REFORM ALLIANCE
REFORM Alliance exists to make the criminal justice system better. Their mission is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system—starting with probation and parole.
But when COVID-19 became a pressing issue for all prisoners, not just those serving time for technical violations, REFORM had to shift gears out of urgency for the safety of everyone impacted by the virus within the prison system.
A majority of coronavirus hotspots in the US have been linked to high rates of infection inside prisons–with up to 80% of prisoners testing positive in one institution.
The campaign “hijacked” people’s social feeds with the hashtag #AnswerTheirCall in order to generate empathy for prisoners in the U.S.–a majority of whom, the organization said, have
been incarcerated for minor offenses. Kicking off the campaign, hip-hop artist and Reform Alliance
co-chair Meek Mill dropped a hotline number.
When people call the number they will hear a real recorded phone call with an inmate.
Callers will then receive a follow up text prompting them to take action by sharing the #AnswerTheirCall audio files to amplify the voices of inmates. The audio is also live across Reform’s social channels.