This radical concept of penal reform is aimed at chipping away at the power of the State through a series of 'negative' reforms which remove some State power, with the ultimate goal being the abolition of the penal system which serves the ruling class. The strategy based on this concept relies on activities of the inmates themselves and their alliance with ex-inmates and other 'outside' organizations fighting for prisoners' rights. Although in theory the 'positive' reforms which make inmates' lives more comfortable should be avoided as leading to a greater entrenchment of State power, the potential for improving inmates' lives through the adoption of this strategy is great. The benefits of negative reforms are illustrated by the experience of the Norwegian KROM, an organization which won for inmates a series of rights including visits, furloughs, and the right to telephone in privacy, by fighting for the rightr of prisoners to work with outside groups on prison reform measures. Thus, the strengths of the abolitionist strategy are the refusal to be polarized by the need to develop either short term or long term measures and to take reform versus revolutionary stances. The abolitionist strategy is also characterized by its commitment to abolition tempered by some humanitarian reforms and the centrality of the alliance among inmates, ex-inmates, and diverse outside agents. Its weaknesses lie in its obsession with system strengthening and its tendency to remain 'unfinished' to the point of ruling out alternatives to the strategy being pursued. Notes are included.