Planned Release Date: Apr 9, 2026

About This Game

How do you capture the inhumanity of prison? 

The night before I left for prison, my mother told me prison would be harder for me than the concentration camp had been for her. WITNESS to Mass Incarceration: Chapter 1 is the true story of my first day inside federal prison, where within hours I realized I am no longer in the free world, and that my survival depended on learning the rules, both spoken and unspoken.

How do you translate that inhumanity into game design?

The computer game team decided to use a 2D narrative-driven journey, pixel art and point-and-click exploration to tell my story. We were committed to telling this story authentically and to build an immersive narrative to show the gamer the reality of the harsh life all prisoners face. 

Gaming techniques like dragging and sliding objects were used in furtherance of the story. Each interaction reveals another layer of prison’s reality, immersing you in the fear, uncertainty, and emotional strain that define life behind bars.

This first chapter is one in a series which tells the story of my arrest, conviction, incarceration and release. We are creating this game for you to know and feel what it is like to face incarceration. It is our hope that this game brings awareness of the issue of mass incarceration.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

WITNESS to Mass Incarceration deals with the reality of prison. In Chapter 1, you experience my first day inside, including the strip search where I am told to remove my clothes so my body can be inspected. It is not graphic, but it is vulnerable and deeply uncomfortable. For anyone who has experienced sexual violence or trauma, this scene may be triggering.

The game also explores fear, power, humiliation, and the constant awareness that your safety is never guaranteed. There is emotional intensity throughout. Nothing is sensationalized, but the truth itself can be disturbing.