Introduction by Croakey: Criminalisation and punitive measures across the country continue to expand, with the Allan Labor Government announcing it “will introduce the toughest bail laws in Australia to prevent reoffending and keep Victorians safe”.
The Tough Bail Laws will remove the principle of remand as last resort, resulting in more people spending time on remand.
It is a move that has been criticised by First Nations, legal and community groups, and comes amid growing calls for the Federal Government to intervene in youth justice systems.
Maggie Munn, First Nations Justice Director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said in a statement: “It is really concerning that Allan Government’s proposed changes to bail laws fly in the face of findings from past coronial inquests into Aboriginal deaths in custody, as well as countless recommendations, reports and minimum standards at a national and international level.”
See this statement by the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, calling for the Allan Government to reverse the decision.
Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards said in a statement that increasing the numbers of people entrenched in the criminal justice system would only lead to more people re-offending.
“We are firm in our belief that prison should only ever be used as a last resort,” Edwards said. “Driving up the number of people in our prison system, including people on remand who are yet to be convicted of a crime, will be costly and more importantly ineffective except in the very short term.”
Meanwhile, Tabitha Lean and Debbie Kilroy OAM, two of the founding members of the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, offer an alternative to the carceral system – strong, abolitionist communities.
Below, based on a series of posts shared by Lean on LinkedIn, they write, “when we build strong, caring relationships, we create real safety – based on connection, not control. We lessen isolation and reduce the likelihood of people being pushed into crisis”.
Lean told Croakey she started writing the series after “feeling deeply disenfranchised with the state of the country – the relentless criminalisation of people, the ever-expanding prison system, the brutalisation of those inside, and the constant tightening of laws to widen the net of incarceration” and wanting to channel energy into liberation efforts.
The National Network was established in 2020 to represent people who have been in prisons and to advocate for abolition of the prison industrial complex.
Tabitha Lean and Debbie Kilroy write:
If we want to reduce our reliance on police and prisons, we have to start by strengthening our own communities.
In a world where policing, surveillance, and punishment are often framed as the only ways to maintain order, abolition can feel like an abstract or impossible goal.
But abolition isn’t just about dismantling harmful systems – it’s about creating strong, interconnected communities where we care for one another.
Real safety doesn’t come from control. It comes from relationships, from knowing and trusting our neighbours, from having the support we need to navigate life’s challenges without the intervention of violent state systems.
Abolition also requires us to interrogate the carceral logics embedded in our own hearts and minds. It’s not just police and prisons that sustain punitive systems – it’s also the internalised pull toward punishment, judgement, and disposability.
We are taught to respond to harm with exclusion rather than restoration, with vengeance rather than healing.
Dismantling the carceral state means confronting the ways we replicate these logics in our personal relationships, our workplaces, and our movements.
Abolition demands that we unlearn these instincts and replace them with care, accountability, and solidarity.
The more connected we are, the more we can respond to harm and crisis in ways that don’t perpetuate cycles of criminalisation and punishment.
We can prevent evictions by supporting a neighbour struggling with rent. We can reduce food insecurity by sharing meals and growing food together. We can address harm by engaging in accountability and care rather than calling the police.
How to build strong, abolitionist communities
The first step is simple: introduce yourself. A hello, a wave, learning someone’s name – these small acts can transform a neighbourhood from a collection of strangers into a community.
From there, we can share resources – whether that’s fresh produce, tools, childcare, or transportation. A free pantry, a community fridge, or a ride-share for neighbours without cars can make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
We can organise together – forming tenant unions to fight evictions, setting up skill-sharing networks, or creating community safety plans that don’t rely on police intervention. We can advocate for solutions that centre care, not criminalisation.
Other ways to build strong, abolitionist communities:
- Be present in your neighbourhood – spend time outside, check in on elderly or vulnerable neighbours, and offer support where needed.
- Create a community garden – growing food together builds relationships while addressing food insecurity.
- Start a mutual aid group – coordinate support for people facing financial hardship, medical needs, or other crises.
- Set up a street library or book swap – sharing knowledge strengthens communities and introduces people to abolitionist ideas.
- Host regular gatherings – potlucks, game nights, or skill-sharing workshops foster trust and connection.
- Create a repair collective – fixing clothes, bikes, or furniture together reduces reliance on exploitative industries.
- Develop crisis response solutions – train in de-escalation techniques and restorative justice practices so that your community can handle conflict without police involvement.
- Look out for each other – instead of calling the police for non-emergencies, check in directly or connect neighbours with local support.
- Start conversations about abolition – host discussions, share resources, and bring abolitionist ideas into everyday conversations.
The difference we can make
When we build strong, caring relationships, we create real safety – based on connection, not control. We lessen isolation and reduce the likelihood of people being pushed into crisis.
Fewer calls to police mean fewer encounters that could escalate into violence, arrest, or incarceration.
We also create the conditions for long-term, systemic change. A community that trusts one another is better positioned to challenge unjust laws, fight for housing rights, and push back against policing and carceral expansion.
The world we’re building starts where we are. Abolition isn’t a distant utopia – it’s a practice we take up every day, in our own streets and neighbourhoods. It’s in how we support each other, how we respond to harm, and how we commit to unlearning punitive ways of thinking.
What’s one step you can take today?
About the authors
Tabitha Lean is an activist, poet and storyteller. An abolition activist determined to disrupt the colonial project and abolish the prison industrial complex, she’s filled with rage, channelling every bit of that anger towards challenging the colonial carceral state. Having spent almost two years in Adelaide Women’s Prison, 18 months on Home Detention and three years on parole, Tabitha uses her lived prison experience to argue that the criminal punishment system is a brutal and too often deadly colonial frontier for her people. She believes that until we abolish the system and redefine community, health, safety and justice; her people will not be safe.
Debbie Kilroy OAM was first criminalised at the age of 13 and spent over two decades in and out of women’s and children’s prisons. Driven to end the criminalisation and imprisonment of girls and women, Debbie established Sisters Inside, as well as her law firm, Kilroy & Callaghan Lawyers. An unapologetic abolitionist, Debbie’s activism work centres on dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex and all forms of carceral control and exile. With a firm belief that there should be ‘nothing about us without us’, Debbie established the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to centre the voices, experiences and aspirations of criminalisation and imprisonment women and girls in order to change the face of justice in this country.
Support services
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See Croakey’s archive of articles on human rights.
