Today, HBO and the evening news are the main source of impressions about the system for too many Americans, making one dimensional “criminals” out of humans with hopes, dreams, fears, jobs and families. We highlight the full person for the public, because no one should ever be defined by their worst day.  

Inside correctional facilities, people are denied identity, reduced to a mere number, all wearing the same blue uniform, disallowed to question or express. Our voice is what makes us human, so we shine light on the full lives of people behind bars using their own words. 

A plastic table in a crowded cinder block visitation room is no place to bond with mom or dad, but also the best place to see how parents’ love transcends all walls and mistakes. We amplify the voices of parents behind bars because there is nothing more universal than how we love our kids. We spotlight the countless collateral injustices because mass incarceration’s unsung victims are the millions of families serving time too.

Legislators pass and reject laws, changing the entire course of careers, families and communities with just a few words while thinking only about “offenders” and often hearing only about their “heinous crimes.” To balance that, we disseminate the accomplishments and goals of so many good people stuck too long behind bars who have spent their time educating themselves and others, working, writing, parenting and even starting charities.

Why does it matter? Every story, every statute, and every push that lets families reunite sooner makes us all stronger.