TFW When ‘Abolitionists’ Build Skyscraper Jails w/ Jarrod and Zhana

What happens when politically underdeveloped abolitionists team up with ladder-climbing non-profit directors and big money philanthropy? Nothing good, that’s what! Jamie and Sam are joined by Zhandarka Kurti and Jarrod Shanahan to discuss their new book “Skyscraper Jails: The Abolitionist Fight Against Jail Expansion in New York City” and the heartbreaking, cautionary tale about how a fight to shut down Rikers Island prison was taken over, watered-down, and channeled into a movement to built four of the tallest prisons in the world. Why does the prison industry develop in response to the failures of capitalism? How was the movement to shut down one prison turned into a movement to open a network of skyscraper jail facilities? Will Rikers Island ever close? Was “Defund the Police” actually just a betrayal of the George Floyd Rebellion? How can our movements win? All this and more on this week's special episode. Buy the book here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2454-skyscraper-jails 00:00:00 Introductions and banter 00:03:13 Jarrod & Zhara’s experience in college Criminology Depts 00:09:10 J & Z’s collaborative writing process and staying accountable to the movement 00:16:59 “Skyscraper Jails” overview - nonprofitication 00:26:11 How did the U.S. “prison industrial complex” develop in response to failures of capitalism? 00:34:26 How did “Close Rikers” morph into advocating for four new NYC jails? 00:48:00 No such thing as a “better” jail 00:53:21 Spicy takes on Defund the Police movement SIGN UP NOW at https://patreon.com/partygirls to get all of our bonus content, Discord access, and a shout out on the pod! Join our YouTube channel as a member to get access to bonus videos (the same one's you'd find on Patreon!): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0T-lzkTsMt1tBSvp958UGQ/join Follow us on ALL the Socials: Instagram: @party.girls.pod YouTube: @partygirlspod TikTok: @party.girls.pod Twitter: @partygirlspod BlueSky: @partygirls.bsky.social Leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you feel so inclined: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/party-girls/id1577239978 https://open.spotify.com/show/71ESqg33NRlEPmDxjbg4rO Executive Producer: Andrew Callaway Producers: Charlotte Albrecht, Jon B., Ryan M.