• Black Teen thrown into Jail for 3 years in NYC despite no conviction
    56 replies, posted
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cVqBSAc.jpg[/IMG] [url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/kalief-browder-rikers-teen-violent-new-york-prison_n_4302360.html[/url] [QUOTE]Bronx resident Kalief Browder was walking home from a party when he was abruptly arrested by New York City police officers on [B]May 14, 2010[/B]. A complete stranger said Browder had robbed him a few weeks earlier and, consequently, changed the 16-year-old's life forever. [B]Browder was imprisoned for three years before the charges were dropped in June 2013[/B], according to a WABC-TV Eyewitness News investigation. At the time of the teen's arrest, Browder's family was unable to pay the $10,000 bail. He was placed in the infamously violent Rikers Island correctional facility, where he remained until earlier this year. Now that he's free, the young man is speaking up about his experience. [B]"I spent three New Year's in there, three birthdays...," Browder, now 20, said in a recent interview with WABC, adding that he was released with "no apology."[/B] In October, Browder filed a civil lawsuit against the Bronx District Attorney, City of New York, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Department of Corrections and a number of state-employed individuals. The official complaint states [B]Browder was "physically assaulted and beaten" by officers[/B] and other inmates during his time at Rikers Island. The document also maintains the accused was "placed in solitary confinement for more than 400 days" and was "deprived meals." In addition, officers allegedly prevented him from pursuing his education. Browder attempted suicide at least six times. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Browder's current lawyer Paul Prestia summarized his client's experience as "inexplicable" and "unheard of." Based off one man's identification, Browder was charged with robbery in the second degree, he notes. It took three years to dismiss these charges, even though it was, in Prestia's words, a "straightforward case to try." "The city needs to be held accountable for what happened," Prestia said. "[Browder] had a right to a fair and speedy trail, and he wasn't afforded any of that. He maintained his innocence the entire time, and essentially got a three year sentence for that." Still, when Browder was offered a plea deal in January, he refused to take it, because he did not want to plead guilty to the crime, WABC-TV notes. (Had Browder been tried in a timely fashion and pled guilty to the crime, Prestia told HuffPost, he might have spent less time in prison.) Prestia adds that his client has suffered lingering mental health problems, and though he's currently going to school for his GED, he's "clearly way behind from where he would have been." "We need someone to be held accountable," Prestia said. "This can't just go unnoticed. To the extent that [Browder] can be financially compensated -- although it's not going to get those years back for him -- it may give him a chance to succeed." The District Attorney's office said it was unable to comment, as Browder's allegations are currently the subject of ongoing litigation. Incidentally, Browder's claims about his experience at Rikers Island are consistent with findings from a recent report commissioned by the New York City Board of Correction. The report, obtained by The Associated Press, notes that the use of force by prison staff has more than tripled from 2004 to 2013, from seven incidents of force per 100 inmates, to almost 25. Additionally, the number of self-mutilation and suicide attempts by Rikers inmates have increased by 75 percent from 2007 to 2012. According to the report, 40 percent of the city jail’s 12,200 inmates are mentally ill, and many of these inmates are placed in solitary confinement "holes" as punishment.[/QUOTE]
[quote]Browder attempted suicide at least six times.[/quote] Jesus Christ. Well I am pretty sure that with story like this out, there will be a line of horny lawyers at his front door, offering to take this to court and make him rich. Not that it would be worth the suffering or anything but I seriously doubt he won't get money out of this. I know I would.
1st world country my ass.
How does something like this even happen? I also find the use of plea bargains to be a disgusting shortcut for the US justice system.
[QUOTE=MuTAnT;42935149]How does something like this even happen? I also find the use of plea bargains to be a disgusting shortcut for the US justice system.[/QUOTE] It sounds to me like he was offered the plea bargain, refused it and was sent to jail to await his trial. I don't know what the fuck happened, but he ended up waiting in jail for three years for his trial. NYC clearly violated the Sixth Amendment("In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial,"). The Federal Government defines a 'speedy trial' as one taking place within 70 days of the indictment and I see no reason why NYC should be held to a different standard.
American "justice" system.
We like to say 'innocent before guilty,' but in reality it's the other way around.
[QUOTE=ForgottenKane;42935449]We like to say 'innocent before guilty,' but in reality it's the other way around.[/QUOTE] Guilty until proven innocent.
oh is that what he meant
[QUOTE=Ivef;42935474]Guilty until proven innocent.[/QUOTE] yes that is what he said good job
what the FUCK
[QUOTE=ralle105;42934991]1st world country my ass.[/QUOTE] America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=can man;42935319]American "justice" system.[/QUOTE] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;42935754]America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)[/QUOTE] lmao man nobody said anything even close to that.
[QUOTE=Ivef;42935474]Guilty until proven innocent.[/QUOTE] That's some Imperial Inquisitorial shit there; utterly terrifying that it's even allowed to be a thing, let alone be a thing in any way, shape or form.
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;42935754]America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)[/QUOTE] That doesn't mean it should be tolerated.
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;42935754]America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)[/QUOTE] I don't think it's a point of pride to say "At least we're better than North Korea!"
