As COVID-19 ravaged the country, incarcerated people quickly became one of the most vulnerable groups. Prison rules made preventative practices like isolation, social distancing and increased hygiene impossible, while preconceived notions about incarcerated people made them one of the least thought-of groups during the pandemic.

REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice non-profit, aimed to illuminate these dangerous circumstances. In support of REFORM’s work, we needed to make the general population aware that COVID-19 was turning every sentence into a potential death sentence. We set out to create a sense of urgency around the issue, generate empathy for 2.3 million incarcerated people, and ultimately drive people to take action.

As people spent more time than ever on their phones, we hijacked their newsfeeds and served them eye-opening phone calls directly from people in jails and prisons. The series of social films prompted people to take action with our campaign hashtag, #AnswerTheirCall, by sharing the phone calls as a way to make their voices louder. Additionally, all of our work led up to the launch of an emotionally raw film called, “When It’s Over”, which highlighted a sobering truth: whether in prison or not, we all look forward to life after the pandemic.

The campaign resulted in powerful storytelling that drove advocacy amongst celebrities such as Meek Mill, Madonna, and Kim Kardashian along with political figures, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, which helped drive a significant share of impressions, and ultimately sparked curiosity about REFORM with the mass. Results included 200 million earned impressions; 3,500 social mentions, increasing REFORM's followers by 3%; 906 million press impressions; a 35% increase in new visitors to REFORM’s website; a 10% increase in signatures for the SAFER petition; and a $10 million donation from Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey, to supply prisons with PPE.