A new toolkit from Community Justice Exchange and Defender Impact Initiative for folks working to end mass criminalization and incarceration, who have taken to social media to share the injustices they witness or experience in courtrooms, whether as public defenders, court watching groups, or individual advocates.

Social media can be a powerful and effective tool for leveraging storytelling to move people to demand social and political change. However, at risk of perpetuating narratives that reinforce, rather than work to dismantle, the criminal punishment system, we developed a set of guidelines for advocates to consider in their use of social media. We believe there is a way to share stories of injustice in order to build power and to bring about changes that lessen the size, scope, and reach of the criminal punishment system. These guidelines feel particularly urgent during this COVID-19 pandemic as we leverage storytelling to push for mass release.

Explore the full toolkit here.