Criminalized Lives: HIV and Legal Violence

Canada has been known for its harsh criminalization of HIV, with the act of not disclosing one's status to sex partners being a serious crime. Alexander McClelland's book "Criminalized Lives" explores the complexities of disclosure and the violence that results from being criminalized, featuring personal stories of people who have faced criminalization first-hand. It questions common assumptions about HIV, the role of punishment, and the legacy of categorizing people as either victims or perpetrators.

Format: Hardback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 14 June 2024
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Canada has been a hot spot for HIV criminalization, where the act of not disclosing one's HIV-positive status to sex partners has been regarded as a serious criminal offense. 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. Note: A regrettable error appears on page 22. The number 240 should be 206 when referring to the number of people prosecuted in relation to allegations of HIV nondisclosure. This will be fixed in future reprints.

Weight: 399g
Dimension: 203 x 127 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978832060