The ad industry must tackle prison reform to get serious about racial justice

We in the advertising industry talk a lot about equity and inclusion. We design a lovely showroom that celebrates our apparent commitment to diversity in all its forms. Sadly, this is all superficial. Peel back the curtain and we see … nothing. We continue to ignore blatant racism and injustice and fail to take even the most basic steps that can drive real change.

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Narrative is powerful and representation matters more than in any other industry, and we can influence society’s very cultural fabric. It is our responsibility as creatives to question what ideas and values we are disseminating, what biases—overt or subliminal—we perpetuate, and to whom we are giving platforms. 

For the narrative surrounding social justice to take proper shape, we have to stop the cycle that makes certain groups seen as “less than.”

Incarceration is a human rights catastrophe in the United States. We have 5% of the world’s population and 20% of the world’s prison population. Black Americans are incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of white Americans. And in the U.S., 70 million citizens have a criminal record—one-third of our population.

The trauma that the prison industry inflicts, the wealth it extracts and the lives it destroys devalue all of our society. The consequences reach far beyond the prison walls.

The first order of business is to tackle prison reform—something our industry can influence by walking the talk:

Prioritize second-chance hiring

A conviction’s enduring collateral damage can be wide-ranging—permanently barring individuals from basic needs like employment and housing. Even when people complete their sentences, they’re not truly free. Many incarcerated individuals lack the network or resources to support a transition to building a career. Often this cycle leads to recidivism. A short sentence for a petty crime shouldn’t turn into a life sentence out of prison.

Our industry’s talent practices must see the potential in all people. We must hire on what an applicant can bring to a company. We need to give formerly incarcerated people the space to thrive, the opportunity to create, and the tools to develop their potential.

Second-chance hiring is not preferential treatment; it’s equitable treatment through the elimination of unnecessary systemic barriers. This work is most effective when you start at the ground floor, bringing people together, addressing misconceptions and concerns, and then creating opportunities for more employees to get involved.

End the business of incarceration

Our industry must pledge not to collaborate with profiteers of punishment.

The prison industry is a web of private corporations and public institutions that brings in more than $80 billion each year from a brutal system of mass caging and control that owes its roots to slavery, Jim Crow laws and the racialized terror that has continued since.

We must stop all advertising, branding, communications, design and technology development for police departments, Homeland Security, ICE and other oppressive institutions.

Further, we must end relationships with companies that profit from incarceration, specifically those that use modern day slave labor. Thousands of corporations profit from the prison industrial complex. We must pressure them to end their pursuit of profits off the bodies of people in the prison system. These corporations have monetized crime and punishment with the government’s help. 

Why do I care about this? I went to jail at the age of 17, before my career even started. I landed a job in London’s news publishing circles simply because somebody gave me a chance. I then entered a lengthy career in political communications, working both for Prime Minister Tony Blair and Vice President Joe Biden before I joined this industry. Millions of people aren’t as fortunate as I am. If every formerly incarcerated person received the same chance, we could solve today’s injustices in the criminal legal system. The advertising industry can show the way forward.

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