Why It Matters: Barclays Withdraws from a Prison Financing Deal May 10, 2021 Last month the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) and Social Venture Circle (SVC) announced that we terminated the membership of and were refunding dues paid by Barclays. This was first-of-its-kind decision for our organizations and one we did not take lightly. This resulted from Barclays’ decision to participate in a prison financing deal in Alabama, which violates our membership criteria by making investments that perpetuate systemic racism and inequity, instead of driving positive change. Barclays may have viewed their role as underwriting the deal as separate from their direct investment in the prison construction or operations; nevertheless, for us, our membership, and the values on which we advocate, we did not distinguish the difference as meaningful. Regardless of any distinction, the outcome of the deal was to be more investment in an unjust incarceration system. Meanwhile, we advocate for investment and policies to support investment in a more healthy, just, and equitable society. We could not reconcile the two. Decisions of this sort are among the most difficult that any membership organization ever has to make, especially when it involves such a high-profile member.