ONLINE: Victoria Law

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Ricardo Horatio Nelson

Freelance journalist Victoria Law is the author of "'Prisons Make Us Safer' and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration" (Beacon Press, 2021).

The United States continues to imprison more people per capita than any other nation. In the new book "Prisons Make Us Safer" and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration (Beacon Press, 2021), journalist Victoria Law argues that the exponential increase in imprisonment, particularly in recent decades, is rooted in racism and social control. Law's book examines the reasons the system gives for maintaining the status quo and offers ideas about how we can end it. She will discuss the book with Bill Lueders, editor of The Progressive, in a livestream available on YouTube or Facebook. To receive a copy of the book, make a donation of $50 or more to The Progressive.

media release: The Progressive and A Room of One's Own present a book release event with author Victoria Law! Victoria will be in conversation with Bill Lueders, editor of The Progressive. Find it on YouTube or Facebook.

"Prisons Make Us Safer" is a necessary guide for all who are interested in learning about the cause and rise of mass incarceration and how we can dismantle it. Journalist Victoria Law explains how racism was the catalyst for mass incarceration and has continued to be its driving force: from the post-Civil War laws that states passed to imprison former slaves, to the laws passed under the “War Against Drugs” campaign that disproportionately imprison Black people. She breaks down these complicated issues into four main parts:

1. The rise and cause of mass incarceration

2. Myths about prison

3. Misconceptions about incarcerated people

4. How to end mass incarceration

Through carefully conducted research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law identifies the 21 key myths that propel and maintain mass incarceration.

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 (co-authored with Maya Schenwar), and “Prisons Make Us Safer” and 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration.

Supporters of The Progressive can receive a copy of the book for a donation of $50 or more.