Reform the bail system
By Jennifer Doleac
In May 2010, Kalief Browder was arrested and charged with robbery, allegedly for stealing a backpack. Bail was set at $3,500, which he was unable to pay. Browder insisted that he was innocent, and refused to take a plea deal that could have set him free. He consequently spent three years in jail without trial, enduring incredible violence and isolation. The charges were eventually dropped and he was released, but he never recovered from that experience. Just over a year ago, Browder committed suicide. He was only 22 years old.
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