Scotland’s reputation for progressive penal policy has persisted and evolved even in the face of exceptionally high rates of imprisonment, community supervision and harm across the Scottish penal system. Whilst there is renewed interest in abolitionist perspectives and anti-carceral strategies, the application of such perspectives and the histories of these movements have been largely neglected in Scotland. My PhD research explored the contemporary resonance of penal abolitionism and anti-carceral strategies in Scotland through a critical evaluation of Community Justice policy and an exploration of campaigns and organisations seeking more radical transformations to the criminal justice system. This included developing the first historical case study of Scottish prison activism and abolitionism. Overall, the research highlighted the particular challenges faced in Scotland and the importance of peer-led, autonomous and historically informed campaigns, critiques and alternatives.

For this fellowship I will focus primarily on the histories and legacies of prison resistance, prisoner rights movements and anti-carceral activism in Scotland. I aim to document and secure such histories for the future, but also to facilitate engagement with them in the present. By sharing and developing my research in this way, I hope to build more critical understandings of penal reform and to contribute to current and future strategies for challenging the harm and scale of the carceral system.