National Public Defense Virtual Conference 2021

Project Witness: Who Are They?
This esteemed panel of subject matter experts will share their experience and national efforts to advocate and educate about the impact of solitary confinement and harsh sentences, particularly on children. Project Witness is a partnership between the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), YouTube, and Google using immersive VR (virtual reality) and Google Lens technologies to build awareness of the conditions of childhood incarceration. Project Witness features the stories of six individuals who were incarcerated as children and depicts the extreme forms of punishment imposed on incarcerated children in the United States. Through the VR shared film session participants can see the experience of prison through the eyes of a child, with narration from people who experienced childhood incarceration firsthand.

Please watch the video before the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo1gM2LLlIc

Experience PROJECT WITNESS, a virtual reality film exposing the realities of childhood incarceration in the United States. Focusing on the impact of solitary confinement, the placement of teenagers in adult facilities, and life-without-parole sentences for children, #ProjectWitness​ centers the lived experiences of dedicated advocates to give viewers an honest look at how children are treated in the criminal justice system. This is an immersive VR360 video and best experienced in a headset. No headset? No problem. Move your mobile phone around or pan with your mouse to explore the story.

Credits: This film would not be possible without the work of Alyssa Beck, Laura Berry, Hernán Carvente Martinez, Jarrett Harper, Xavier McElrath-Bey, and Johnny Perez, who bravely came forward to tell their stories so that others would not have to live the experiences depicted in this film. The stories featured in Project Witness are real, but the experiences are depicted by actors. Background Information: The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) is a nonprofit that leads efforts to ban life without parole and other extreme sentences for children who cause harm; advances alternative responses that focus on their unique characteristics as children, and creates opportunities for formerly incarcerated youth to thrive as adults and lead in their communities. Join us!