Moving beyond Carceral Feminism

Recently in South Africa, social problems such as gender-based violence are interpreted primarily as legal issues that may be ameliorated by carceral solutions. These approaches are appealing because political leaders know how to set sentencing guidelines, monitor arrests, and track prosecutions. Yet what the postapartheid case underscores is that such reactive approaches are woefully inadequate to address the complexity of violence that individuals, families, and communities face. The service providers in this project argue that the prevention of gender-based violence starts with community-based approaches. When communities are strengthened, leaders are better able to foster social transformation. Service providers are calling for a broader understanding of the upstream solutions to address all forms of violence and to uproot the legacies of violence and oppression.