Fernando Alvarez

Fernando Alvarez grew up in Harlem and the Bronx. His father, two uncles, and two cousins were incarcerated at Rikers, so he grew up visiting the jail complex. He was first detained at Rikers as a teenager in the late 1980s before being sent to state prison. His advice to young people who want to avoid Rikers is to "chill out," go to school, and find a career. Otherwise, he states, "Rikers Island’ll give you a career for real. A penitentiary career. A criminal career." (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)