Alana Abramson

My name is Alana Marie Abramson; I was born on the unceded, traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples (Vancouver, British Columbia). I am of British, European, Metis, and Cree decent. My parents, Ian and Elaine, were born and raised in Vancouver. I am one of four children and I grew up in Surrey, British Columbia. Today, I am a guest living on Secwepemc territory (Kamloops) and am a full-time criminology professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. I am also a passionate advocate, researcher, and practitioner of restorative and transformative justice.

Despite the privilege of being born into a middle-class, two parent family, the road I have walked was not always easy. I found high school unchallenging and uninspiring at best and violent and victimizing at worst. I struggled with dramatic and unpredictable hormonal changes and victimization that led to rebellious and disrespectful behaviour. After being asked to leave both home and school, I lived on the streets of Vancouver where I experienced trauma, isolation, and substance misuse. I was arrested just before my 16th birthday and placed in foster care where I struggled to get my life on track. Through the support of caring people, I was able to reconcile with my parents and return home. I didn’t know it then, but this was my first experience of restorative justice.

I was the first in my family to attend a post-secondary institution. I found a passion for criminology in my second year. In 2000, I met my mentor, Dr. Liz Elliott, after enrolling in a Restorative Justice course at Simon Fraser University. She introduced me to the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) at Mission Institution, medium-security. I became an active volunteer working alongside her and other community members and federally sentenced people. AVP workshops provided all of us opportunities to look at the violence in our past and work towards living non-violent lives. The people I met and experiences I had in prison solidified my passion for transformative justice and penal abolition. Since then, I have dedicated myself to the values and practices of peacemaking and restorative justice.

Yves and I met in 2004 through AVP and have been friends and colleagues ever since. I was honoured when Yves asked if I would help him tell his story. My contributions consist of editing his original work, interviewing Yves to fill in the missing pieces, and providing some academic context. I have learned that stories are powerful vehicles for social change and Yves has an important story to tell. This book is for social science students, researchers, and faculty, and anyone interested in trauma, transformation, and criminal justice.