JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Last week, the brand new York City Department of Corrections announced it's going to cease utilizing solitary confinement to punish adolescents held in its troubled Rikers Island jail advanced, Mind Guard the second-largest jail system in the country. But a federal prosecutor stated the city’s reforms were shifting too slowly to address a, quote, "culture of violence," and warned he could file a civil lawsuit over conditions for teenagers held in Rikers. New York is considered one of solely two states nationwide that automatically cost 16- and 17-yr-olds as adults. AMY GOODMAN: Well, immediately we look at the unimaginable story of a 16-12 months-outdated high school sophomore who was jailed at Rikers Island for nearly three years after he refused to plead guilty to a crime he mentioned he didn't commit. It was May 15, 2010, cognitive health supplement when Kalief Browder was strolling dwelling from a social gathering along with his mates in the Bronx and was stopped by police based mostly on a tip that he had robbed somebody weeks earlier.
He told HuffPost Live what occurred next. KALIEF BROWDER: That they had searched me, and the man actually said-at first he mentioned I robbed him. I didn’t have something on me. MARC LAMONT HILL: If you say "nothing," you imply no weapon and none of his property. KALIEF BROWDER: No weapon, no money, something he said that I allegedly robbed him for. So the guy really modified up his story and mentioned that I truly tried to rob him. But then one other police officer got here, and they said that I robbed him two weeks prior. And then they stated, "We’re going to take you to the precinct, and most probably we’re going to allow you to go residence." But then, I by no means went dwelling. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Kalief Browder didn't go residence for 33 months, regardless that he was never convicted. For nearly 800 days of that time, he was held in solitary confinement.
He maintained his innocence and requested a trial, however was only provided plea deals while the trial was repeatedly delayed. Near the top of his time in jail, the judge provided to sentence him to time served if he entered a guilty plea, and informed him he might face 15 years in prison if he was convicted. He refused to accept the deal and was solely released when the case was dismissed. AMY GOODMAN: Well, for extra, we’re joined by Jennifer Gonnerman, reporter, author, contributing editor at New York magazine, and contributing writer to The brand new Yorker magazine. She recounts Kalief Browder’s story in the present issue of The new Yorker in a piece headlined, "Before the Law: A boy was accused of taking a backpack. The courts took the subsequent three years of his life." Jennifer Gonnerman has lengthy chronicled issues with the criminal justice system. Her book, Life on the outside: nootropic brain support supplement supplement The Prison Odyssey of Elaine Bartlett, tells the story of a woman who spent 16 years in prison for a first-time offense underneath New York’s Rockefeller drug legal guidelines.
And Mind Guard we’re joined by Kalief Browder’s current legal professional, Paul Prestia, who has filed a lawsuit in opposition to the city, the NYPD-the brand new York Police Department-Bronx district attorney and the Department of Corrections on Browder’s behalf. Prestia can also be a former assistant prosecutor in Brooklyn. Jennifer Gonnerman, Paul Prestia, welcome to Democracy Now! Jennifer, tell us Kalief’s story. JENNIFER GONNERMAN: Well, you probably did a reasonably good job of setting it up, and it was terrific that we obtained to listen to Kalief’s voice describing what occurred. But just to recap a bit, May 2010, he’s coming dwelling from a social gathering late one night in the Bronx, strolling along with his good friend down the road, Mind Guard and a police car pulls up. There’s someone in the again seat who points him out, saying, you understand-accusing him of a robbery that had happened one or two weeks earlier. AMY GOODMAN: Well, first, he really says, "I didn’t steal something tonight.
JENNIFER GONNERMAN: Right, right. JENNIFER GONNERMAN: Right, so there was, from the start, it sounded like, not less than the way in which Kalief tells it, some confusion in regards to the dates, which is critical. And he goes into the precinct considering, "I’m just"-and he’s within the holding cell, considering, "I’m simply going to be right here for a pair hours. We’ll clear up this misunderstanding." And, as you said, he ended up doing virtually three years on Rikers Island, for a lot of causes, however the system kind of utterly failed him in each attainable means. There was no speedy trial. And during that time, he was locked up in the adolescent jail on Rikers Island. AMY GOODMAN: Explain Rikers. JENNIFER GONNERMAN: Sure, sure. You already know, once we discuss Rikers Island, it’s a jail advanced. There’s 10 different jails there. And I think lots of people get confused between prison and jail. A prison is the place you go after you’ve been convicted and sentenced. A jail is the place you go while you’re ready for your case to undergo the court.