Kalief Browder, NYC Teen Jailed For Years With No Conviction

[Toothfairy]

I heard about this story last year. It's very sad and disheartening that this is happening in out justice system. Sadly this young man also committed suicide almost two weeks ago.

Kalief Browder was sent to Rikers Islandwhen he was 16 years old, accused of stealing a backpack. Though he never stood trial or was found guilty of any crime, he spent three years at the New York City jail complex, nearly two of them in solitary confinement.

In October 2014, after he was written about in The New Yorker, his case became a symbol of what many saw as a broken criminal justice system. Mayor Bill de Blasio cited the article this spring when he announced an effort to clear the backlogs in state courts and reduce the inmate population at Rikers.

For a while, it appeared Mr. Browder was putting his life back together: He earned a high school equivalency diploma and started community college. But he continued to struggle with life after Rikers.

On Saturday, he committed suicide at his parents’ home in the Bronx.

Kalief Browder, 22, hanged himself at his parents' home in the Bronx over the weekend.

Jennifer Gonnerman, the author of the article in The New Yorker, said in an interview on Monday that it appeared he was never able to recover from the years he spent locked alone in a cell for 23 hours a day.

Once out of jail, Ms. Gonnerman said, “he almost recreated the conditions of solitary,†shutting himself in his bedroom for long periods. “He was very uncomfortable being around people, especially in large groups,†she said.

Mr. de Blasio’s administration in December did away with solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-olds, citing the damaging effects that prolonged isolation can have on their mental stability.

In a statement released on Monday, the mayor said that “Kalief’s story helped inspire our efforts†at Rikers.

“There is no reason he should have gone through this ordeal,†he added, “and his tragic death is a reminder that we must continue to work each day to provide the mental health services so many New Yorkers need.â€

Ms. Gonnerman said she was drawn to Mr. Browder because he was able to speak about what he had been through with unusual insight. She said before he agreed to go public with his story, he insisted on finishing his high school equivalency diploma. “He wanted to show that he had accomplished something before he entered the spotlight,†she said.

In jail he had tried to commit suicide several times. He told Ms. Gonnerman that he was repeatedly beaten by correction officers and fellow inmates, but she said she did not realize the extent of the abuse until she watched security videos showing him being knocked to the ground by an officer and attacked by inmates.

Throughout, he insisted on his innocence, refusing several offers from prosecutors to take a plea deal, including one that would have allowed him to be released immediately.

Ultimately, prosecutors dropped the charges. In the course of the three years Mr. Browder was being held, they lost contact with their only witness.

At the end of the article, Mr. Browder, who was the youngest of seven children and nicknamed Peanut by his family, described being unable to rid himself of the fears that had consumed him in jail. He said he was afraid of being attacked on the subway. And before going to sleep at night, he checked to make sure every window in the house was locked.

There were some good moments in the two years after he was released. An anonymous donor offered to pay his community college tuition. His story attracted the attention of celebrities like Jay Z and Rosie O’Donnell, who invited him onto “The View†and gave him a MacBook Air laptop computer. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, talked about him in campaign speeches. (Mr. Paul, who is running for president, expressed condolences to Mr. Browder’s family on Twitter on Monday.)

But Mr. Browder’s mental health deteriorated, Ms. Gonnerman said. He became paranoid and last Christmas was hospitalized on a psychiatric ward at Harlem Hospital Center. She wrote in anarticle on The New Yorker’s website on Sunday that he had thrown out his television because he said he feared it was watching him.

On Saturday, Mr. Browder pushed an air-conditioning unit out of a second-floor window at his parents’ home, wrapped a cord around his neck and, according to Ms. Gonnerman, pushed himself out of the opening feet-first.

His mother heard a noise, according to Ms. Gonnerman, went outside to the backyard and saw that her youngest child had hanged himself.

Mr. Browder was 22 years old.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/ny ... rrer=&_r=0

[ShepherdontheRock]

I have no words.