[QUOTE=can man;42935319]American "justice" system.[/QUOTE] New York "justice" system.
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;42935754]America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)[/QUOTE] As usual it's the America bashing European members of FP.
[QUOTE=can man;42935319]American "justice" system.[/QUOTE] If you actually, you know, read the article, it's painfully obvious that he wasn't declared guilty and imprisoned without trial, rather he was held in jail (because nobody paid bail) and it took longer than it should have to actually perform a trial. One is actually 'guilty before innocent' and the other is a bureaucratic oversight. Bit of a difference there.
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;42935754]America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)[/QUOTE] You're kidding yourself if you don't think america has the worst justice system out of any first world country.
[QUOTE=catbarf;42936313]If you actually, you know, read the article, it's painfully obvious that he wasn't declared guilty and imprisoned without trial, rather he was held in jail (because nobody paid bail) and it took longer than it should have to actually perform a trial. One is actually 'guilty before innocent' and the other is a bureaucratic oversight. Bit of a difference there.[/QUOTE] Holding him in detention centre where he gets beaten and locked into solitary for 400 days is a harsh punishment. It might not be intended, but it is. No establishment or society would tolerate that kind of treatment of somebody who [I]is[/I] innocent, so he must have been seen as guilty at at least some level for this to happen. It might be a systematic problem in the justice - perhaps you should ensure people who haven't been proven guilty at court get better and separate treatment than being thrown into a straight up slammer with other already sentenced prisoners. And I am not even talking about the amount of time he spent there which is another kind of completely unacceptable, even if he was being held at the Ritz.
Why does race matter here? Oh wait, it doesnt. [B]The article fails to mention when his court date was. If you cant post bail, you're going to be sitting in a cell until that date. Its how the system works.[/B] I dont argue with the man for not taking the plea bargain because those fuck you over all the time, but allows the prosecution to push cases faster. If his court date wasnt until this year, yea, he'll wait. Cant explain the wait after the dropped charges.
[QUOTE=areolop;42936379] [B]The article fails to mention when his court date was. If you cant post bail, you're going to be sitting in a cell until that date. Its how the system works.[/B] I dont argue with the man for not taking the plea bargain because those fuck you over all the time, but allows the prosecution to push cases faster. [/QUOTE] That date is insane.
[QUOTE=areolop;42936379]Why does race matter here? Oh wait, it doesnt. [B]The article fails to mention when his court date was. If you cant post bail, you're going to be sitting in a cell until that date. Its how the system works.[/B] I dont argue with the man for not taking the plea bargain because those fuck you over all the time, but allows the prosecution to push cases faster. If his court date wasnt until this year, yea, he'll wait. Cant explain the wait after the dropped charges.[/QUOTE] So you think it's fair holding a person for THREE YEARS while not being proven guilty? American police everybody.
[QUOTE=Crimor;42936426]So you think it's fair holding a person for THREE YEARS while not being proven guilty? American police everybody.[/QUOTE] Putting words into my mouth is not going to go well. I never said that. You have to remember that more serious crime gets a faster court date than petty crime. Now take that combined with New York ass-backwards policing and you get a 3 year wait.
The only reason stuff like this appears on the news is because it DOESN'T happen often. People are tried every day, all over the United States and every once in a while someone messes up. While things like this are inexcusable it isn't accurate to say that our entire justice system is shit. If anything it's laws (like possession, stupid high speeding fines, underage drinking) to blame, not the way our justice system works.
[QUOTE=bisousbisous;42935754]America isn't the only place where stuff like this, or any crime for that matter, happens you know. [editline]21st November 2013[/editline] Yes, America is the only country to have a shitty/corrupt/what have you justice system. (Not really)[/QUOTE] Oh, well that's okay then. Gosh, here I thought massive natural and civil rights violations were something to be ashamed of and avoided, but as long as the other kids are doing it too...
What the fuck is bail and why does it exist? IMO it just sounds like your punishing people who can't pay more than those who can afford it - irrespective of whether they're guilty of the crime or not.
[QUOTE=SCopE5000;42936707]What the fuck is bail and why does it exist?[/QUOTE] When you are arrested for a felony, you are taken to jail. Jail is a facility used to hold suspects before trial, or for short sentences. You stay in jail until your court date, and then are set free, imprisoned, or given a short enough sentence to carry it out in jail. There is the option, however, to pay bail while awaiting trial. Bail is a deposit paid to the local government, the value of which is proportional with the magnitude of the crime and the perceived risk of the suspect fleeing rather than show up for trial. It's essentially an amount of money ensuring that the defendant will come back for the trial. If the defendant complies with the law and goes to trial, then the money is (usually, there are exceptions) returned once it is concluded. If the defendant fails to appear before the court, then the money is forfeited. Bail is essentially the only way the state can keep you free before your trial, but still ensure that you don't skip town in the interim.
[QUOTE=SCopE5000;42936707]What the fuck is bail and why does it exist? IMO it just sounds like your punishing people who can't pay more than those who can afford it - irrespective of whether they're guilty of the crime or not.[/QUOTE] think of bail as a security deposit. you normally only need to pay 10% of it to get it. you get the money back if you're find not guilty
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