Imagining Justice Transformation in Aotearoa: Possibilities and Pitfalls

It is well‐noted that for as long as there have been prisons, there has been continued resistance to their use and calls for alternatives. Debates amongst advocates for change in the justice system fixate on whether prison reform or abolition is the answer. This article engages with narratives from 16 semi‐structured interviews with people who advocate or work in the justice system. The participants included penal populists, prison reformers, and prison abolitionists. Despite differing in their politics, participants recognised that the criminal punishment system in Aotearoa needs to change. This article sheds light on both diverging and collective visions for change, in the hopes of highlighting the possibilities and pitfalls of transformative change.