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This very important project we are taking on as a humanitarian organization to exam the injustices of mass incarceration in the United State in the 21st century offers many challenges to families and communities. The numbers are staggering and the human injustices are grave when examining the persistent and cyclical mass incarceration of American citizens, without the expected reduction in criminal activity and increased positive impact to public safety. Still no sustainable solution has yet surfaced! With more than 2.3 million people behind bars, the United State leads the world in its prison population, well ahead of China (1,5 million) and leaving Russia in the dust (890,000). "Beyond the sheer number of inmates, American is also the global leader in the rate at which it incarcerates its citizenry," the study report, "outpacing nations like South Africa and Iran.

What we Believe

We believe that this film can play important role in illuminating the consequences of systemic injustices on vulnerable populations and showcasing innovative solutions. This ninety minutes documentary and broader change initiative will show that the basic tenets of equality and fairness are not upheld in this system rife with constitutional violations and there is a prevailing need for a systematic, nationally focused, wholesale review/revision of the American Criminal Justice System. This both inadvertently and intentionally, promotes barriers to improved outcomes and cost overruns, with a goal of elevating /advancing the attention policy makers, practitioners, and society at large need to place on improving a failing system.

Project Goals

(Overall goal of the film, e.g. the social impact we intend the film to have)

• To educate the public by increasing the awareness among the viewing and non-viewing public about the cultural constraints, systemic inequities that shape the experiences of the American people that have contributed to the high Recidivism/Incarceration of our men, and now growing women population in prison. 

• We believe that this film can bear witness to the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals, families and communities in ways that statistics cannot, and that it can create a broader understanding of social problems and inspire concrete action. We also believe that well-structured and creative community engagement initiatives can leverage this film's ability to ignite social change by moving people from awareness to action.

Community Engagement Initiative:

• Link the film to creative activism and strategic grassroots organizations that are trying to take on these crises. We want to expose this toxic life these individuals have to live and survive in every day.

• Seek to use the film as a tool for advocates who are already working on the issues and to strengthen and grow similar movements as way to achieve sustainable social change.

• Seek to use the film for such efforts as donating to a specific cause or advocating for a particular policy change.

• Encourage the innovative use of media, such as Web 2.0 strategies, and short form videos, to engage new audiences around important social issues.

• Demonstrate how films coupled with well-structured and measurable community engagement and outreach programs can raise awareness about complex social issues, encourage dialogue, share possible solutions, and move people to action.

Impact of Project

The impact of this project's ability to raise awareness around this issue of mass incarceration is a critical building block for both individual change and broader social change. We do this by connecting both the audience size and the diversity of that audience. By diversity we think of the geography, age, faith, political view, as well as racial diversity.

Ultimately of course social change is the goal. And while we understand that realizing social change is often a long and complex process, we do believe it is possible and that for some issues there are key indicators of success. For example, in some cases we could look to key legislative or policy changes that were driven by, or at least supported by the film. In other cases, we can point to shifts in public dialogue and how issues are framed and discussed.

The goal of this film and our expectations is driven by where this issue is in the public consciousness and the role this film can play, given its narrative, in the process of social change.