February 7, 2025 – 11th Annual Transformative Justice and Abolition Criminology Conference – Via Zoom
February 7, 2025
11th Annual Transformative Justice and Abolition Criminology Conference
Free, Family Friendly, Zoom, and Recorded
SCHEDULE
(Based on USA Mountain Time)
10:00am – 4:00pm
Free Register and Link to the Zoom Here:
https://slcc-edu.zoom.us/j/84785595368?pwd=jbKGAqrYahkj1d8uIRP3bRsk6Re2FZ.1
Submit Presentations to:
Co-Chair Lucas Alan Dietsche
lucasdietsche81@gmail.com
Co-Chair Dr. Lea Lani Kinikini
lkinikini@gmail.com
Send (1) Title of Presentation (2) Abstract/Description of Presentation around 150 words, (3) Third person biography one paragraph around 100 words.
Deadline: January 21, 2025
10:00am-10:15am – Welcoming –
Lucas Alan Dietsche and Dr. Lea Lani Kinikini
10:30-10:50am – Carceral Psychogeography: Memory, Space, and Systems of Control
Justin Gallant
Biography:
Justin Gallant is a PhD student in philosophy and art based in Northern California. His
research explores how physical spaces and cultural narratives shape collective memory and
systems of power, with a particular interest in how art and spatial practices reveal and resist these
dynamics. Justin’s academic work engages with a range of disciplines, including philosophy,
cultural studies, and the history of ideas, often drawing on personal experiences to bridge
scholarly inquiry and lived realities. He has presented on topics such as psychogeography,
Situationist thought, and the commodification of memory, combining theoretical rigor with a
deeply reflective approach. Through his work, Justin aims to uncover new ways of understanding
and reimagining the world’s interconnected systems. Welcome to the afterparty of the
Anthropocene.
Abstract:
This presentation explores the intersections of geography, memory, and systemic control
within three carceral spaces: Ghana’s Cape Coast Slave Castle, Venice’s Holy See prison art
exhibit, and California’s Folsom Prison and the Johnny Cash Trail. Using Angela Davis’s
abolitionist critique and Ruth Wilson Gilmore’s carceral geography, it examines how systems of
incarceration, rooted in colonialism and racial capitalism, persist across disparate contexts,
embedding themselves into commodified narratives of history and resistance.
From the dungeons of Cape Coast, where enslaved Africans were forced through the
“Door of No Return,” to Venice’s prison-turned-art gallery, where incarcerated women guide
visitors through the contradictions of spectacle and surveillance, to Folsom’s serene trail that
masks ongoing confinement with nostalgia, these spaces reveal the global and historical
continuity of carceral logics. They challenge us to interrogate how confinement shapes
landscapes—both physical and psychological—and how these spaces can simultaneously
critique and perpetuate systemic harm. This presentation contends that these spaces demand more than passive engagement. By tracing the psychogeography of carceral systems, it calls for critical reflection on their histories and the structures they uphold, urging us to envision pathways to dismantle these systems and reclaim both memory and space for transformative justice.
10:50-11:00am – Q and A
11:00-11:20am –They’re Criminals, Esther: from well-intended support staff to abolitionist
Esther Marcella Hoffmann
Biography:
Esther Marcella Hoffmann is a Teaching Artist at an all-abilities theatre, and an author of several poetry collections.
Abstract:
This presentation will ponder the questions, will we change the system from within, or will the system change us? Esther Marcella Hoffmann will speak about her work in a Domestic Violence Shelter, a Middle School Special Ed Room, and a Youth Recovery Center, and compare the practices and principles each shares with the incarceration system. As a well-meaning person who wanted to be of service to her community, Esther became pressured to implement the influence of carceral tactics on those who were said to be supported by these public institutions designed to shelter, educate, and rehabilitate. She will discuss how she slowly realized that her opinions of people, often assigned to these social systems, were starting to align with the codes of a corrections officer, and that she acted like a prison guard. She will speak to her decision to leave these ways of relating, move on to abolition, and the creation of a human first way of public service Esther Marcella Hoffmann
11:20-11:30am – Q and A
11:30-11:50pm – The ecology of Transformative Justice
Maurece Graham-Bey
Biography:
Maurece Graham-Bey is an author, poet, and musician who embraces life as an ongoing journey of learning and exploration. His creative spirit is fueled by his eclectic heritage, a dynamic blend of Spanish and indigenous ancestry that finds expression in his deep brown body. This rich lineage instills in him a profound respect for the dignity of all peoples and a fascination with the stories that shape our collective human experience. Though formally educated, Maurece considers himself primarily an autodidact. He thrives on independent learning, immersing himself in books, engaging with diverse environments, and gleaning wisdom from every interaction. This self-directed approach has cultivated a unique perspective, evident in his writings and music. Maurece is particularly drawn to the intersection of human dignity and environmentalism. He believes that our true calling in this era is not to conquer the complexities of theoretical physics, but to discover a universal standard of decency that guides our daily interactions. Supported by the love of his family and the camaraderie of a network of engaged peers, Maurece feels privileged to contribute his voice and energy to the enduring human quest for equanimity. He approaches this challenge with both humility and determination, embracing his role in our shared struggle for a more just and balanced world.
