People Change isa public service campaign from the Communities Not Cages Coalition, designed to shift public understanding of mass incarceration and mobilize support for transformative sentencing reform in New York. Right now, more than 33,000 people are incarcerated in New York State prisons—many serving decades with no opportunity to show who they’ve become or return to their communities. This PSA challenges the myth that long prison sentences keep New Yorkers safe.
The campaign centers the power of family connection and the lonely pain of separation. Through intimate images inspired by real Polaroid photos taken during prison visits, the PSA captures the fleeting, fragile moments of closeness that incarcerated people and their loved ones cling to. For many families, these Polaroids are the only photographs they’ll have together for decades.
By centering the voices of people who are incarcerated and their loved ones, this PSA calls on viewers to see mass incarceration not as a tool for safety, but as a crisis that weakens families and communities. It urges New Yorkers to reject perpetual punishment as the only response to harm, and to demand laws rooted in transformation, repair, and reunification.
Communities Not Cages is a grassroots campaign led by people and families across New York State who have been directly impacted by mass incarceration. They are fighting to dismantle New York’s racist and unjust sentencing laws. Every year, the state spends over $3 billion to cage New Yorkers in prison—diverting resources from what truly creates safety: education, housing, healthcare, and community-based programs.
TheCommunities Not Cages Coalition includes more than 220 organizations statewide, including grassroots groups, civil and human rights organizations, legal and direct service nonprofits, faith communities, survivor networks, and FirstNations. Together, they work alongside hundreds of incarcerated leaders and thousands of families harmed by extreme sentencing to demand justice, dignity, and a path home for all.