[ghost]

Where were his parents when their 16 year old was in jail all that time? Why didn't they do something…anything to see to it that their son got some kind of help ( lawyer, family visits, I don't know something). I can only think of what I would do in the same circumstance and it would involve making a lot of noise on my child's behalf. :wtf: :pull-hair:

[crazyforkate]

All this over a fucking backpack. A teenager, accused of a very, very minor crime and never actually confirmed to have done it in the first place, is essentially locked up and tortured for years. In a modern democracy in the 21st century. There is so much wrong with this it's hard to know where to begin. Is it any wonder he never really recovered.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

Where were his parents when their 16 year old was in jail all that time? Why didn't they do something…anything to see to it that their son got some kind of help ( lawyer, family visits, I don't know something). I can only think of what I would do in the same circumstance and it would involve making a lot of noise on my child's behalf. :wtf: :pull-hair:

What makes you think they didn't try to help him? Or that they could have made a difference? It's a pretty naive outlook.

[DGayle]

Where were his parents when their 16 year old was in jail all that time? Why didn't they do something…anything to see to it that their son got some kind of help ( lawyer, family visits, I don't know something). I can only think of what I would do in the same circumstance and it would involve making a lot of noise on my child's behalf. :wtf: :pull-hair:

Getting help can cost money not everybody has. If he was tossed in solitary, it could take an act of a judge to get visits.

[DaffyDill]

There is footage on this link showing how he was thrown to the ground by a prison guard, and on another occasion, beaten by inmates. Warning: It's violent, so some may not want to look, but there is an article on the page as well.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk ... ide-rikers

The two articles here, one on the page with the video link, and another here http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk ... -1993-2015 are written by a journalist who had interviewed Kalief, and visited him a few times. He had attempted suicide several times while still incarcerated.

Just a shocking story and horrendous this kind of thing can happen.

[ghost]

You're right I don't know that his parents didn't try to do something. I am just so outraged that this happened to him that I had a knee jerk reaction and thought about what I would have done which is no answer. Sometimes I hate the world we live in…the hate and the violence and I'm frustrated because I don't know what I can do other than refusing to buy in to the stupid shit and act negatively on the anger I feel. My heart goes out to his family for the unbelievable suffering they endure.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

I understand, Ghost. I had a really, really unfortunate experience myself - a few years ago I got a DUI and did 2 weeks in county jail. It was my first/only offense, but my county has mandatory minimum jail time. Anyways, even though there was bi-weekly visitation, my best friend and boyfriend were unable to get an appointment to see me. It was incredibly difficult to get visitation - you had to begin calling at 6am, and basically hang up and call back for several hours (they tried but they both work). I also did not receive any of the mail they sent me, did not know you had to purchase a phone card before hand for phone calls, or that collect calls could only be made to a landline etc. So I had no contact with the outside world and I was NOT in solitary. If you're placed on a psych or punitive hold, my understanding is you do not get visitation with anyone, except once a week with a lawyer (if you have arranged for one to begin with). My boyfriend had driven 90 minutes to the jail I was at multiple times, because he didn't know when I was getting out (and I wasn't able to confirm it myself nor contact him - technically I had 30 days, the judge said I would serve anywhere from 5 - 20 because of overcrowding). Luckily, the morning I was released, he was already there.

I feel like this kid was thrown in solitary and they pretty much literally forgot he existed. It is absolutely unconscionable, what he went through. What about due process? I wonder if he was "convicted" of some sort of crime when he got disciplinary action while inside (which should never have happened in the first place!) which led to a sentence. This is terrible:(

[2xx1xy1JD]

You're right I don't know that his parents didn't try to do something. I am just so outraged that this happened to him that I had a knee jerk reaction and thought about what I would have done which is no answer. Sometimes I hate the world we live in…the hate and the violence and I'm frustrated because I don't know what I can do other than refusing to buy in to the stupid shit and act negatively on the anger I feel. My heart goes out to his family for the unbelievable suffering they endure.

According to the New Yorker article, the judge set bail at $3,000.00, which was more than his family was able to afford.

He could have been released earlier, but refused to plead guilty. You really have to wonder how many of those who do plead guilty and get a criminal record are actually innocent. Is keeping someone locked up in those violent conditions really any different from torturing a confession out of them?

[ShepherdontheRock]

According to the New Yorker article, the judge set bail at $3,000.00, which was more than his family was able to afford.

He could have been released earlier, but refused to plead guilty. You really have to wonder how many of those who do plead guilty and get a criminal record are actually innocent. Is keeping someone locked up in those violent conditions really any different from torturing a confession out of them?

