Using scholarly work at the intersection of political sociology (with a focus on social movements) and criminal justice studies, this dissertation aims to provide an in-depth comparison of two sets of advocates for change in the prison system: moderates aiming for reform and radicals aiming for abolition, with a focus on two of the largest and most active prison advocacy organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project relies on ethnographic methods -- extensive interviews with activists in organizations representing both moderate reformists and radical abolitionists, as well as analysis of their materials.

Recent mass releases of California inmates and reclassifications of previously strict criminal justice laws present potential political opportunities for prison advocacy groups in the state (as well as nationally and globally) to not only seek further reforms, but to challenge the very existence of prisons. While there are scholars and organizations documenting and analyzing the scale and scope of mass incarceration in California, there is a significant gap in the literature comparing and analyzing the work of prison reform and abolition organizations, specifically organizations that include and are led by prisoners and ex-prisoners. The dissertation develops theoretical approaches to studies around movements and incarceration through investigating the identities, decision-making processes, and strategic challenges confronting prison advocates. The dissertation examines how these organizations make prisoners matter, not only as individuals deserving of social services and full human and civil rights, but also as members and leaders of their own liberation.