Kalief Browder
New York Is Getting Serious About Closing the Hellish Jail on Rikers Island
After decades of brutal incidents in the notorious jail complex, reformers are getting closer to the ultimate prize.
Before Her Death, Kalief Browder’s Mother Spoke Out About His Mistreatment at Rikers
Venida Browder died of complications from a heart attack Friday, just 16 months after her son hanged himself in the wake of three horrific years on Rikers Island.
Mom of Young Man Jailed for Three Years Without Charges ‘Died of a Broken Heart'
Kalief Browder was jailed at 16 for allegedly stealing a backpack and spent three years at Rikers without ever being charged. He later committed suicide. His mother, who fought for the rights of incarcerated teens like her son, died on Friday.
What Kalief Browder’s Mother Thinks Should Happen to Rikers
After years of abuses, local power players are making noise about closing the notorious NYC jail complex. We asked the mother of one of the island's most tragic figures for her take.
Will New York Scrap Its Broken Bail System?
A state senator from Queens wants to scrap the archaic system of holding some people in jail before their trial unless they can pay for freedom.
Kalief Browder's Family to Sue New York City for $20 Million
The teenager spent more than a thousand days at the Rikers Island jail without a trial, an experience that his parents say drove him to take his own life.
How America's Criminal Justice System Traps Low-Level Offenders
I've seen firsthand how the system makes it difficult for jail inmates who have committed minor crimes to get out and stay out of a cell.
NYC to Eliminate Bail for Many Non-Violent Offenders
The plan, which offers 3,000 low-level offenders supervised release in lieu of bail, will help “reduce both the financial and human costs of needless incarceration.”
Will More Cameras, New Rules for Guards, and Federal Oversight Fix Rikers Island?
The scariest island in America is finally poised to see some big changes thanks to a legal settlement reached Monday.
How Solitary Confinement Can Drive Inmates to Suicidal Thoughts
"Some people think that solitary confinement is basically just spending some alone time," one former prisoner says. "It's not. It's like being buried alive."
Kalief Browder — Teen Imprisoned at Rikers Island for Three Years Without Trial — Dies by Suicide
Browder spent almost two years in solitary confinement at the notorious New York City jail, and was beaten and abused while awaiting a trial that never came.