Abstract:
This presentation explores transformative justice as a quest for societal equanimity. It emphasizes creating pathways and fostering companionship to make a just and equitable social center meaningfully accessible to all. This pursuit necessitates a radical environmentalism that not only champions clean air, water, and food sources but also brings dignified living and free consciousness into the fold. Transformative justice requires redirecting our activism to achieve a healthy equilibrium between human flourishing and environmental sustainability. This vision is articulated through two interconnected lenses: the public’s obligation to fully support the worker, and a redefinition of “work” itself. True support extends beyond traditional paid tasks to encompass the essential labors of life: civic engagement, critical thinking, cultivating healthy workplace and home environments, and the ongoing deconstruction of oppressive hierarchies. This holistic approach recognizes that individual well-being is inextricably linked to collective liberation, advocating for a society where all are empowered to thrive.
11:50-12:00pm – Q and A
12:00-12:30pm – BREAK
12:30-12:50pm – Abolition Feminism and its Others
Mechthild Nagel
Biography:
Mechthild Nagel, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Philosophy, is Director of the Center for Ethics, Peace, and Social Justice at SUNY Cortland and Founding Editor of Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women’s and Gender Studies. Author of Masking the Abject: A Genealogy of Play (Lexington, 2002), Ludic Ubuntu Ethics: Decolonizing Justice (Routledge, 2023), and co-author of Reframing Diversity and Inclusive Leadership: Race, Gender and Institutional Change (SUNY, 2024) she co-edited 7 anthologies including Contesting Carceral Logic (Routledge, 2022). She is interested inIndigenous justice studies, global feminisms, critical race theory. Dr Nagel is founder of Sophia’s Garden, a partnership with area Cortland schools, where college students explore
philosophy with children, from toddlers to teens.
Abstract:
Since the publication of Abolition. Feminism. Now (Davis, Dent, Meiners, and Ritchie, 2022) by notable penal abolitionists, abolition feminism is starting to gain traction in feminist and social justice discourses. This is a welcome development, and in my talk I will show why it is important to differentiate this conceptualization from those who defend governance or carceral feminists practice.
12:50-1:00pm – Q and A
1:00-1:20pm – Critical Service Learning Approach with Students
Dr. Katherine E. Brown
Biography:
Dr. Katherine E. Brown is a critical criminologist and trauma informed victimologist that seeks to center those with lived experience and people on the margins, while decentering normative power structures. As a crimes of the powerful scholar, Brown historically has examined the intersection of systemic inequality and state sanctioned victimization, calling into question the role of the government in what it means to develop comprehensive, non-harmful legislation. Informed by Black feminist thought and the work of other scholars of color, her most recent scholarship examines 1) the role of critical pedagogy in the classroom by engaging undergraduates in deconstruction work, and 2) exploring the role of sisterhood as a tool for addiction recovery in an all-women’s sobriety group.
Abstract:
In an era of sociopolitical division, instructors are facing unprecedented challenges in undergraduate instruction (Wilson 2024). Fostering spaces for students to productively deconstruct becomes even more complex with anti-intellectualism on the rise and misinformation pushed that cultivates a culture of fear and alienation (Motta 2024). One way to combat these obstacles is through a critical service learning approach (Pompa 2002; Mitchell 2008). Students from a topics-based Crime and Society course partnered with a not-for-profit’s transformative writing program during Fall 2023. In the first classwide initiative, students at a midwest liberal arts institution were paired with women housed at a correctional facility where they exchanged poems and personalized letters. By doing so, the course sought to humanize those who are system impacted and allow students to critically examine what it means to exist with a criminal label. This research explores the perspectives, pedagogy, and experiences of the incarcerated women, volunteer coordinators, students, and instructor of record throughout the semester this partnership took place.
