Diana Ortiz

Diana Ortiz grew up in Chicago and arrived in New York City when she was 17. She was sent to Rikers Island in 1983 when she was 18 years old. She served almost two years at Rikers, where she earned her GED, and then spent the next 20 years at Bedford Hills, a state prison for women. She spent her time at Rikers reading books and drawing. When asked what she lost while at Rikers, she responded: "I guess the biggest person that I lost when I was at Rikers was me, the person that I could have been." (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)