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Kalief Browder (INTERACTIONS (Society as of now, views Kalief as a strong…
Kalief Browder
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
FAMILY
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They did not feel like they were in low-class, it just felt like home to them and his mother would make sure that she would appear in his life at all milestones likewise with all the other children
Adopted by Venida Browder, a loving mother who adopted others as well
His older brother was accused of sexual assault and sent to rikers island for a short amount of time in his high school years, but this showed Kalief how a person’s skin colour tremendously affects the outcome of any legal situation
Siblings described him as an ambitious young man, probably due to his living conditions he was a part of the few who wanted to create change
He was someone who cared about grades and being involved in the community showcased through his time in college after being imprisoned
He showcased impeccable resilience, similar to his mother's characteristics, in Rikers island by not pleading guilty and leaving early, he suffered through mental and physical abuse just to clear his name because he was innocent
His family is the most important people to him, and vice versa. His mother would visit Kalief while he was at Riker's and it would cause her tremendous pain to get to Riker's because of the long bus rides which also included standing for a long period of time. Regardless of the pain, for Kalief she would do anything, and that is another aspect as to why Kalief was able to last so long at Riker's knowing he had others who believed in him
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SCHOOL
At this school he was able to fall back to the norms of society, and worked hard to prove that he is capable of being a normal individual who is a part of society. He joined clubs, was part of a race and won first place, and show cased incredible marks
He met people at the college who he was able to confide in; his teachers for example, they were a big part of his life AFTER Riker's Island and they helped him cope with his mental illness, provided him with advice, and ways to cope such as joining clubs to get his mind off the tragedies he experienced.
After Kalief's time at Riker's Island he was able to attend the Bronx Community College, this gave him an outlet and an opportunity to overturn the events he experienced at Riker's Island (Abuse, solitary confinement, malnutrition)
After Riker's Island, Kalief went into depression, and had different thoughts due to being confined in a small cell for many days. His behaviour started to change compared to before his imprisonment, he was no long the happy Kalief everyone knew. He was quieter, always thought someone was out to get him. Going to school gave him a change of scenery
MEDIA
Media has portrayed black individuals to be seen as criminals, so many have a preconceived idea of what kind of person someone may be based on their skin colour
Kalief received positive recognition through the media for his wrongful time spent at one of the worst prisons. Once he was released, free of charge, people as famous as Jay Z went out of their way to meet Kalief, and listen to his story and give exposure to him.
Kalief's story was exposed to the world through social media, and powerful influencers giving him exposure (Jay Z). Many citizens were upset about America's justice system, and gave moral support to Kalief by sending him personal messages that were supportive
INTERACTIONS
African Americans only represent 13% of America's population yet they represent half of innocent individuals who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime. (Vega, T. 2017, March 07)
Kalief falls under this statistic of being part of that 13%, he was wrongfully convicted because a scared individual who was robbed assumed any black males were the same black folks who robbed him. The NYPD did not bother to do a background check, or find surveillance footage that would back up this individuals accusation. They saw they were black and immediately went on their way to arrest Kalief Browder.
The inmates he met at Riker's Island were all aggressive especially because they themselves faced abuse inside the system, so instead of fighting their way around it they instead conformed to the idea of being brutal, and attacking anyone they believe is weak, in this case, Kalief.
Kalief was moved from different facilities within the prison because of the immense amount of abuse he would face on a daily basis. Even then, it didn't make much of a difference he was still abused and had to fight for his life.
Within the system, there were also guards who would not do their duty correctly. Kalief would not only face abuse from his inmates but also from the guards for minor things that could be overseen, but because the guards had power they would abuse their power and attack Kalief.
Through his experience he was able to meet Jay Z a famous celebrity, who advocated for his wrongful conviction and gave exposure to his audience about the injustice of American criminal justice system
Society as of now, views Kalief as a strong individual who was able to overcome a huge obstacle in his life. It was unfair to lose his teenage years to a false conviction, and many supported him in his new life that he would create.
Many would think that society would view him as a predator even after his imprisonment but because his story was exposed to the world, people altered their beliefs and advocated for Kalief.
Although Kalief got the opportunity to have his story heard by many, there are black males who are convicted everyday, about 79% individuals are (Chokshi, N. 2017, March 07). Their stories are unheard and they end up in worse conditions
His brother experienced being wrongfully convicted at a young age for sexual assault, and he was also sent to Rikers Island only for a shorter time. He had someone in his life who experienced the same abuse as him which influenced him to not take the plea because he knew he hadn't done anything wrong and he was willing to suffer to prove it to everyone and just for the fact that he did not commit the crime.
INSTITUTIONS
PRISON
Institutions such as prisons are required to follow a set of guidelines and rules, however Riker's Island follows their own rules
Guards at the prison are uneducated and would keep inmates in solitary confinement longer than what is suitable for one's mental health
Kalief was unarmed, and targeted for being new, many would take advantage of him being naive and attack him
Sometimes guards would also attack Kalief for a minor occurrence but create a big situation out of it
For example, a guard was walking Kalief, and Kalief said something which triggered the guard to attack him and put him down and two more guards came to restrain Kalief, which was unnecessary because Kalief was handcuffed and had no reason to be attacked by three guards
He faced discrimination and was moved from different facilities in hopes that inmates would stop attacking him, however it would just get worse and worse
The inmates who would abuse Kalief are apart of the Sutherland: Differential Association Theory. This theory is when deviance is a learned behaviour , and you learn through your peers. This is evident at this prison as many of the inmates conform and adapt to the standards of attacking others in order to survive. It becomes a norm and they forget what it's like to have peace.
