States of Incarceration, a project of the Humanities Action Lab (HAL), is a national dialogue on mass incarceration across 18 states, with contributions from over 1000 advocates, faculty and students since 2016. Local teams identify an issue around mass incarceration related to their state. These local teams go on to create media projects — such as exhibitions, digital storytelling, and public programs — that engage with public spaces to support collective action on local campaigns and promote narrative change in communities. In 2024, HAL's coordinating staff began reimagining the project, bringing together directly impacted leaders, advocates and faculty in an advisory role to shape project priorities and develop a Theory of Change that responds to the current state of mass incarceration in the US and guides further implementation.