Criminalized Lives: HIV and Legal Violence

by Alexander McClelland, Robert Suttle (foreword), Eric Kostiuk Williams (illustrator)

Canada has been known as a hot spot for HIV criminalization where the act of not disclosing one’s HIV-positive status to sex partners has historically been regarded as a serious criminal offence. Criminalized Lives describes how this approach has disproportionately harmed the poor, Black and Indigenous people, gay men, and women in Canada. In this book, people who have been criminally accused of not disclosing their HIV-positive status, detail the many complexities of disclosure, and the violence that results from being criminalized.  Accompanied by portraits from artist Eric Kostiuk Williams, the profiles examine whether the criminal legal system is really prepared to handle the nuances and ethical dilemmas faced everyday by people living with HIV. By offering personal stories of people who have faced criminalization first-hand, Alexander McClelland questions common assumptions about HIV, the role of punishment, and the violence that results from the criminal legal system’s legacy of categorizing people as either victims or perpetrators. 

306 pages, Hardcover

Published June 14, 2024

Reviews

[Asha Ulusow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that sheds light on the important issue of HIV criminalization in the Canadian context. I loved how McCleland respectfully recounted the stories, honoring the privacy and resilience of those who have been criminalized. The illustrations were particularly impactful and added depth to the book.