Kalief Browder, imprisoned as a teen at Rikers Island without a trial, commits suicide

Rikers Island Prison
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Kalief Browder, who was imprisoned for three years as a teenager without a trial on New York City's Rikers Island, committed suicide Saturday. He was 22.

At 16, Browder was arrested on suspicion of stealing a backpack. He spent two of his three years at Rikers, known for abuse and neglect of prisoners, in solitary confinement. In 2013, prosecutors dropped charges against Browder, who maintained his innocence.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.