The same idea can be applied to the justice system, where arguably, Australia has developed the costly and problematic practice of using incarceration to address some of our most complex public health issues. In Victoria in 2022, the net operating costs of adult prisons* was around 23 times the average yearly investment* in the entire family violence primary prevention sector.
As a human rights issue, it is important to draw attention to the inequities of the justice system and the detrimental impacts of incarceration. As feminist abolitionist Angela Davis says, “Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages”.
In Victoria, the number of Vietnamese women in prison increased by 481% since the year 2000. These skyrocketing rates of criminalisation have been attributed to the behaviour of the women themselves, and are often explained away through racial stereotypes, which falsely attribute gambling to ‘Asian culture.’ This racial lens is limiting, damaging and often ignores a different story. Researchers Tran and Spivakovsky found that criminalisation rates must in fact be understood in the context of a gambling industry that exploits peoples’ need for social connection and escape, along with a lack of other options for people to access culturally responsive mental health support. It must also be understood in the context of the gendered social challenges migrant and refugee women face, including social isolation, family dislocation and family violence, as well as the trauma of abuse, war, economic precarity and the often-dangerous journey of seeking asylum. Moreover, women very rarely have access to the vital legal representation that could potentially keep them out of prison.
Imprisonment creates further harm through isolation and exclusion and does nothing to address women’s experiences of trauma, lack of social support, economic insecurity, and loneliness.
For too long there has been an over-reliance on prisons and policing to solve social issues like family violence, particularly when it comes to Aboriginal communities, migrant communities, and people with disability. However, there are many solutions to preventing family violence and trauma that don’t rely on prisons. Greater investment in public housing and childcare would go some way, as would supporting women’s economic independence. For migrant and refugee women in particular, reforming visa conditions to reduce visa abuse and investing in culturally appropriate family violence education would be a significant start.
Abolition feminism asks us to think deeply and holistically about what we can do to prevent harm, rather than criminalising already marginalised people. It asks us to consider what the world would look like if we increased spending on public housing, invested more in community connection, strengthened our care systems, provided a universal basic income, and had widespread provision of mental health education tailored by and for migrant and refugee women.
Though it may be challenging, a better world is possible: where justice, safety and equity are prioritised and met. It might just take a reimagining of our systems, and some rebalancing of our spending priorities. As activist Mariam Kaba asks: What would the country look like if it had billions of extra dollars to spend on housing, food, and education for all?
* Net operating costs of adult prisons in Victoria was $1.328 billion
* Total investment in family violence primary prevention sector over 2016 – 2022 was 345 million over 6 years