Brand Purpose

A Campaign Calls for a Law That Gives Formerly Incarcerated New Yorkers a New Start

Clean Slate NY and agency R/GA illustrate the difference between accountability and punishment

Wall art that shows a former inmates time without work — The campaign includes a public art project in which tallied days in prison are set against a significantly larger number of days spent post-release without work.R/GA, Clean Slate NY

By Sara Century

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The U.S. has long tendered the most prolific prison system in the world, with the number of incarcerated individuals clearing an estimated 2.3 million as of 2016. Studies show that this has sweeping negative effects on our nation’s economy. Compounding this is the stigma around released inmates, leaving little opportunity for the formerly incarcerated to gain employment and housing.

With an eye toward change, legal action organization Clean Slate NY teamed with agency R/GA to fight for a new law—coded S1553C/A6399B—that will automatically clear a New Yorker’s conviction record once they become eligible.

Sara Century

Sara Century is a freelance writer for Adweek.

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