June 8, 201511 yr Sad story. Kid was 16. Charged with stealing a backpack. Somehow that gets your sent to Rikers Island. He claims he never did it. Video shows him being abused by guards. 3 years of delays . No trial. Finally they drop the charges. His time in prison wrecked him emotionally and mentally. Long story short he couldn't cope and committed suicide at 22. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/nyregion/kalief-browder-held-at-rikers-island-for-3-years-without-trial-commits-suicide.html To the legally uneducated like me this would seem to fly in the face of "speed trial" rights.
June 8, 201511 yr Author A defense attorney said standard requirements are 6 months for a trail in a felony case in NY. Not sure what reasons were given to delay the case.
June 8, 201511 yr 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. Does anybody besides me think it is incredible that this was still happening as recently as 2014? Over a stolen backpack?! Wow. God bless this young man.
June 8, 201511 yr That is outrageous...how does something like this slip through the cracks? Was no one on the outside an advocate for him? There are so many people to blame it's crazy. As far as him being at Rikers, I think they have a separate juvenile facility there. There are 10 individual jails on the island and one is pretty much just for males 16-18 according to a website.
June 8, 201511 yr 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. Does anybody besides me think it is incredible that this was still happening as recently as 2014? Over a stolen backpack?! Wow. God bless this young man. Yes.
June 9, 201511 yr If I remember what I read a couple of days ago correctly, he was abused not only guards but other prisoners as well, and had 2 stretches in solitary confinement. I need to find the links, but there was a series on this and other similar stories a few months ago.
June 9, 201511 yr Several people should go to jail for this...but they won't. Agreed, Presiding Judge, Court Clerk, Prosecutor and Defense Attorney all dropped the ball on this. Maybe someone in the Jail Administration also...but not sure what they could have done.
June 9, 201511 yr Agreed, Presiding Judge, Court Clerk, Prosecutor and Defense Attorney all dropped the ball on this. Maybe someone in the Jail Administration also...but not sure what they could have done. Yeah, I'm not sure how much the jail administration would know outside of scheduled court dates. But someone in the DA and public defenders office failed this guy big time.
June 9, 201511 yr What was in this backpack, money from a bank robbery? Why would he be sent to Rikers for a backpack theft?
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