Teen spends 3 years in infamous New York jail without ever being convicted

[jakeXT]

A young Bronx teenager spent three years in the infamously violent Rikers Island prison complex without ever being convicted of a crime.

Kalief Browder was initially arrested on his way home on May 14, 2010, after an unknown individual identified the teenager, then 16 years old, as the person who robbed him a few weeks prior. Browder was charged with second-degree robbery and, unable to post the $10,000 bail at the time of his arrest, was transferred to Rikers Island.

The case never went to trial, however, and Browder languished at Rikers Island until the charges were dropped without explanation in June 2013.

“No apology, no nothing,” Browder said about his release to local WABC. “They just said, ‘Oh, case dismissed. Don’t worry about nothing.’ What do you mean, ‘Don’t worry about nothing?’ You just took over three years of my life.”

http://rt.com/usa/teen-jailed-without-conviction-101/

[mike_c]

1. not to diminish the harm done to this young man...

...but I wonder why no one sought his release from outside. Parents? Relatives? School officials? Friends?

[eShirl]

2. You don't know that.

[mike_c]

3. well, that's true, but the article makes no mention and surely someone would have paid attention...

...if relatives and such were calling for information. Did anyone report him as missing? Did school officials contact his parents? How did they explain his absence? No, I don't know-- I'm "wondering," i.e. asking.