美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Time: The Kalief Browder Story' Depicts Issues With Solitary Confinement

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Finally today, in recent years, we've heard a number of stories about the ways the criminal justice system has failed someone or some people. It's always painful, and it's always troubling. But it's particularly troubling when the person at the center of the story is someone young, someone whose life is changed by a broken system before his or her life has even really begun.

Now a new documentary tells such a story in excruciating detail over six parts. The series is about a high-profile case out of New York City. It's called "Time: The Kalief Browder Story," and it profiles the life of 16-year-old Kalief Browder who was arrested and accused of stealing a backpack back in 2010 when he was on his way home from a party in the Bronx.

He wound up spending more than three years in the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, much of it in solitary¹ confinement² before the charges were dropped. His family went public with his story, and his case became a cause.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: Kalief Browder.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Kalief Browder.

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: But the experience destroyed Kalief. He committed suicide less than a year later after his release. The six-part documentary premiered on Spike³ TV earlier this week, and the series director Jenner Furst joined us in our New York bureau to talk about it. And I started by asking him why Kalief's story struck such a chord.

JENNER FURST: You know, there's this horrible, tragic⁴ thing happening, and, you know, the instantaneous loss of life in a gunshot or in, you know, a horrible incident that's captured on video. And in talking with Kalief's mother, Venida, you know, she lamented⁵ about the fact that people don't understand, you know, my son was killed over years. He was murdered, and it's just different.

And, you know, I would listen to her, and, of course, I would empathize because he really was. And it wasn't just one moment in time. It was time itself. It was his whole life as a young, black man growing up in the Bronx. And he really was a child of the system, born into foster care because his mother had a drug addiction⁶, went to failing schools, was a victim of stop and frisk many times.

And he went to Rikers Island which was, you know, notorious for abuse, corruption⁷, gangs, you know, an uncontrolled amount of violence. In his story, there was everything. And we were dealing⁸ with something so poignant⁹ and so focused that all we had to do was let his story rise to the surface, and viewers could see it.

MARTIN: Just to let people know in part what you're talking about here. I mean, one of the - he was stopped along with a friend. The friend was allowed to go home. He thought he was going to be allowed to go home, but part of the reason that he wasn't, that he was sent to Rikers is that he was on probation¹⁰ for an earlier incident.

And just to - just describe a little bit of what you're talking about, I want to play a short clip from the film where he talks about how he felt about what that Rikers experience was like. Here it is.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TIME: THE KALIEF BROWDER STORY")

KALIEF BROWDER: When they sent me to Rikers Island, I was 16. I would say it was like hell on Earth. Sometimes, you know, I feel like I'm never going to be the same. You know, I smile, and I joke a lot. But, you know, deep down, I'm a mess because like I'm 21, and on the inside I feel like I'm 40.

MARTIN: One of the things that the film does is make it graphically¹¹ clear what it is that he's talking about when he talks about it being hell on Earth, and some of that footage was obtained, as I understand it, by Jennifer Gonnerman at The New Yorker who reported extensively on this. Can you just describe, though, for people who have not seen it what exactly he's talking about?

FURST: The security camera footage that Jennifer Gonnerman was able to acquire a portion of and release through The New Yorker - we acquired the remainder of it - and essentially¹² it depicts¹³ an environment of chaos¹⁴ and violence unchecked by corrections officers and, at one instance, violence at the hands of correctional officers.

In one of the videos, Kalief is shown being slammed down on the ground for just appearing to do nothing more than talking back to a corrections officer. He's shackled¹⁵ behind his back, and, you know, it's scenes like this that really bring to light the type of chaos that happens on Rikers Island.

MARTIN: The film explores a number of issues. I mean, the fact that he was kept at Rikers for three years without ever facing a trial. But why - you think - is solitary confinement such a big issue? And why did that part of it become such an important part of the story?

