He spent 2 of the 3 years in solitary confinement. Bail was initially set at $3000, and the family did not have it. Time: The Kalief Browder Story is a six-episode American documentary television miniseries for Paramount Network. The documentary recounts the story of Kalief Browder, a Bronx high school student who was imprisoned for three years, two of them in solitary confinement on Rikers Island, without being convicted of a crime.
He was accused at 16 of stealing a backpack, and his family was unable to afford his bail, set at $900. He committed suicide two years later, in 2015, before going to trial.
His false imprisonment story is a case for reform of New York City’s criminal justice system.
As part of the series roll-out, Paramount Network joined with 60 Second Docs to tell this story.
