Break Every Yoke
Religion, Justice, and the Abolition of Prisons
Joshua Dubler and Vincent Lloyd
Reviews and Awards
"Break Every Yoke makes important contributions by illuminating the religious dimensions of mass incarceration, by inviting especially its religious audiences to "riskier and more exacting, but also more comprehensive, movements toward justice", and by clarifying the possibilities of religion in the work of justice. It is a suitable text for university libraries as well as for classroom use, particularly in graduate or seminary settings." -- Amy Levad, Horizons
"Break Every Yoke unsparingly illustrates how religion has contributed to mass criminalization while also making a convincing case that religious people can be mobilized in the fight to transform the carceral state. The authors remind us that making a moral case against incarceration is essential to the struggle to abolish prisons. If you are new to the idea of prison abolition, the book offers a valuable primer. It pushed me beyond my comfort zone, agitated me in the best sense, and left me asking more questions. How much more effective could prison industrial complex abolition be if organizers more explicitly and intentionally incorporated religion and spirituality into our work? How should we do it? Iâm grateful for these provocations. I canât wait to talk to others about this book. Letâs get the conversations going." -- Mariame Kaba, founder of Project NIA
"Spirituality without structure is not easily sustained in hostile, authoritarian environments. Although religions have historically been practitioners of organized predatory violence,ÂBreak Every YokeÂillustrates how we can counter violence with religion that supports resilience and a healthy spirituality to resist: school to prison pipelines, foster care, residential homes for special needs children, detention centers, mental asylums, solitary confinement, death row, political imprisonment and mass incarceration." -- Joy James, Ebenezer Fitch Professor of Humanities, Williams College
"One of the critical moral and political issues facing Americans today is our system of mass incarceration. With this thoughtful and inspiring book, Joshua Dubler and Vincent Lloyd present a powerful indictment of this moral abomination and an inspiring mandate to create a new and radical abolitionist movement rooted in the Bible." -- Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College