The Institutional Capture of Abolitionist Dissent

"Data-driven technology usage abounds in policing and incarceration: biometric surveillance, facial recognition software, ShotSpotter, license plate readers, cell tower simulators ("Stingrays"), drones, metadatabases, and myriad predictive technologies. Ongoing protests against police violence and mass incarceration have created an urgent push to challenge and dismantle policing, including the carceral tools and surveillance technologies utilized by law enforcement, and also increased widespread public interest in defunding the police. Large amounts of funding and investment nonetheless continue to be driven toward research on policing and technology, including emerging new partnerships between law enforcement, academic institutions, and large technology corporations."