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Resource Share | Mapping the Prison Industrial Complex from Project Nia

Understanding the Prison Industrial Complex with "Mapping the PIc"


The movement to end incarceration and carceral violence is growing — but powerful systems stand in the way of freedom. One of the most important tools for organizers, students, and advocates is clarity: understanding how the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) actually functions and whose interests it serves. That’s why the “Mapping the Prison Industrial Complex” resource on Abolitionist.Tools is so valuable. abolitionist.tools



What Mapping the PIC Is

At its core, Mapping the PIC is a political education workshop framework and toolkit developed by organizer Micah Herskind that helps abolitionists break down the overlapping institutions, actors, and interests that make up the PIC. Rather than viewing incarceration as isolated buildings or individual policies, it frames the PIC as an entire network of power — including:

  • Law enforcement and police agencies

  • Government officials and policymakers

  • Elected representatives

  • Corporations and developers

  • Media and public narratives

  • Nonprofits and advocacy organizations

  • Community stakeholders whose labor or profit depends on punishment systems abolitionist.tools


Using a concrete example — the movement against a major police training facility in Atlanta — the workshop maps how these players interconnect and reinforce systems of punishment and control. Participants walk away with a method they can replicate to map the PIC in their own locality. abolitionist.tools


Why Mapping the PIC Matters for Abolition Work


Abolition isn’t abstract theory — it requires deep analysis of local power structures and coordinated strategy to dismantle them. Here’s why this resource is so powerful for our work in Virginia and beyond:

It connects the dots, from macro to local

The PIC isn’t just private prisons. It’s a web where policing, surveillance technology, housing policy, labor exploitation, economic development, and municipal politics are linked in ways people don’t always see. Mapping makes those relationships visible and actionable.

It equips organizers with a tangible tool

Rather than merely naming “the system,” Mapping the PIC offers a method for identifying specific actors — how they benefit from punishment, how they maintain power, and where leverage points might exist for abolitionist interventions.

It teaches strategic political education

For abolitionists — especially student organizers, grassroots coalitions, and community educators — this resource provides a structure for teaching radical analysis without needing advanced academic credentials. That democratizes political education and expands capacity.

It builds accountable, localized strategy

Because every community’s PIC looks slightly different — from county sheriffs to private contractors to local media — mapping allows abolitionists to tailor campaigns to the actual actors that uphold systems of punishment in their region.



🔗 Explore the Mapping the PIC toolkit at Abolitionist.Tools (link: https://abolitionist.tools/Mapping-the-PIC) and start mapping your local system today. abolitionist.tools



Mapping the PIC is from Building Your Abolitionist Toolkit



Building Your Abolitionist Toolkit is a political education project and a rich resource designed to answer one of the most common questions new and seasoned organizers ask:

“If we’re abolishing prisons and policing, what do we actually build instead—and how do we organize to get there?”

This project does not treat abolition as a metaphor or a distant future. It treats abolition as a practice, requiring skills, frameworks, and collective discipline.


you can check out the full toolkit here: abolitionist.tools


We highly recommend checking it out! It is structured to help people move from analysis → action → sustainability. Core components include:

  • Foundational abolition conceptsClear explanations of abolition, non-reformist reforms, decarceration, and harm reduction—without academic gatekeeping.

  • Power mapping & strategy toolsResources that help organizers identify who holds power, who benefits from harm, and where leverage exists—directly complementing tools like Mapping the PIC.

  • Campaign development frameworksGuidance on setting demands, choosing tactics, escalating pressure, and measuring progress without defaulting to carceral “wins.”

  • Community-based safety alternativesPractical examples of how communities respond to harm without police, cages, or coercion.



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