Amanda Knox opens up about prison relationship in magazine piece

SEATTLE -- Amanda Knox discussed the complexities of carrying on a same-sex romantic relationships with a fellow inmate while in prison in a piece published in VICE Magazine on Wednesday.

Knox spent four years in an Italian prison before her conviction for the murder of roommate Meredith Kercher was overturned in 2011.

In the VICE piece, titled "What Romance in Prison Actually Looks Like," Knox described meeting another young woman in Italy's Capanne prison and developing a relationship with her. Knox, who identifies as a straight female, described a romantic attraction to the woman that revolved outside of a sexual realm.

"Prison is an isolating place," Knox writes. "You're forcibly removed from your homes and support network. You're deprived freedom of movement, of social interaction, and of time. You're forced to submit to total surveillance and control by strangers, alongside strangers. but relationships help keep us sane, even if they're forbidden or not ideal."

Knox's personal narrative is peppered with examples and studies of other prison relationships. Knox also candidly describes being coerced into holding hands with her romantic partner.

"Leny wanted to hold hands," Knox writes. "I felt objectified and I'd get annoyed."

Knox said society often "overlooks non-sexual romantic relationships" that occur in prison.

"'Gay for the stay' is an insensitive oversimplification that signals a lack of understanding about what it's really like to be imprisoned, and an underestimation of human nature," Knox says.

The full version of Knox's piece is available through VICE Magazine.