CJST 4407 - Youth Injustice and the Kalief Browder Story

Kalief Browder was 16 years old when he was arrested in the Bronx, New York, for allegedly stealing a backpack. He was taken to Rikers Island jail, where abuse of incarcerated persons was common. He refused to plead guilty to a crime he said he didn't commit. He was held in the jail for the next three years, spending more than 700 days in solitary confinement. After three years, the charges against him were dismissed because the police could not locate the alleged victim, and Kalief was released from jail. He went home to live with his mother. Two years later he committed suicide. This special course will help to develop a basic understanding of how the criminal justice system works and how those involved in the system respond to complex issues regarding public safety, crime control, and the rights of those charged with crimes. Kalief Browder's case was a microcosm of the criminal justice system in which everything went wrong. Kalief's case, detailed in a six-part documentary series which will be viewed for classes, will be used to explore how the criminal and juvenile justice systems should work, why miscarriages of justice occur, and opportunities for reform in criminal and juvenile justice policies and practices. Through the materials discussed in class, students will examine how various stakeholders in the justice system (police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, corrections officers) address issues of crime and justice. 3 credits.