Victoria Law

Victoria Law is a freelance journalist who focuses on the intersections of incarceration, gender, and resistance. Her books include Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women, Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms (coauthored with Maya Schenwar), and the forthcoming “Prisons Make Us Safer” and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration.

A prisoner is shackled while attending a class for mental health in the Short-Term Restricted Housing Unit at California State Prison, Sacramento.

The New York Law Everyone Is Watching The New York Law Everyone Is Watching

The HALT Act was passed to end long-term solitary confinement. Enforcing it is a whole new struggle.

May 4, 2023 / Victoria Law

rows of barbed wire

A Texas Prison Guard Punishes a Woman for Talking About Abortion A Texas Prison Guard Punishes a Woman for Talking About Abortion

Legal experts told The Nation it’s not illegal. But that didn’t stop one guard from moving a woman to extreme isolation after sharing sexual health information.

May 2, 2023 / Victoria Law

Women imprisoned at Perryville State Prison

Arizona Prisoners Find Hope in Their Fight Against Forced Inductions Arizona Prisoners Find Hope in Their Fight Against Forced Inductions

A bill seeking to end the practice has languished without a hearing. Bill sponsor Athena Salman is not giving up, and neither are pregnant people in custody.

Mar 8, 2023 / Victoria Law

Leigh Goodmark

Leigh Goodmark on “Imperfect Victims” and the Need for Abolition Feminism Leigh Goodmark on “Imperfect Victims” and the Need for Abolition Feminism

A conversation with lawyer and advocate Leigh Goodmark on her new book about the criminalization of survivors and the promise of abolition feminism.

Feb 2, 2023 / Q&A / Victoria Law

Graham Rayman & Reuven Blau

Rikers Just Had Its Deadliest Year. Two Authors Explain Why It’s Still Open. Rikers Just Had Its Deadliest Year. Two Authors Explain Why It’s Still Open.

A conversation with Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau about their new book on Rikers Island, a jail system plagued by decades of institutional inertia.

Jan 20, 2023 / Q&A / Victoria Law

Sterilization Survivors Who Won Reparations Now Face Another Challenge—Getting It

Sterilization Survivors Who Won Reparations Now Face Another Challenge—Getting It Sterilization Survivors Who Won Reparations Now Face Another Challenge—Getting It

Advocates and incarcerated survivors wonder if enough is being done to inform and assist all survivors in California, who have until the end of the year to apply for compensation.

Jan 3, 2023 / Victoria Law

Tracy McCarter Is a Case Study of the Abusive Carceral State

Tracy McCarter Is a Case Study of the Abusive Carceral State Tracy McCarter Is a Case Study of the Abusive Carceral State

Judge Diane Kiesel's ruling is just one example of the way the legal system took on the role of the abuser in McCarter's case.

Dec 23, 2022 / Victoria Law for The Nation

An Incarcerated Survivor Asks Kathy Hochul for Clemency

An Incarcerated Survivor Asks Kathy Hochul for Clemency An Incarcerated Survivor Asks Kathy Hochul for Clemency

The petition from the 34-year-old mother of two is one of 861 requests for commutations awaiting Hochul's decision.

Dec 20, 2022 / Victoria Law

Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars.

Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars. Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars.

California and New York legislators are trying to undo the damage caused since the 1994 Crime Bill. But elder parole isn’t working as hoped.

Dec 14, 2022 / Feature / Victoria Law

A Judge Dismisses the Murder Charge Against a Domestic Violence Survivor

A Judge Dismisses the Murder Charge Against a Domestic Violence Survivor A Judge Dismisses the Murder Charge Against a Domestic Violence Survivor

Two weeks after the Manhattan DA filed a motion to dismiss Tracy McCarter’s murder indictment, Judge Diane Kiesel agreed to drop the charge against her. 

Dec 2, 2022 / Victoria Law

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