The city of New York has settled with the family of Kalief Browder, the young man who committed suicide after spending three years at Rikers Island.
The family will receive $3.3 million in damages, according to the New York Daily News. New York Supreme Court Judge Mitchell Danziger will sign off on the settlement.
Family lawyer Sanford A. Rubenstein is satisfied with the outcome.
“It’s a fair settlement, given the tragedy of what happened here,” Rubenstein said. “While no money can ever bring Kalief Browder back, we hope the settlement of this case and the changes that took place at Rikers will result in this not happening to any other victims.”
The 22-year-old hung himself in his family’s home in 2015 due to the trauma he experienced during his incarceration. He was arrested when he was 16 after being accused of stealing a backpack from another youth. His family could not afford his $3,000 bail, so he was kept at Rikers. During his imprisonment, he was beaten by guards, attacked by other inmates and spent approximately 400 days in solitary confinement.
He was pressured to plead guilty but refused and maintained his innocence even though entering a guilty plea could have potentially led to his immediate release. Browder was finally released in 2013 after city prosecutors dropped the charges. The tragedy attracted media attention and even inspired a six-part documentary produced by rapper Jay-Z.
Browder’s story also led to changes in prison policies, according to The New York Times. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a policy barring 16- and 17-year-olds from solitary confinement in 2014. He also spearheaded a plan to transport teens from Rikers to a youth facility in the Bronx.
New York’s law department released a statement touting the importance of Browder’s story and its dedication to preventing similar tragedies.
“Kalief Browder’s story helped inspire numerous reforms to the justice system to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again, including an end to punitive segregation for young people on Rikers Island,” the statement read. “We hope that this settlement and our continuing reforms help bring some measure of closure to the Browder family.”
Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.
Now, check these out:
Kappa Alpha Psi Official Fired After Embezzling $1 Million From The Fraternity
Oklahoma University Football Players Protest Racism After Two Blackface Videos Rattle The Campus
New Research Proves LAPD Special Unit Disproportionately Pulls Over Black Drivers