Micaeili Rourke

Micaeili Rourke grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and came to New York City in 2013 after college. She spent 72 hours at Rikers Island in the fall of 2015. Before arriving at the jail complex, she had only heard about Rikers through TV shows like Law and Order, and she imagined it as "the bad place where all the bad people went." Her unexpected incarceration, and the experiences of other women she met there, changed her perspective. She left thinking: "it’s a lot easier to end up in a place like Rikers than many may realize." Thinking about Rikers now, she says, gives her a pit in her stomach, makes her sweat, and produces feelings of terror. (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)