REFORM asks us to see the humanity in everyone

Compiled from prison photos, When It’s All Over is an immediate and necessary reminder that even when incarcerated people are removed from the community they are still a part of it. 

Backed by numerous grassroots campaigns that call for the release of elderly and at-risk prisoners, REFORM Alliance hopes to change the way we look at incarceration and the people who live in prisons. As images filter through of daily life: fast-food restaurants, highways, basketball courts, nail salons, we think that this is just another video showcasing what people miss now that they’re in quarantine. The photos are framed in black, kept contained and reduced, becoming smaller and smaller as the narration continues. The twist comes with the disclaimer --This call is from a federal prison.

As COVID-19 races through the population of the world at large, the incarcerated population is exceptionally vulnerable to the virus; stuck in close quarters with little room for quarantine precautions and no protective equipment, in many cases, not even access to soap. This plea for help is hard to hear, but the video reminds us that these people matter. Their lives are the same as our lives, and there is no value system that can take that away. 

From Droga5, this boundary-pushing call to action is humanizing and sentimental, a reminder that people are dying, and we can help them. The photos from inside the prison are horrific and sad, and Droga5's in-house production arm, Second Child does a great job stitching together images and interviews to create a powerful PSA for REFORM.