Abolition and Social Work: Dismantling Carceral Logics to Build Systems of Care

Durrell M. Washington (), Brittany Ribeiro Brown, Diana Ballesteros and Rebecca Lynn Davis
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Durrell M. Washington: School of Social Work, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 07073, USA
Brittany Ribeiro Brown: School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Diana Ballesteros: The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
Rebecca Lynn Davis: School of Social Work, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: Social work has historically operated as an extension of the carceral state, embedding policing, surveillance, and punishment into youth-serving institutions under the guise of care. This paper examines carceral seepage—the infiltration of punitive logics into social work practice—across child welfare, education, and juvenile legal, revealing how these systems function as interconnected circuits of criminalization rather than support. Using abolitionist frameworks, we critique social work’s complicity in punitive interventions and address common concerns about safety, scalability, and sustainability. Instead of reforming oppressive institutions, we argue for a fundamental transformation of social work, advocating for non-carceral models such as community-led crisis response, restorative justice, and mutual aid. By divesting from punishment and investing in collective care, abolitionist social work can move beyond harm reduction and toward genuine liberation.

Keywords: abolition; social work; carceral logics; carceral seepage; carceral creep; critiques of youth systems; youth services; punitive interventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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