Let FreeCap Financial help you bring in the New Year by making it easier than ever to know which of your investments align with your values and which ones don’t.
Start the New Year off right — Divest from Prison Labor; Invest in Freedom.
Nearly four years after the racial reckoning of 2020 and corporate America’s response, it has become increasingly clear which companies are truly committed to racial justice. And it remains true that investors play a pivotal role in this commitment, holding the power to direct money to companies actively building a more equitable world.
A notable, but often overlooked, component of ESG initiatives are company ties to prison labor. Without properly accounting for the use of prison labor in their supply chains, companies exacerbate the exploitation of incarcerated folk, who work for little to no pay due to the prison industrial complex. Black Americans are overrepresented in the prison population, compounding these injustices. And even when incarcerated folk complete their sentences, employers are reluctant to hire them, making reentry to society significantly more challenging.
But prison investment isn’t just unethical–it’s unprofitable. By maintaining monetary ties to prisons, companies incur an outsized reputational risk and miss out on the economic benefits from hiring previously incarcerated individuals. Investors, as a result, miss out gains they could have seen if companies took steps to better their relationship with justice-involved folk.
How FreeCap Can Help
In 2024, FreeCap remains committed to helping investors minimize their portfolio’s criminal justice footprint.
Our latest Criminal Justice Report makes it clear which companies are hiring formerly incarcerated workers and mitigating prison labor’s use and which ones are falling behind. We also track the exact dollar amount companies make from prisons, allowing investors to evaluate company’s reputational risk with an unprecedented level of transparency.
Let our data help you align your investments with racial equity values in 2024. Download our report for FREE, check out our data subscription offering, or contact us to learn more.
