Held for Three Years on Riker's Island Without a Trial

Jennifer Gonnerman, a contributor to The New Yorker, investigates the case of Kalief Browder, who spent three years in Rikers Island’s Robert N. Davoren Center—more than a year and a half of that time in solitary confinement—without ever standing trial. His bail was set at $3,000, and his family couldn't afford to pay it. New York State’s “ready rule” stipulates that all felony cases, except homicides, must be ready for trial within six months of charges being filed, or else the charges can be dismissed. In practice, however, this time limit is subject to technicalities, and Browder—who maintained his innocence, and therefore refused several plea deals—had roughly 30 court dates. Gonnerman’s article, “Before the Law,” appeared in the October 6 issue of The New Yorker.