Defending Self-Defense
A Call to Action by Survived & Punished
This community-based, survivor-centered research report identifies key patterns in the criminalization of self-defense and recommendations to transform the conditions of criminalized survival. Decades of research confirms that the legal system systemically fails to protect survivors from domestic and sexual violence, and then punishes them when they save their own lives. This report foregrounds the insights, analyses, and recommendations of survivors who were punished for defending their lives, as well as organizers and advocates who have collaborated with criminalized survivors to secure their freedom.
This report is produced by Survived & Punished, Project Nia, and the UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Streisand Center. The report can also be viewed at the Survived & Punished website.
View the launch event for Defending Self Defense report on our YouTube channel.
About the Organization
Survived and Punished (S&P) is a national organization that advocates for the decriminalization of survivors of domestic and sexual violence through community organizing, policy advocacy, and engaged research. S&P provides publications and organizing tools that help highlight the intersections of prisons and gender violence, as well as mobilize grassroots support for criminalized survivors. S&P also includes the following three local/regional affiliates: Love & Protect in Chicago, S&P New York, and S&P California. CSW|Streisand Center’s Thinking Gender 2020 conference featured an art exhibit showcasing S&P’s work and accomplishments, as well as a keynote address by Mariame Kaba, a co-founder of Survived & Punished. Kaba is also the founder and director of Project Nia, a grassroots organization that fights to end youth incarceration.
Support members of the Defending Self-Defense Survivor Advisory Council
Justice for Domestic Violence Survivor, Wendy Howard!
Drop Charges against Tracy McCarter!
Fundraiser for Tewkunzi and her family
Justice for Ky Peterson
- Venmo: Kenyota-Petersom (note: the “m” is not a typo)
- Cash App: $KenyotaPeterson97
Pardon for Liyah Birru
People
Alisa Bierria
Alisa Bierria is an assistant professor in the Department of Gender Studies at UCLA. A Black feminist philosopher, Alisa’s writing and collaborative projects focus on racialized gender violence and critical acts of survival.
Colby Lenz
Colby Lenz works with community-based organizations and leaders to develop and implement collaborative research, teaching, and policy projects with a focus on gender violence, criminalization, and pre- and post-conviction participatory defense.
