Amendment+6+Current+Event

AJ Iovino 5/17/16 Social Studies Mr. Welsh []

A 16 year old boy, Kalief Browder, had his right to a speedy trail neglected when he was accused of stealing a backpack. Their was no evidence that he stole the backpack and he still waited 3 years in jail for a trail, he was finally released. Kalief was sent to Rikers Island were he awaited trail, and the correction officers and inmates repeatedly beat him. Ms. Gonnerman, the reporter, said she didn't realize how severe the abuse was until she watched a security video showing him being knocked down by an officer and attacked by inmates. Also Kalief tried multiple times to commit suicide while in jail. Once he was released he wasn't the same because he stayed in his room for long periods of time, like he was in solitary confinement. He also threw away his television because he feared it watched him. He then committed suicide at 22, by pushing an air-condition unit out the second floor window of his parents' home and wrapping a cord around his neck and went feet first out the window.

Kalief Bower was held in prison for something he didn't do and awaited trial for three years, but eventually the prosecutors dropped all charges because they lost their only contact with a witness.This is insane, I think that Kalief Bower should of at least been compensated by the government in some way because this totally went against his right to a speedy trail. Since Kalief's right to a speedy trail was neglected, it ended up making him mentally unstable and later on committed suicide. His mental health deteriorated and he thought his television was watching him so he threw it away. So since he wasn't given a speedy trail it drove him to suicide as the only solution because he was so traumatized through the whole ordeal he went through. Once he came back from prison he would make sure all the doors and windows of his house were locked and he was afraid of being attacked on the subway. This amendment is still relevant today because these sort of problems are still happening today and some cases have serious consequences even if they are innocent. Also this amendment is still relevant today because some poor people that go to trail or get arrested cannot hire good attorneys, so it took them longer to go to trail. In conclusion Kalief Bower was mentally unstable and committed suicide because he awaited trail for 3 years on something he didn't do, also that this amendment is still relevant today because these problems still occur and some people can't afford good attorneys, so it is a longer wait for a trail.

__**Caption:**__ Kalief Browder, 22, hanged himself at his parents' home in the Bronx over the weekend.