Others sell their jeans with sex...
These print ads clearly demonstrate just how incredibly effective brutally honest advertising can be. The prison-jeans ad tackles the «prison» theme—at times humorously, at other times pushing the boundaries—and presents it in a style true to the subject.
These ads were part of the campaign "Made on the inside to be worn on the outside", which was intended to support the sale of the "Prison Blues" jeans. The jeans are sewn by inmates in Oregon State Prison.
While three of the subjects are funny, the fourth, with the electric chair, is a little out of the ordinary and - despite my clear affinity for black humor - I find it borderline. But, as we all know, publicity knows no "good" or "bad".
The "Prison Blues" program enables inmates to earn money while in prison, which they can use to support their families or as compensation payments to their victims or as start-up assistance for the time after prison. For many inmates, the program is their first ever experience with a "normal" job. Not only do they learn how to successfully pass a job interview, but also how to acquire practical skills and a work ethic that will help them on the "outside".
While the American rate of recidivism is around 70 percent, the program has a terrific recidivism rate of 0 percent after five years of operation. The electric chair has not contributed to this result: the last time someone was sentenced to death in the state of Oregon was in 1997. (nod)
