False Choices and Real Consequences: A Response to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Abolitionist Rhetoric

By: Richard Graves, MA, Exec. Cert Public Policy

"What Chicago needs is not abstract ideological pronouncements but practical, balanced leadership that strengthens communities while still protecting them..."

In a recent exchange, Mayor Brandon Johnson, after being admonished by Cook County’s chief prosecutor, Eileen O’Neill Burke, shifted his rhetoric toward the familiar refrain of “weaning ourselves off” what he called an “addiction to jails and incarceration” (De Mar, 2025). This statement situates him firmly within the intellectual tradition of prison abolition, a framework in American criminal law and political scholarship that views incarceration and punitive policing as fundamentally illegitimate. Abolitionists argue that prisons perpetuate violence, racial inequities, and community harm, and must therefore be replaced with systems of restorative justice, public health interventions, and social investment (McLeod, 2015). This should be seen as a false choice on its face. Proponents will argue that abolition is not always framed as an immediate dismantling of prisons but as a gradual process of decarceration and substitution—redirecting resources toward education, housing, and health care to prevent harm before it occurs. Again, a false "either/or".

The abolisionist position falters when confronted with the reality of perpetual offenders and in violent crime. Some individuals commit offenses that necessitate separation from society for the protection of others. Even as critics of incarceration correctly highlight that prisons can amplify mental health crises, addiction, and cycles of criminality, the alternative cannot simply be release without accountability. The more realistic path forward is to reform correctional facilities so that they are places of humane housing, robust treatment, and effective programming aimed at reducing recidivism. The goal should be reintegration, not perpetual warehousing, but the fact remains that public safety sometimes requires a temporary “time out” from the community (Frampton, 2022).

Moreover, the abolitionist position neglects lessons from history. The deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals in the mid-twentieth century was well-intentioned, seeking to end harmful confinement, but it proceeded without adequate community supports. The result was widespread homelessness and untreated mental illness—a policy failure that continues to burden American cities (Barkow, 2022). Similarly, to dismantle prisons without realistic, adequately resourced alternatives is to risk repeating these mistakes, leaving vulnerable communities to bear the consequences. The abolitionist vision may appeal morally, but it is impractical in the current American context.

The mayor’s rhetoric also depends on a false dichotomy. He suggests that society must choose between social investment and incarceration, when in fact both are necessary. Preventing crime through education, housing, and healthcare is an imperative, but so is providing secure facilities for those who have chosen to endanger others. To frame the issue as “prisons versus social investment” is disingenuous. Communities need both: robust front-end supports to reduce the likelihood of crime and humane correctional facilities that prepare offenders for reentry once they have served their time.

Finally, the mayor’s position reveals a deeper contradiction. He benefits personally from police protection. Law enforcement officers guard his home and his public appearances, ensuring that threats are minimized. While their presence does not guarantee that no harm will ever occur, it clearly acts as a deterrent. If deterrence and visible security are deemed necessary for the mayor and his family, it is hypocritical to deny ordinary Chicagoans the same peace of mind. Residents in high-crime neighborhoods, particularly Black and Latino communities, deserve visible law enforcement presence, not fewer officers. But the answer is not merely officers stationed on corners. Effective policing requires those officers to spend time in the neighborhoods they patrol, getting to know residents, building genuine trust, and becoming a positive part of the community. This kind of engagement makes law enforcement not just a visible presence but a trusted partner, one that can both deter crime and foster the cooperation necessary to truly serve and protect.

In short, abolitionist rhetoric may score political points, but it ignores empirical realities and undermines community safety. What Chicago needs is not abstract ideological pronouncements but practical, balanced leadership that strengthens communities while still protecting them from those who pose immediate and serious threats. Law enforcement, when it operates with trust, visibility, and accountability, can fulfill this role—delivering both deterrence and genuine partnership to the citizens it serves.

Works Cited:

Barkow, R. E. (2022). Promise or peril? The political path of prison abolition in America [SSRN Working Paper]. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4232267

De Mar, C. (2025, September 19). Mayor Brandon Johnson faces backlash after saying "law enforcement is a sickness. CBS News Chicago. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mayor-brandon-johnson-backlash-law-enforcement-is-a-sickness/

Frampton, T. W. (2022). The dangerous few: Taking seriously prison abolition and its skeptics. Harvard Law Review, 135(8), 2013–2076. https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-135/the-dangerous-few-taking-seriously-prison-abolition-and-its-skeptics/

McLeod, A. M. (2015). Prison abolition and grounded justice. UCLA Law Review, 62(5), 1156–1239.