1:20-1:30pm – Q and A
1:30-1:50pm: -Supporting Women After Incarceration: A Pathway to Upward Mobility
Lisette B. Hughes
Biography:
Lisette B. Hughes is the Educational Initiative Manager for College and Community Fellowship. Before joining CCF, Lisette taught for close to a decade in NYC, but after an involvement with the legal system, she found a new sense of purpose in supporting people impacted by the legal system. For this reason, Lisette became an Academic Coordinator at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, and in that role, she managed the college program in a women’s prison and assisted the students continue their education after their return to the community. Later, Lisette joined Columbia University where she spearheaded the development of a curriculum on Racial Justice and Abolition Democracy. Lisette also teaches undergraduate courses in several prisons in NY state. Lisette received a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Drew University, an MS in Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, and Students with Disabilities from Mercy College, and is currently pursuing an Ed D in Learning and Teaching with a concentration in Human Development and Educational Psychology from Hofstra University, and is interested in DEI in education. She lives by this quote from Nelson Mandela: “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Abstract:
For 24 years, College and Community Fellowship (CCF) has empowered women impacted by the legal system to pursue education and transform their lives. The conference themes of Racial Justice, Economic Justice, and Social Justice align closely with CCF’s mission and ongoing efforts. This year, CCF expanded its programs and workshops to offer members opportunities for personal growth and professional development. This presentation will introduce various key initiatives which include: amplifying members’ voices and experiences to promote awareness and advocacy; providing tools for entrepreneurship and building multiple income stream; offering financial wellness resources, including student loan consolidation and literacy workshops; teaching advocacy skills to advance justice and equity; establishing support groups to foster healing and connection; creating spaces for members to pursue degrees and certifications with encouragement and guidance; hosting convenings that allow members to influence discussions with industry leaders, legislators, and policymakers to drive meaningful systemic change; partnering with institutions of higher learning to enhance support for women impacted by the legal system, increasing degree attainment and fostering upward mobility and generational wealth. Through these initiatives, CCF continues to inspire and empower women to achieve educational and professional success, building a foundation for equity and justice. Partnering with institutions of higher learning to enhance support for women impacted by the legal system, increasing degree attainment and fostering upward mobility and generational wealth.
1:50-2:00pm- Q and A
2:00-2:20pm-The Solid Program at Utah State Prison (TBC)
Paige Norton
Biography:
Paige Norton was living her dream of being a blissfully married wife and stay-at-home mom when volunteer work fighting the opiate crisis led her to prison to meet with an inmate she didn’t know. That one meeting changed the trajectory of her life. What started as helping one man has turned into full-time volunteer work as a prison and criminal justice reform advocate. Paige uses her unique skillset to bring hope to those who are incarcerated and their loved ones in the free world, offer understanding to society as to why reform is needed, and make much-needed changes to policy and legislation.
Abstract:
No one with any knowledge of or connection to the prison and criminal justice systems is unaware of how broken both systems are from beginning to end. With so many who know how broken the systems are, why is reform still such an uphill battle? First, far too many elected officials are unaware of not only how much change is needed but how reform is in all of society’s best interest, and second, those in society without a connection to the prison and criminal justice systems push back against reform out of fear and misunderstanding. The path to reform is to enlist everyone. In our time together I’ll share how I became involved in prison and criminal justice reform work in the first place, how to appropriately engage with those incarcerated, the staff serving those incarcerated, elected officials, society as a whole, and other advocacy organizations to bring inspired reform as quickly as possible.
