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Rebecca McCray

Former Dow Jones News Fund Audience Engagement Intern

I helped the newsroom understand how justice-affected audiences engage with our work, support newsletter strategy, development, and production, and investigate access to media and information in prisons and jails.

My Background

I’ve reported on how the criminal justice system touches and shapes the lives of people nationwide for more than a decade, focusing on the lived experiences of people who are incarcerated. I'm interested in how journalists and newsrooms can produce work that better reaches and serves justice-affected communities.

My reporting has been published by New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Hell Gate, New York Focus and other outlets. As a Fulbright scholar, I conducted independent research in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where I studied the country’s prisons and criminal sentencing practices. I’ll graduate from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY in December 2025.

A Black man in a tan prison uniform stands in front of a black and white wall, holding a phone to his ear. A U.S. flag and two signs are on the wall. One sign reads, "Break the silence!" in English and Spanish. The second sign details that calls will subject to recording and listening.
Closing Argument August 30
From Surveillance to Robot Guards: How AI Could Reshape Prison Life
Critics worry about opaque data collection, privacy violations and the technology’s bias spreading in jails and prisons.
By
A White male corrections officer wears light blue latex gloves as he reviews a letter on a wooden table. A United States Postal Service box with mail is on the table to his right.
Closing Argument August 2
The Problem With Screening the Mail in Prisons
New York’s controversy over scanning mail in prisons reflects a national debate involving security and privacy.
By and
Protesters, wearing puffer jackets, beanies, gloves and pants, stand on the side of the road holding signs such as: "70% doesn't equal 100%," "Trying not to die in 2025," and "Essential not expendable." In the background, a road sign reads "Greene Correctional Facility."
Closing Argument July 26
New York’s Prison Guard Strike Ended Months Ago. For Some, Life-Threatening Effects Persist.
Staffing shortages mean incarcerated people are not getting vital medical care, programming and other services.
By
A photo, taken from a low angle, shows a white multistory building with a triangular pediment and columns in front, lit up against the dark-blue night sky.
Closing Argument July 5
How the Supreme Court Ruled Differently in Immigration and Criminal Justice Cases
In a term marked by rulings limiting immigrants’ rights, the court sided with several other people harmed by the criminal justice system.
By
A man wearing blue pants and a white T-shirt dangles from and holds onto the threads of an American flag against a city skyline.
Life Inside July 4
What, to the American Incarcerated Person, Is Your Fourth of July?
In the spirit of Frederick Douglass’ historic speech, 20 currently and formerly incarcerated Americans explain what Independence Day means to them.
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