"We Are More" Series Trailer
The "We Are More" campaign centers the experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, and pushes back against fear-mongering “tough on crime” rhetoric resurging in the 2022 election season. We need more pathways out of prison, not new ones into it. Through advocacy, public education, and direct representation, the Illinois Prison Project brings hope to and fight in community with incarcerated people and their loved ones for a brighter, more humane, more just system for us all.
Our Storytellers
The four gentlemen below sat down with SoapBox in spring 2022 to share their experiences with the carceral system, the impact the Illinois Prison Project has had on their lives, and how they now experience joy. Watch their micro-docs below as Michael, Kensley, Anthony, and Renaldo detail what "we are more" means to them. Select their names to watch extended interviews and special clips.
"We Are More" Campaign & Background
The Illinois General Assembly in 2021 passed a slate of sweeping criminal legal reforms through the SAFE-T Act. The passage of the legislative package was a major win for advocates who had long sought to end disastrous practices like cash bail, increase police accountability, and curb pernicious sentencing schemes.
Yet opponents in late 2021, early 2022 have attempted to link criminal legal reforms to a nationwide uptick in violent crime. In particular, some have directed their ire toward the Prisoner Review Board, arguing that the release of incarcerated people endangers public safety. Additionally, some have put forth a package of "tough-on-crime" proposals, though lacking any clear chance at passage.
The "We Are More" campaign seeks to counter harmful narratives about clemency and other forms of post-conviction release by centering the experiences of formerly incarcerated people.
Yet opponents in late 2021, early 2022 have attempted to link criminal legal reforms to a nationwide uptick in violent crime. In particular, some have directed their ire toward the Prisoner Review Board, arguing that the release of incarcerated people endangers public safety. Additionally, some have put forth a package of "tough-on-crime" proposals, though lacking any clear chance at passage.
The "We Are More" campaign seeks to counter harmful narratives about clemency and other forms of post-conviction release by centering the experiences of formerly incarcerated people.
Learn More about the Illinois Prison Project
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Written, Directed, & Produced by Caullen Hudson
Field Directed & Produced by David A. Moran Interview Cinematography by James Murray & Dakota Sillyman Additional Cinematography by James Murray & C'airra Cortez Editing & Color by James Murray Associate Produced by Shawn Mulcahy, Illinois Prison Project Spanish Translation by David A. Moran & Cindy Lara Page Photos & Set Still Photography by Karina Mireya |
