"COVID-19 on the Inside: Degradation, Politics, and Future Action"

Speakers:

Jessica Evans, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, X University
Linda Mussell, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Political Studies|Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies, University of Ottawa
Moderated by: Lisa Guenther, Professor, Queen’s National Scholar in Political Philosophy and Critical Prison Studies, Department of Philosophy, Queen’s University

This talk explains the situation inside and outside prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we illustrate the degrading conditions experienced by those confined in provincial and federal adult and youth institutions. Second, we discuss the politics and governance of carceral institutions during the pandemic, and the response to efforts by people on the inside and outside to improve conditions including through decarceration. Lastly, we speak about future pathways, how activism and scholarship has changed around congregate settings during the pandemic, and what should be done next.