Raquisha Harris: From Correctional Officer to Endless Possibilities

Raquisha Harris had always prided herself on her ability to make tough decisions. For 15 years, she had been a correctional officer, working on Rikers Island, managing incarcerated people, and maintaining order. The job had its challenges, but she found a sense of purpose in helping people navigate the chaos of the criminal justice system. Yet, by the time she retired, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. She wanted to do more than just supervise; she wanted to help change lives.

On Rikers, officers are taught to only provide care (providing food, clothing, and shelter), custody (securing individuals who cannot afford bail or are remanded for court), and control (guiding behaviors within facilities to protect the infrastructure, the system, coworkers, and others). Nowhere in the training do empathy and rehabilitation come into play. Officers with a heart are seen as weak by the rank and file. Raquisha saw a need to be fair and firm, genuine and kind, sharing information about life, decision-making, and survival.

Stepping Into a New Role: Empowering Women After Incarceration

After hanging up her uniform for the last time, Raquisha found herself at a crossroads. She had a deep understanding of the systems that kept people incarcerated, but she wanted to use her experience in a new way, one that could offer real solutions to the issues she had seen behind bars. It wasn’t long before she found a new path—one that combined her love for helping others with her interest in finance.

While at Rikers, Raquisha heard thousands of stories that included environmental causes leading to that one bad decision: homelessness, food insecurity, drug abuse, lack of love, lack of nurturing, mental illness, and seeking community from gangs. She used to hear, “If I had a mom like you, I wouldn’t be here.”

Throughout her career, she figured out that being fair and sharing information went a long way. Supervisors would always say, “Give them what they are supposed to have.” Most of the violence against officers came from depriving individuals of what they were mandated to receive, such as visits, recreation, laundry services, religious services, school, jobs, commissary, and hot water for cooking. In her housing areas, Raquisha would post schedules of facility activities with dates and times for all to see. She would announce events for the day so people had something to look forward to and time to prepare. This approach provided respect and a sense of security amongst those in her care, as they knew they could rely on her when so many other coworkers used a different, more aggressive approach.

Financial Strategy Meets Second Chances

In 2022, she started working for the College and Community Foundation, a for-purpose organization dedicated to assisting formerly incarcerated women. The program aimed to help women transition back into society by providing them with education, job certifications, and skills to build sustainable careers. These women had spent years behind prison walls, their futures uncertain, their opportunities limited. But now, with the help of the nonprofit, they were getting a second chance at a better life.

The thought of working at a nonprofit with this mission was interesting at first. Raquisha didn’t see the impact it would have on her spirit for quite some time. She approached her work with discipline and completed financial tasks as assigned. It wasn’t until she was approached to join the hiring committee, along with the board, to seek a new Executive Director that she realized how vital this work was and how much she was a part of it. The hiring process was refreshing as her thoughts and opinions were valued—something she didn’t experience as one of 10,000 officers for the City of New York. At the Department of Corrections, she was expected to fall in line, not to have an opinion on long-standing rules, regulations, procedures, or changes. As the hiring committee concluded with the selection of a new Executive Director, Raquisha became fully invested in the vision.

Raquisha was responsible for protecting the assets of and reporting expenses and revenues for the funders. “My main responsibilities are assuring that we spend based on the needs of our women, eliminating waste, and optimizing processes internally. The ultimate goal is to guide these women through their journeys—budgeting, understanding student loans, and planning for the future.” She’d always been good with numbers, but this was different. This wasn’t just about financial strategy; it was about giving women the tools to build a life they never thought possible.

Understanding the System From Both Sides

In the jail, she could tell who required extra support, an ear to listen, or a kind word of encouragement. Most of the time, officers were unaware of the charges of the individuals in their care. The charges were easily accessible but pointless to research as there was a revolving door of new individuals daily. This caused her to treat everyone like a human. Why? Because they were just people who were there for one reason or another. It doesn’t take much to wind up on Rikers Island: an open warrant, child support case, driving without a license, DWI, a domestic situation, an overzealous police officer, or a thousand other scenarios. The unique thing about the population was that they were actively fighting cases. There was no determination of guilt or innocence; they were simply being detained for trial or case settlement. The population lived in the five boroughs, just like the majority of the officers. Old-timers would say, “Be careful how you treat people because you might see them at the gas station or the grocery store.”

Every day, Raquisha saw the contrast between the people she worked with and the incarcerated people she’d worked with in the past. In jail, there was so much potential locked behind the bars, with many individuals simply waiting for their trial dates without much hope or a plan for the future. Now, in her new role at CCF, she was witnessing that potential unleashed—women who were earning certifications, enrolling in school, and setting career goals. The same women who had once been written off by society were now thriving, contributing to their communities, and finding pride in their independence.

As Raquisha continued to work in the nonprofit sector, she found herself more fulfilled than ever. In the quiet moments, she reflected on the lessons she had learned in both her careers: that people, regardless of their past, have the ability to change, and sometimes, all they need is the right support and opportunity.

Raquisha had once stood on the other side of the bars, watching lives unfold in ways she could never control. Now, in her second act, she was part of those stories—the ones that didn’t end with a prison sentence, but with a hopeful new beginning.

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