This chapter examines the deep roots of carceral society and the ongoing transformation of racialized social control from colonial conquest to the modern prison system. Abigail Henson challenges the misconception that abolition is simply about ending police and prisons overnight, arguing instead for a radical shift in cultural values and collective consciousness. The chapter traces how the pursuit of wealth and power by European colonizers led to chattel slavery, the creation of racial hierarchies, and the evolution of those systems into convict leasing, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration. Henson highlights how narratives of insecurity and white supremacy fueled laws and practices that criminalized Blackness and normalized white violence. She emphasizes the power of Black resistance and storytelling in driving cultural change that precedes meaningful policy reform. The chapter critiques the culture of control that underlies mass incarceration, exposing how poverty, mental illness, and racial stereotypes are used to justify state violence. Henson calls for abolitionist practice that invests in community-based alternatives, harm reduction, restorative justice, and equitable access to housing and employment. Abolition, she argues, is not about abandoning accountability but about building systems that promote genuine well-being and collective safety. The chapter ultimately calls for a new vision of justice rooted in community, care, and the rejection of carceral logics.