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.

Michelle Horton on

“The System Works So Hard to Silence Us Because Our Voices Are Powerful” “The System Works So Hard to Silence Us Because Our Voices Are Powerful”

An interview with author and activist Michelle Horton about her new book, "Dear Sister."

Feb 28, 2024 / Q&A / Victoria Law

Hundreds of dual victims rallied to end life without the possibility of parole. Two Bills in the Pensylvania legislature, Senate Bill 942 and House Bill 135, which end Life without Parole which amount to death by incarceration, protesters rallied inside the state capitol with victims on both sides of the issue giving passionate speeches in favor of the bills in Harrisburg, PA on October 23, 2019.

It’s Known as “Death by Incarceration.” These People Want to End It. It’s Known as “Death by Incarceration.” These People Want to End It.

More people are serving life sentences without parole in Pennsylvania than almost anywhere else in America. An increasingly vocal movement is trying to change that.

Feb 9, 2024 / Victoria Law

Survivor Justice and Democracy: A Conversation With Kylie Cheung

Survivor Justice and Democracy: A Conversation With Kylie Cheung Survivor Justice and Democracy: A Conversation With Kylie Cheung

"The Nation" spoke with the journalist and author about the ways in which domestic violence and the ongoing attacks on bodily autonomy impede the democratic process.

Sep 15, 2023 / Editorial / Victoria Law

Abortion Denied: Reproductive Injustice Behind Bars

Abortion Denied: Reproductive Injustice Behind Bars Abortion Denied: Reproductive Injustice Behind Bars

"[This situation] should make you wonder whether we, as a society, should be incarcerating pregnant people in the first place."

Jul 28, 2023 / Highlights / Victoria Law

A painting by Davide Coggins, mailed to the author in mid-May.

New York’s Prison System Abruptly Halts a Policy Censoring Artists and Writers New York’s Prison System Abruptly Halts a Policy Censoring Artists and Writers

One day after "New York Focus" broke the story about the censorship policy, the state department announced that it would suspend the rule impeding creative endeavors in prisons.

Jun 8, 2023 / Victoria Law

People gathered at City Hall in October 2022 for a rally to protest deaths in New York City's Rikers Island jail complex.

Maryland’s Solitary Confinement Reform Bill Stalls in the Democratic State Legislature Maryland’s Solitary Confinement Reform Bill Stalls in the Democratic State Legislature

Lawmakers “had the opportunity to do something that would have made a huge systemic change and put the state on the right path—and they didn’t,” said the bill’s author.

May 25, 2023 / Victoria Law

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

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