why does mainstream feminism support the prison system?

Can we achieve feminist justice through the criminal law?

If you are a carceral feminist, you would say yes.

Carceral feminism emerged during second-wave feminism

as an approach to gendered issues via legal punishment.

For example, in 1976, a group of feminist lawyers in New York

led the case Bruno v. Codd,

which established a woman’s right to have her domestic abuser arrested.

The attorney Laurie Woods argued that,

“the best protection for both a woman and her husband

[is] to have a police officer armed with a mandatory duty

to arrest and intervene.”

Arrest became the official feminist position

for women facing domestic violence.

It was said to be beneficial for all women.

Today, around half of the American states

have mandatory arrest laws for domestic violence,

which means if police receive a tip about domestic violence,

they must arrest the abuser, no matter what.

Sometimes, if they even suspect abuse, they have grounds for arrest.

Carceral feminism also pushed for

the criminalization of sexual assault, prostitution, and so on.

The thought is: if these are all recognized as criminal acts,

it shows that the public community acknowledges that these acts are wrong.

This is good.

Not many people today call themselves carceral feminists,

but I think its values remain strong in mainstream feminism.

The common response to hearing a news story about

a woman being assaulted is to “put that man in jail!”

The MeToo movement heavily focused on putting perpetrators in prison.

People celebrate over harsher sentences

and are furious when there is leniency from a judge.

But this video is a challenge to carceral feminism.

It has taken our anger and frustration at patriarchy

and transformed it into a problematic desire to punish,

which contradicts feminist values and exacerbates social injustice.

Carceral feminism makes not arresting synonymous with sexism

and arrest synonymous with gender justice,

regardless of its consequences.

[Quote] “In turn, violent male police officers