Predators & Prey

SITUATION

On behalf of his client, a partner in a Washington, DC law firm brought a $100 million suit against Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the District of Columbia's Department of Corrections regarding the death of the client's husband, an inmate at CCA's Youngstown, Ohio facility.

The man, a minimum-security prisoner, was incorrectly placed among high security felons and had been stabbed and beaten to death by a fellow inmate.

Allegedly, in order to boost profits, the prison accepted high risk inmates in violation of its contract with the state. These inmates were scattered amongst the medium and minimum-security prisoners at the facility.

A prison expert said the practice was "like putting cats in the same room as mice."

The attorney wanted justice for his client, but gaining sympathy for a prisoner - no matter what their status or crime - is a difficult task.

OUR SOLUTION

Humanize the murdered prisoner and pitch a classic "good guy/bad guy" story to bellwether print and broadcast outlets.

After careful consideration, it was determined that the widow's character and actions presented the best means to demonstrate her husband's humanity.

Message points were developed that emphasized the client's love and sacrifice for her husband (she traveled 20 hours every weekend to the prison just to spend 30 minutes with her husband, she wrote numerous letters on his behalf, and carried pictures he had drawn for her everywhere she went, etc.).

To illicit sympathy, the client and lawyer were media-trained in order to insure that their messages were delivered with the appropriate amount of sadness and outrage.

Prison consultants were cultivated and provided to the media as expert 3rd-party sources. For instance, one consultant was ready to explain that prison art is usually violent or sexual in nature rather than tender and feminine (like the client's husband's pictures of teddy bears, hearts and flowers).

Media outlets were targeted and pitched based on their reach and credibility. To make the pitch as compelling as possible, the widow and documents such as letters to prison officials and examples of the husband's art were made available to the media.

RESULTS

Major feature stories - all sympathetic to the widow - appeared on 60 Minutes and Dateline and in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Legal Times.