Brittany Friedman
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About Brittany
Dr. Friedman is a sociologist and expert on cover-ups, prisons, and the dark side of institutions. Friedman is co-founder of the Captive Money Lab and an Affiliated Scholar of the American Bar Foundation. Her first book, Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons, will be released in fall 2024 and traces how the enduring legacy of white supremacist alliances between incarcerated civilians and law enforcement shines a light on U.S. empire and carceral governance. Friedman frequently engages in public sociology through writing, interviews, and as a producer for documentary films.
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Explores the relationship between law enforcement and white supremacists, highlighting how alliances between prisoners and correctional officers reinforce the privileges of white power.
Shows how states increasingly view incarcerated individuals as a source of revenue to offset the costs of incarceration, often by suing them for these expenses. Examines how states construct the narrative of damage, harm, and willfulness in pay-to-stay lawsuits against prisoners, revealing that states label incarcerated individuals as willful nonpayers in an effort to frame them as morally responsible for the damages suffered.
Traces racial disparities embedded within American prisons that exacerbate the harm of the COVID-19 pandemic on imprisoned Black people. Explores why prisons are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, identifying institutional parameters such as the prioritization of institutional survival over human survival and management of uncertainty through strategies that prioritize the institution's existence over the well-being of incarcerated individuals.