A historical e.g. of how disease outbreaks combined with legal systems that exacerbate & produce social inequality impact marginalised populations. In records on people labelled “criminal tribes” in colonial India, there are so many e.g’s of govt minimising the impacts of disease

through stereotypes of criminality that especially effected the socially marginalised. Inspired by @mjsharafi's recent @Himalistan article & @detsolnet's #PrisonsInPandemic series, had a quick reread of “CT” reports. The 1st I picked noted high death rates among Barwars in 1896-7

Barwars were confined to villages through a pass system restricting their mobility & roll calls under the Criminal Tribes Act. In 1896 cholera broke out in 2 large villages, resulting in more than twice as many deaths as births (180 vs 84).

The CTA pass system & roll calls exacerbated the impacts of bad seasons & famines throughout the late 1800s & early 1900s because people often couldn’t migrate for work or food. CTA likely exacerbated disease outbreaks too (e.g. making people stay in areas w contaminated water).

The risks of disease outbreaks were especially high in the “CT” penal settlements. In 1896 many Barwars escaped due to the cholera outbreak. Many were 1st time ‘absconders.’ But colonial officials fell back on stereotypes of criminality & economic unproductiveness ...

to suggest that cholera alone did not cause Barwar resistance. Forcibly removing Barwar children was suggested to coerce Barwars to stop escaping. The next year when the death rate was even higher (229 deaths vs 58 births) the CTA report vaguely stated this was due to ...

‘disease incidental to a year of privation.’ The Inspector-General of Police, however, suspected the Barwars of infanticide. There are so many e.g.’s I could point to of this basic pattern:

...the CTA placed criminalised people in especially precarious positions & when disease broke out or illness increased, this was minimised through stereotypes of criminality and economic unproductiveness that especially targeted the socially marginalised.