Ashfaqul Islam Rafi
Professor Chandra Dickson
Rough draft
11 October 2016
Before the law
Before the Law by Timothy W. Ryback from The New Yorker explains about a teenager who was accused of stealing a backpack and sent to jail without proper evidence which took three years from his life. The author addresses the problem of wrongful convictions in the United States where innocent people can be blamed for crimes they did not commit.
Timothy W. Ryback illustrates the story of Kalief Browder, who was returning home from a party with his friend. As they passed East 186th street, they saw a police car approaching them. The officer told them to get out from the car and searched the vehicle because a man reported that he was robbed by them. Even though …show more content…
He was sent to criminal court where the judge ordered him to pay three thousand dollars, which was out of reach for his family as a result, he was sent to jail in Riker, where he had to deal with harsh and inhumane conditions. At first, his case looked simple to deal with but it did not turn out that way. He was taken to the court several times thinking that justice will be served but, his case got postponed day after day due to lack of judges and courtroom staff. This clearly shows that the court system was not running properly. But it was amazing to see Kalief Browder as he did not lose hope in justice and behaved properly in the courtroom when he did not receive justice.
M. DiMango was a new judge who was brought in order to solve some cases. The judge saw his case and advised him to plead guilty as he had stayed for 34 months since his 1st day in jail. She advised him to plead guilty as he could lose trial and get up to fifteen years in jail. She even offered him an offer where he could go home if he pleads guilty. It is disappointing to see how innocent people are persuaded to plead