3 years a Slave! INNOCENT Teen Kalief Browder jailed in violent Riker's Island!

Kalief Browder was walking home in the Bronx after a night of partying when he was stopped by police in 2010. A complete stranger accused the then 16 year old of robbing him. Police arrested Kalief that night but told him that he would probably be released later that night. Instead, he went on to spend 33 months in Rikers Island jail for a crime he was never convicted of.

In March 2012, Kalief attempted suicide by ripping the sheets off his bunk and building a noose that he strung from the ceiling to hang himself. Before he could kill himself, jail guards rushed into the cell and prevented him from hanging himself, tackled him to the ground, and punched him numerous times.

After the suicide attempt, he claims the guards continued to punish him by starving him, withholding up to 4 meals a day while he was in solitary confinement. Kalief had attempted suicide 3 to 4 times during his three year stay at the notoriously violent Rikers Island.

This past January, Kalief was offered a plea deal, one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever had to make. If he would plead guilty he’d be able to go home based on the time already served, or he could plead not guilty and take his chances in court. However, if convicted, he could face 15 more years in jail. Kalief didn’t want to plead guilty to a crime he says he didn’t commit so he refused the plea deal. In June, the charges against him were suddenly dropped and he was released.