MALA: EPISODE 3: NIKKIE

Nikkie’s dresser is covered in perfumes. Like her roommates, her personal space is a bright and beautiful haven. Each woman has a room of her own, a place to express all of the creativity and color they’ve been denied for so many years. She is the daughter of Greek immigrants. She fell in love with a fellow Greek-American man who admitted his violent past just before their wedding night. They were so deeply in love she took a chance. His abuse worsened and Nikkie’s life had become a nightmare, which led to the traumatic event that would send her to prison for 23 years.

According to the Correctional Association of New York, 82% of incarcerated women are survivors of serious sexual and physical abuse before their time in prison. Domestic violence is intimate and terrifying and too often shamed and silenced.