This is also an example of the broken glass theory, because all the inmates saw it was okay to beat others up, more would join because they figured it was acceptable as the guards would just watch sometimes
Another example of the broken glass theory is how the media stereotypes black people as criminals, it shows citizens that it's okay to target black people, and in the end Kalief was a victim of a false crime because the 'victim' who thought he was robbed my Kalief, identified him as the criminal because 'he looked similar' and any black man would do
There are no rehabilitation programs within Riker's Island. Kalief would request to see the psychiatrist but was unable to. He suffered a lot in solitary confinement and it affected his mental health and was unable to receive help.
After he was released he was not his usual self, he went through many traumatizing events that he was no longer the happy, ambitious child his family once knew. He became more quiet and reserved, fear of the cops taking him back to Riker's. This made it difficult for him to settle back down into society and it's norms because of his tragic experiences
SCHOOL
After Kalief's time in prison, in order to settle back down into society and the norms that come with it, he figured it would be best to attend a community college to settle down once again. However, doing so there were challenges he had to face, for example, functioning like a 'normal' human being in society and having freedom. Because he was restrained from freedom for so long it felt weird for him to adjust to society and their standards.
Another challenge is social bonding. It's hard for Kalief to find new friends other than his childhood friends, he is unsure on how to communicate and interact with others. He did communicate with thte teachers and talked to them but finding friends his age was hard for him because nobody knew what he went through and adjusting to a happy young adult was difficult.
This relates to the labeling theory, where Kalief noticed how others would see him as a criminal, and so that forced him to act a certain way to get rid of that false stigma. People would assume he's a bad individual because he went to prison.
SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
Social Exchange Theory
Kalief was wrongfully convicted, and knowing he didn't commit the crime he refused to take the plea deal. This was a prime example of him maximizing his benefits and minimizing costs. Of course, he would have to suffer much longer however, in the long run his name would be cleared of a crime he never committed and he wouldn't have a criminal record. If he did have a record it would become difficult for him to adjust to society because it's hard to get a job with a record.
This theory also relates to how his behaviour helped him get out jail. He was not aggressive, he followed the rules and would only attack in defense of others. His behaviour of following the rules was a way to maximize his benefits of being a good inmate, and minimize the cost of facing penalties. However, as seen in the documentary he was still restrained most of the time just for being Kalief Browder.
This theory states that social behaviour is due to the exchange process. This theory demonstrates how individuals will maximize benefits and minimize costs in order to achieve what they desire (Cherry, K). It's a give and take kind of theory, however it is not always equal.
SOCIOLOGY
social institutions, social relationships
Starting off with the police, they are public officials who are responsible for the safety of their respected area. However, many of them act to their own accord, like in Kalie'f case where the NYPD did not bother finding proof that he was the one who robbed the man, instead they believed it had to be him because of racially profiling him.
Many police, and guards abuse their powers especially seen in Riker's Island. A lot of them would find joy watching inmates fight, or even hang themselves. Kalief hung himself ready to die and the guards took a few seconds to act upon it, they just stood there and watched him suffer and then helped him. The system is corrupt, especially the institution and those who run it because no changes occur.
There is the lack of education at these institutions, at Riker's Island the guards force inmates into solitary confinement and leave them there starving. They are not aware of the after affects the small space has, it usually leads to mental illnesses and thoughts of suicide.
They also do not have a rehabilitation program. This is a problem because many individuals at Riker's Island start to obtain this aggressive behaviour that they take with them once they're released. Then they commit another hateful act that lands them back into prison, and once again they become a part of this aggressive and negative environment. They are not given education and treatment for their behaviour which is why they system fails to meet their goals. This is similar to how Kalief requested to see a psychiatrist but was refused to see one, this lead him to having suicidal thoughts.
HOW TO CREATE CHANGE?
INSTITUTION
Every prison needs to have a rehabilitation program, it's very important for inmates to learn how to behave properly and how to integrate themselves back into society. Trying to slowly follow Finland's way would be the best method to create a better society and overall country to live in. They use the method of trusting the criminals, giving them access to sharp objects, this has kept a low percentage of re-occurring criminals in Finland, and it's something America can learn from. (even Canada)
Guards or anyone who is a part of a government official, needs to be well educated, the system needs to incorporate learning psychological needs within their curriculum. Torturing, and abusing inmates only makes things worse. The guards themselves also need to learn to be less aggressive, and there should be some sort of test to know if these guards are qualified.
MEDIA
The media (news channels) need to stop giving attention to criminals who do not deserve the attention. Cases like Kalief's go unnoticed and this makes it harder for those people to cope because they do not have any support from anyone. Giving exposure to minorities in need is the first step to creating change. Of course, it's difficult to find every wrongfully convicted person however one person at a time is a step towards change.
The media is quick to create judgement on anyone they see. For change to occur within the police system, instead of criminalizing innocent police officers there needs to be a shift. I think the police system needs to take imitative and train their officers correctly so racial profiling, and police brutality does not occur, this way the topic of bad police officers will change and people will start to feel safe more
SOCIAL
Social institutions that are in charge of who goes in and out of a prison needs to be better qualified. A lot of the time people enter prisons with no proof of the crime they committed, yet those with money have the power to oversee the issue and in the end someone wrongfully loses a part of their life within the prison. Things like abusing power needs to change, the government needs to take a strict action on power hungry folks and create equality within the justice system.