights a critical tension within abolitionist movements: the risk of state co-optation when apparent victories align with carceral interests. The closure of WSR was framed by WDOC as a fiscal necessity, but the "warm closure" and subsequent attacks on prisoner-led programs reveal a calculated effort to dismantle organizing hubs while preserving prison infrastructure. The abolitionist divide—between those who saw closure as progress and those who recogn...