Welcome to this activity, where we’ll reimagine justice and explore alternatives to the prison system. Together, we’ll critically examine the limitations of current systems and brainstorm transformative solutions that prioritise healing, community, and restorative practices.
This activity was made as a part of One Future Collective’s Catalysing Change Toolkit, which includes a variety of facilitation materials, such as activities, reflective exercises, energisers, games, ice-breakers, and more. You can utilise these tools in your communities—be it at your workplace, within your family, or among friends—to bring about meaningful change. Through these resources, you can engage in reflection, foster dialogue, raise awareness, and advocate for important issues.
Remember, change starts with you, today. So let’s dive in!
✨ Why This Matters
Justice systems shape how we understand accountability, harm, and healing. Yet, much of the world operates under carceral logics—frameworks that equate justice with punishment, conflict with crime, and accountability with retribution. These systems, rooted in colonialism, casteism, racism, and classism, disproportionately target historically marginalised communities, reinforcing cycles of harm rather than resolving them.
This activity invites participants to critically examine punitive justice, question its necessity, and collectively imagine a world where alternative systems of justice exist. It is designed to help participants explore the foundations of carceral justice, its failures, and possibilities for justice rooted in community, care, and repair.
The goal is to envision alternatives and to recognise that transformative justice already exists in many Indigenous, feminist, and community-led practices. This session provides a space to bridge theory with action, encouraging participants to see themselves as agents in creating just and equitable futures.
???? What You’ll Unlock
From this activity, you will learn to critically analyse existing systems of justice and reimagine a world where transformative justice has been adopted on a large-scale.
???????? Who Can Facilitate
This activity can be facilitated by anyone who wants to encourage application-based learning and skill-building in groups of any size, to learn about feminist leadership and alternative forms of justice.
???? What You’ll Need
- Pen
- Paper
⏳ Clocking It In
55 minutes
| ???? Step-by-Step Facilitation Guide ???? |
| Step 1: Setting the Stage (5 minutes) Welcome participants and introduce the focus of the session: rethinking justice beyond punishment. Emphasise that this goes beyond a theoretical exercise, as a way to reimagine possibilities for justice in real life. Ask participants to briefly reflect on the following: ???? What does justice mean to you? ???? Who taught you what justice looks like? ???? What are some ways harm is currently addressed in society? Encourage participants to share initial thoughts but keep this section brief. The goal is to activate curiosity and establish a shared purpose. Step 2: Framing the Conversation (10 minutes) Facilitate a discussion on existing justice systems, particularly punitive justice, and its alternatives. Use the following questions to guide the conversation: ???? Have you encountered justice models that do not rely on punishment, policing, or incarceration? ???? If so, what did they look like? ???? Who benefits from punitive systems? Who is most harmed? ???? What impact do prisons, policing, and surveillance have on historically marginalised communities? ???? What are some of the root causes of harm? Does punishment address these causes? Introduce key concepts if needed: 1. Carceral Justice – A system where harm is addressed through punishment, surveillance, and imprisonment. 2. Restorative Justice – A process that brings together those who have caused harm and those affected to collectively find a path toward accountability and repair. 3. Transformative Justice – A framework that seeks to address harm at its root, focusing on healing, accountability, and structural change rather than punishment. To learn more about these concepts, access our free self-paced course by clicking here! Step 3: Imagining a World Without Prisons (20 minutes) Divide participants into small, diverse groups. Each group will engage in a collective thought experiment:“Overnight, the world has transformed—prisons, police, and punitive justice systems no longer exist. In their place, new ways of addressing harm and conflict have emerged. Your task is to explore what this world looks like.” Provide guiding questions to structure their discussion: ???? Recognising Change – What are the first signs that justice has transformed? How do everyday spaces—homes, workplaces, communities—look and feel different? ???? Preventing Harm – What structures, relationships, and cultural shifts prevent harm from occurring in the first place? ???? Responding to Harm – If harm does occur, how do people and communities respond? What are the processes for accountability and repair? ???? Community-Led Justice – Who takes on the responsibility of addressing harm? Are new institutions created? How do people participate in maintaining justice? ???? The Role of the State – Does the government or judiciary have a role in this world? If so, what does that role look like? If not, how are justice and accountability sustained? ???? Challenges – What potential barriers or challenges might arise in a world without prisons? How can they be addressed?Encourage groups to be creative in their responses—through discussion, visual mapping, storytelling, or even short role-plays. The goal is to stretch imagination beyond punitive models and consider radical possibilities for justice. Step 4: Collective Reflection & Debrief (15 minutes) Bring all participants back together and invite each group to share key insights from their discussions. Use these prompts to guide the debrief: ???? What common themes emerged in your imagined worlds? ???? What was surprising or challenging about envisioning justice beyond punishment? ???? Did your group discuss any existing real-world models that align with transformative justice? ???? How do we begin making these imagined possibilities a reality today? Encourage connections to real-life movements such as: The work of Black feminist abolitionists like Mariame Kaba and Ruth Wilson Gilmore. Indigenous and caste-abolitionist justice models that center collective responsibility. Community-led interventions such as mutual aid networks and survivor-led accountability processes. Step 5: Closing & Next Steps (5 minutes) End with a reflection on the importance of shifting our collective understanding of justice. Ask participants: ???? What would it mean to challenge punitive mindsets in your relationships, workplace, or activism? ???? What small steps can you take toward cultivating transformative justice practices? Reinforce that justice is not just about responding to harm—it is about creating conditions where harm is less likely to occur in the first place. |
If you have any questions, requests, or feedback, write to us at info@onefuturecollective.org.
This resource was created by One Future Collective. Please cite us if you reproduce, circulate, or facilitate this material to honour the labour of our team members and uplift their work accordingly. In the words of Sara Ahmed, ‘Citation is feminist memory.’
Copyright © [2025] by One Future Collective [Morarka Consultants LLP] All Rights Reserved.