Teen jailed at Rikers for 3 yrs without conviction/trial

"Browder was a 16-year-old sophomore in high school walking home from a party in the Bronx when he was arrested on a tip that he robbed someone three weeks earlier. He was hauled off to Rikers Island, a prison known for punishing conditions and overuse of force, and was held because he couldn’t pay the $10,000 bail. Browder went to court on several occasions, but he was never scheduled for trial. After 33 months in jail, Browder said a judge offered freedom in exchange for a guilty plea, threatening that he could face 15 years in jail if convicted. He refused. Then one day, he was released with no explanation."

...

"Browder says he spent more than 400 days in solitary confinement, was deprived of meals, and was assaulted and beaten both by officers and fellow inmates. Browder attempted suicide at least six times. Last month he filed a lawsuit last month against the city and several agencies. The Bronx District Attorney’s office has declined to comment."

Source

Can you imagine?

Since he was never convicted of anything, I hope he at least didn't get a record.

Guilty until proven innocent, I see.

lol new york

He should sue the da and the nypd.

Without a conviction his record will show that he was charged and had the charges dismissed. While in theory that isn't supposed to hurt him it has the potential of causing him problems with potential employers who assume that not being found guilty just means he got away with it. In many states you can apply to expunge a dismissed charge so you can legally omit it when asked if you have a record.

If the story is true hopefully he makes millions off of this.

Shame if true....but at this point I'll reserve judgment. Never form an opinion with only one side of a story.

So much for a speedy trial....or a trial at all. If true, he's going to get a big settlement.

Why does the world hate Black people so much? Damn!

don't start with that shit

This is a serious problem that must be addressed.

and I'll bet the state will make a settlement and the officers, guards, and judges involved won't even get a slap on the wrist despite them breaking more laws than the majority of the people they lock away.

I don't get how is family didn't have 1 grand or so to pay the bail through a bail bondsman or whatever.

LAND OF THE FREE

The bail was ten thousand dollars.

That sounds like some Orwellian shit to me.

If he really is innocent, I hope New York is held accountable because that kind of treatment has no place in modern society.

His constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated. With the right lawyer, he could easily win a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the state.

Uh yeah and if you pay a bonds guy like 10% or so of the bail he will bail you out. Once given back the money from the court or whatever you don't get any of your money back however.

Doesn't that suck.

What about his family? Did the family ever put up a missing person report? The family would be entitled to have a defense lawyer if the son was arrested.

This is an example of corruption of the judge and the police who are working together.

I hope he sues the living shit out of them.

Absolutely disgusting.

Wow this is heaps and heaps beyond brutal and unjust. I can't even begin to imagine the horrors he experienced in such a hellhole.

How could this happen in the land of the free, in the beacon of democracy and human rights of the world. The U.S is best country ever indeed.

USA imprisoning people without a trial? Never heard of that happening before.

Gotta love cops, arresting people without evidence, and then neglecting to collect any while they beat their suspect and hold him in solitary confinement offering him chances to make a plea deal.

Damn, the U.S. "Justice" system is getting sloppy, Usually they try to cover up people getting their civil liberties violated. And like someone said before, the authorities who sent him to jail will get little to no punishment.

The people of New York desperately need a civil rights movement, though it's unlikely to happen thanks in part to hucksters like Sharpton and Jackson.

The question remains... was he, or was he not, responsible for 9/11?

While I think the police lacked probable cause for arrest and will be with a 1983 suit or some state civil acts suit, I think the reason for the solitary and the delay of the trial was due to the suicide attempts. Pretty standard to throw suicidal people in solitary, we also don't have enough facts about the trial delays (maybe there was a competency issue).

In terms of whom gets sued, prosecutors have immunity for the most part and judges always have immunity. The police will be on the hook for violating the 4th amendment though (unreasonable seizure).