Reviewing the History of the Defund Police Movement

Background on Criminal Justice Reform

The defund police movement is rooted in decades-long efforts for criminal justice reform, targeting systemic issues like mass incarceration, racial bias, and over-policing. Reformers argued for reducing reliance on law enforcement and investing in mental health care, housing, education, and job training. These early reforms laid the groundwork for more radical calls to re-imagine public safety.

Historical Context

Between the 1980s and 2010s, harsh drug laws and mandatory sentencing dramatically increased the U.S. prison population. Community activists, scholars, and organizations such as the ACLU and Vera Institute of Justice spotlighted the racial disparities and societal costs of this system. By the early 2020s, a growing consensus emerged: policing alone couldn’t solve deeper social problems.

Key Figures and Organizations

Several high-profile voices elevated the movement:

• Black Lives Matter (BLM): Particularly after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, BLM adopted “defund the police” as a core demand—calling for redirecting police funding toward community services.
• Movement for Black Lives (M4BL): Its platform outlines a national racial justice strategy centering reinvestment and dismantling oppressive systems.
• ACLU, Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, Equal Justice Society: These bodies have contributed research, myth-busting, and detailed analysis informing the conversation.

The Emergence of the Defund Police Movement

The Catalyst Events

Americans witnessed a string of police killings—such as those of Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd—broadcast in real time. These events exposed racial and procedural injustices. Protests erupted, and calls to defund the police shifted from a fringe slogan to mainstream policy discourse.

Core Motivations

• Reallocate Funds: Funding law enforcement redirected toward services like mental health, housing, education, which more effectively address root causes of crime.
• Reduce Police Role in Social Services: Mental health crises and homelessness often require intervention types police aren’t trained to handle.
• Abolish Inequitable Systems: Create alternatives beyond arrest and incarceration—such as restorative justice, mental health crisis response teams, and community-based mediation.

Transformative Justice Approaches

Definitions and Principles

Transformative justice challenges punitive models and seeks to repair harm through community-led approaches, collective accountability, and centering victims’ needs.

• Restorative Circles: Dialogue-based mediations involving victims, offenders, and community members.
• Community Response Teams: Deploy trained mental health professionals and social workers instead of police.
• Youth Intervention Programs: Preventive services focusing on mentorship, conflict resolution, and education.

These approaches aim to cultivate healing and safety without expanding carceral systems.

Comparing Transformative Justice and Traditional Policing