2:30-2:50pm- Justice is Black: the geopolitics & jurisprudence of sovereign states in Oceania
Dr. Lea Lani Kinikini
Biography:
Dr. Lea Lani Kinikini (she/her/ia) is a critical cultural researcher whose learning interests include family migration, diaspora (especially Oceanic and Pacific Islander), popular culture and gender (including youth and masculinity), and community power relations focused on class, race and spirituality/religion. She was the first Doctor of Philosophy in Pacific Studies in the world, receiving her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Center for Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand (Pacific Studies, 2010), her Master of Arts from the University of Hawaiʻi (Pacific Island Studies/International Cultural Studies, 2005) and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah (Anthropology, 2003). She is co-editor of the book series Liberatory Voices from Community Colleges (Peter Lang) and has recent chapters on Polynesian Lowriders in the Lowrider Studies Reader (2023, Peter Lang) and Reppin’: Native Youth Justice (2021, University of Washington Press). She currently serves as Director of the Institute for Research & Engaged Scholarship at the University of Hawai’i West Oʻahu, a position which allows her to continue to blend the arts of letters with the deep social impacts of action research through community engaged capacity building.
Abstract:
Summoning a revision of the late middle ages to early modern discourse of law of the sea from Northern Europe, this paper considers 19th century state-making in the Pacific sovereign kingdoms of Hawaiʻi and Tonga. While ‘black letter law’ concealed and scrambled the preexisting jurisprudence of the ancestral worlds of Pacific people this paper looks at how Hawaii and Tonga offer examples of counters to the land deed of Inter Caetera, the doctrines of discovery and the ‘black letter of the law’ legalism challenging the carceral model of nation-states as land boundaries, which archipelagic states disrupt, but also the ʻfour cornersʻ of the world, and the ʻfour corners’ of a contract, or treaty, which bind the world into a west-law juridical vice.
Q and A: 2:50pm-3:00pm
3:00-3:20pm-Reclaiming My Voice: From Fear to Leadership After Incarceration
Kyle Robinson
Biography:
Kyle Robinson is the founder of the Amplified Silence Project, an initiative launched in 2022 focused on highlighting the voices and experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. His work centers on advocacy, systemic reform, and the use of AI in prisoner aid and direct advocacy. Kyle has a background in criminal justice reform and has pioneered projects like Amplified Advocacy (2024) and Incarcerated Excellence, which recognize the achievements of those impacted by incarceration. His personal experiences—including serving a five-year sentence for aggravated robbery as a teenager—inform his deep commitment to supporting returning citizens and addressing systemic injustices within the legal system.
Abstract:
Reentry is often misunderstood, both by those who have lived it and those who seek to support returning citizens. In this speech, I bridge the gap between these two audiences by sharing two pivotal experiences—one in Vermont, where I faced the fear of wrongful accusation, and another in New York, where I witnessed tragedy up close. These moments reveal the hidden weight of PTSD after incarceration and the transformation that comes from reclaiming one’s voice. Near the heart of this transformation is Toastmasters, a space that fosters confidence, communication, and leadership. Through my journey from isolation to empowerment, I invite you to consider how structured support—like Beyond the Wall Toastmasters—can reshape reentry and change lives.
Q and A: 3:20-3:30pm
3:30-4:00pm – Discussion –
Lucas Alan Dietsche and Dr. Lea Lani Kinikini
4:00-4:30pm – All Participant & Speaker Discussion
INTERESTED THEMES:
Transformative Justice
Critical disability studies
Healing Justice
Cultural and Religious intersectionalities
Language Terminology
Policy and/or/versus Culture Social Change
Social and Cultural Construction of Disabilities
Fighting Political and Corporate Repression
Being a Scholar-Activist
Decolonizing Movements and Education
Social Movement
Environmental Justice
Ecology
Social Ecology
Deep Ecology
Disability Pedagogy
Rhetoric of Health and Wellness
Social Attitudes of Neuroatypicality
Total Liberation
Anti-Capitalism
Racial Justice
Economic Justice
Social Justice
Youth Justice
Critical Eco-Feminism
LGBTTQQIA+ Justice
Mediation
Community Justice and Circles
Direct Democracy
Anarchist Criminology
Radical Criminology
Peace Studies and Making
Conflict Transformation and Resolution
All Speakers have 20 minutes to present with 10 minutes of questions and comments.
SUBMIT
All submissions for the conference need to hold to the mission and principles of CAS and ICAS and to submit in a Word Doc. as an attachment in an E-mail with the following information:
1. Title of Presentation
2. Biography third person 80 to 100 words one paragraph
3. Description/Abstract of the presentation around 200 words third person and one paragraph
SEND SUBMISSION TO:
