The Story of the #AIRS Campaign

The #AIRS Campaign (#Abolish Incarcerated Reality Shows) was launched by America On Trial Inc. to confront the harmful portrayal of incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people and their families in reality television.

Shows like “60 Days In” and “Love After Lockup” turn incarceration into entertainment—profiting from trauma while distorting the realities of the criminal justice system. These programs reinforce stereotypes, fuel public misconceptions, and normalize the spectacle of mass incarceration.

The #AIRS Campaign challenges what we call the “Carceral Entertainment Complex” — a media system that commodifies incarceration while perpetuating racist and classist narratives.

We aim to:

  • Expose the exploitative nature of prison reality TV

  • Hold networks accountable

  • Amplify the voices of incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people and their families

  • Advocate for media narratives rooted in dignity, truth, and justice

This campaign is more than opposition to harmful programming. It is a movement to restore humanity, demand accountability, and shift public perception toward rehabilitation, equity, and human rights.

Our goals:

  • End Exploitative Media Practices- Demand the removal of reality programming that profits from the trauma, vulnerability, and incarceration of individuals and their families.

  • Transform Public Narratives- Replace sensationalized portrayals of incarceration with truthful, dignity-centered storytelling that advances justice, accountability, and systemic reform.

  • Build Collective Accountability- Educate, organize, and mobilize communities to challenge networks and media corporations that sustain the Carceral Entertainment Complex.

  • Center Impacted Voices- Amplify and platform the voices of formerly incarcerated people and their families, ensuring they lead the conversation about how their lives and stories are represented.

What We’ve Built So Far:

  1. Building a National Coalition- The #AIRS Campaign has united more than 25 partner organizations across 32 states to challenge the Carceral Entertainment Complex and demand media accountability.

  2. Taking Direct Action- We have organized public demonstrations — including a rally at A&E headquarters — delivering petitions and amplifying the voices of impacted communities.

  3. Equipping Communities to Act- We provide fact sheets, advocacy toolkits, and direct-action resources that empower supporters to confront networks profiting from incarceration.

  4. Shifting the Conversation- Through media engagement, op-eds, interviews, and public events, we have elevated national awareness about the harms of shows like 60 Days In and the broader “Carceral Entertainment Complex”.

#AIRS Campaign Demands for Ethical Media Representation:

The #AIRS Campaign calls on A&E and all media corporations profiting from incarceration-based entertainment to end exploitative practices and commit to abolition-centered representation.

Dismantling the Carceral Entertainment Complex requires structural change, not cosmetic reform. We demand:

1. End Exploitative Programming- Immediately cancel incarceration-based reality shows such as Love During Lockup, Love After Lockup, and similar programs — and remove them from all platforms. These shows normalize incarceration and profit from human suffering.

2. Stop Future Carceral Entertainment- Commit to ending the production of content that profits from incarceration, punishment, or surveillance. Instead, support media that advances justice, rehabilitation, and abolition.

3. Use People-First Language- Eliminate dehumanizing terms like “inmate” and “ex-inmate.” Use respectful alternatives such as “incarcerated person” or “formerly incarcerated person.”

4. Acknowledge Harm Publicly- Recognize the damage these programs inflict on individuals, families, and public understanding of the justice system — and commit to storytelling that upholds abolition, dignity, and human rights.

5. Center Impacted Communities- Work directly with formerly incarcerated individuals, families, and justice advocates to create ethical, abolition-centered media.

Abolition is the only ethical framework. Corporate accountability is not optional. Change won’t happen without serious policies at the corporate level — the time to act is now!

fACT sHEET: “loVE aFTER lOCKUP”

Overview

Love After Lockup follows couples in which one partner has recently been released from prison, raising serious ethical concerns about exploiting formerly incarcerated individuals for entertainment.

Key Issues

  • Exploitation: Sensationalizes personal struggles for drama, ignoring the realities of reintegration.

  • Stereotypes: Reinforces negative narratives and public misconceptions about incarcerated people.

  • Privacy Violations: Exposes participants’ lives without fully informed consent or awareness of consequences.

  • Lack of Support: Prioritizes entertainment over resources and support for reintegration.

  • Strained Relationships: Public scrutiny and pressure create unrealistic expectations and harm personal bonds.