Corridors of Contagion: How the Pandemic Exposed the Cruelties of Incarceration

by Victoria Law

Tracing the narratives of five incarcerated individuals, Sentenced to COVID speaks to the devastating impact of surviving the pandemic inside prison walls. 



Sentenced to COVID brings to light the experiences of five people incarcerated across the United States as they navigate the onset of the pandemic—and the many months, stretched into years, that followed. Journalist Victoria Law combines this storytelling with a trenchant analysis of the structural failures of the US carceral failures that made prisons uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks, from overcrowding to solitary confinement, from insufficient healthcare to life sentences.



The book portrays the horrors of continual lockdowns not in the comfort of one’s own home, but in prisons where routine violence and chaos is made even more unimaginable by the complete lack of control over protection from a terrifying and lethal new virus. The pandemic provided an opportunity for lawmakers and policy makers to rethink the nation’s addiction to perpetual punishment. Instead, US jails and prisons doubled down on punishment under the guise of pandemic protections. As a result, people behind bars experienced increased stress, mental health challenges, increased violence, and higher rates of deaths, many of which could have been prevented.



While the pandemic emergency has been declared over, we are continuing to learn more about the extent of its destruction. Sentenced to COVID reminds readers about both the particular horrors experienced by people in cages and the continued role of the US as the world’s prison nation. 

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like a lot of what I read in this book was all too familiar, I've read so much abolitionist content in the last couple of years, but it was still quite heartbreaking to read of the constant state of neglect and abuse incarcerated people live in and the ways these poor conditions were exacerbated by the pandemic. Since this book focuses a lot on individual stories it's really accessible and easy to read even if you haven't read any abolitionist theory. The book does contain some theory but it's really not a ton so if you like to microdose theory or to get to it in a more organic fashion this one might be for you.

[Inez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Law presents a frankly all too familiar account of existence behind prison walls, where the functionality of dehumanization is exacerbated by an additional outside force—in this case COVID19. Her case study approach makes the text accessible and highlights a handful of individuals' experiences that are representative of the millions of others behind bars. Supporting her cases with brief snatches of the history and theories of incarceration in the U.S., it's a solid place to examine how a specific phenomenon functions within prison regularity.

[Shalini · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is all too familiar, but presents more compelling reasons why our prison systems are a failure.

[Shelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

heartbreaking but so informative