It's estimated that at least 3.5% percent of people in prison are actually innocent at any given time. Which, considering how many people are incarcerated, we have thousands of innocent people incarcerated. Scary thought.

[DaffyDill]

There's another case n the news here as well. A guy has been held in Rikers for 7 years without a trial. Admittedly, this case is a more serious crime, but still.....7 years?

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-l ... 7400185675

[Toothfairy]

Our prison system is a joke. It's all about money. My state just arrested two minorities for man spreading on the train. Meaning a man sat with his legs open taking up more than one seat.

I truly feel for Kalief. I can't imagine trying to piece your life back together after spending three years in one of the most notorious jails in the country. I hope his lawyer and his family sues the city and everyone held responsible for his death and what he's been through. Money won't erase the pain or bring him back but the city should be held accountable. I don't blame this young man for killing himself. He tried to kill himself 7 times while in jail, then twice when he was released. He truly did try to have a normal life again. He got his GED, enrolled in college, tried to find a job but the damage had been done. Even with therapy, I can't imagine he could truly get over or try to cope with his experience. I also feel for his mother who had to lose her son to the system and had to see her sons dead body hanging from the window. This whole thing is just sad.

[Toothfairy]

There's another case n the news here as well. A guy has been held in Rikers for 7 years without a trial. Admittedly, this case is a more serious crime, but still.....7 years?

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-l ... 7400185675

I wonder how many more people have cases just like this. How the hell can you be held 7 years without a trial? Or for three years without a trial? This is clearly a violation of human rights.

[2xx1xy1JD]

It's estimated that at least 3.5% percent of people in prison are actually innocent at any given time. Which, considering how many people are incarcerated, we have thousands of innocent people incarcerated. Scary thought.

I'm pretty sure the percentage of those with a criminal record who didn't actually commit a crime must be larger. If you are sitting in jail and you don't have much money for a lawyer, and you are offered a deal where you plead guilty and get sentenced to time served so that you can go home, it would be pretty tempting to take the deal.

The problem is that you then have this criminal record over your head. Depending on where you live, that can affect your right to vote. As more positions require background checks, it can also affect access to employment and possibly housing.

[ShepherdontheRock]

I'm pretty sure the percentage of those with a criminal record who didn't actually commit a crime must be larger. If you are sitting in jail and you don't have much money for a lawyer, and you are offered a deal where you plead guilty and get sentenced to time served so that you can go home, it would be pretty tempting to take the deal.

The problem is that you then have this criminal record over your head. Depending on where you live, that can affect your right to vote. As more positions require background checks, it can also affect access to employment and possibly housing.

Yup. The sad thing is, prosecutors have more incentive to get a conviction period than to actually convict the right person. Which, while I guess it saves tax payers money if the defendant is, in fact, guilty, results in a lot of people being overcharged, or convicted wrongly altogether. I guess prosecutors think, "If I overcharge, I can easily get them to plead down." But I guess if you really want to fight it, it becomes quite the legal maze.

[ADoyle90815]

Yup. The sad thing is, prosecutors have more incentive to get a conviction period than to actually convict the right person. Which, while I guess it saves tax payers money if the defendant is, in fact, guilty, results in a lot of people being overcharged, or convicted wrongly altogether. I guess prosecutors think, "If I overcharge, I can easily get them to plead down." But I guess if you really want to fight it, it becomes quite the legal maze.

That's one issue with the system, as while there should be a presumption of innocence, prosecutors have a huge incentive for a conviction, or at least a guilty plea, even if the person really was innocent. In some cases, people who are innocent, but in jail do plead guilty as a hope that they'll get at least time served which to me sounds like coercing a confession of sorts. Sometimes, the deal is pleading guilty to a lesser crime to keep a felony conviction off their record, since that's what usually affects one's right to vote. Even then, it might make employment and housing difficult because of background checks asking about anything beyond a minor traffic ticket. I've seen that on various job applications, to list any crime other than a traffic ticket so it means that someone who had to plead guilty isn't going to get that job. If someone really wants to fight to prove their innocence, it's an expensive legal maze, since to fully fight, they need to pay for the privilege.

[elizasc]

What a terribly sad story