FURST: Well, I think that's the most horrific thing of all. We're doing things to people that we do not even allow to be done to animals in testing. Animal rights groups have done a lot of activism to stop housing in isolation¹⁶ for animals in laboratories. Now, we find that to be a cause, yet there's millions of Americans in extreme isolation. The United Nations has ruled more than 15 days straight as torture.

Just to contextualize, when Kalief was 17 years old and his first extended stay in solitary confinement, he stayed over 300 days. He was a child. His brain wasn't even developed yet, and we know from testing that that type of experience can cause permanent brain damage. The experience of being incarcerated¹⁷ is traumatic enough to think that he would be in a self, you know, 9 by 12 for 23 hours a day at times being denied recreation and at times being denied food. He was starved on multiple occasions.

For a young man, for a child to have that happen to them, it's absolutely horrific had they even been convicted of a crime. But the most shocking thing in Kalief Browder's story is that he wasn't convicted of a crime. You know, folks don't understand jail is different than prison. These folks haven't been convicted of a crime yet. They're awaiting their day in court, yet we're torturing them, and we're doing it to children. So it made Kalief's story so poignant and so much an example of the system not working and the system essentially destroying people and their families.

MARTIN: I understand that you're also (unintelligible) appreciative¹⁸ of Spike TV for giving you the time to tell the story in the way that you wanted to tell it. But I - Spike TV has not traditionally been known for producing this kind of documentary or featuring this kind of documentary.

In fact, I understand that in an earlier discussion around the film, it has been raised that one of the network's current staple¹⁹ programs is "Cops" which some have criticized for kind of glorifying²⁰ this kind of macho image of policing, which would seem at odds²¹ with the picture that your series presents. And, you know, I say that as a person who comes from a policing family. I have six police officers in my family, so I don't say that from a position of hostility²². But the fact is there are...

FURST: Sure.

MARTIN: ...Those who would question why is this the place to present this particular work?

FURST: For me as a filmmaker, I've had the great honor of working on a couple docu-series that we're tackling real issues in America, and the viewership was there. But Spike has access to a hundred million homes and has bravely gotten behind the message of this series which is criminal justice reform, has been unafraid and hasn't sanitized a single thing that we've been trying to do. So to me, that's about the biggest megaphone that you can get.

To answer your question about "Cops," as a filmmaker, I view that as an opportunity, too. If you have viewers sort of lulled²³ away by a violent depiction²⁴ of our inner cities and policing and sort of the inequality in our system, and then all of a sudden they get slapped in the face with something like "Time: The Kalief Browder Story," that's a moment right there. That's a chance to change someone's perspective about something that they may have previously²⁵ been confused about.

And now they get to see the human being behind that occurrence. They get to see their mother. They get to see their family, and they get to see the collateral²⁶ damage that an encounter like that with the police can cause. So I find this to be an incredibly educational moment for all Americans, even those who watch and are entertained by "Cops." And I'm very grateful for the opportunity.

MARTIN: That's Jenner Furst. He's the director of the new documentary miniseries "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." The first of six parts premiered this week on Spike TV. It will be airing Wednesday nights going forward. And Jenner Furst was kind enough to join us from our studios in New York City. Jenner Furst, thanks so much for speaking with us.

FURST: Thank you for having me.

1 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

2 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

3 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

10 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

11 graphically   

adv.通过图表；生动地，轮廓分明地

参考例句：

• This data is shown graphically on the opposite page. 对页以图表显示这些数据。
• The data can be represented graphically in a line diagram. 这些数据可以用单线图表现出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

13 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

15 shackled   

给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The hostage had been shackled to a radiator. 当时人质被铐在暖气片上。
• He was shackled and in darkness of torment. 他被困在黑暗中备受煎熬。

16 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

17 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

18 appreciative   

adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的

参考例句：

• She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
• We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。

19 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

20 glorifying   

赞美( glorify的现在分词 )； 颂扬； 美化； 使光荣

参考例句：

• I had no intention of either glorifying or belittling Christianity, merely the desire to understand it. 我并没有赞扬基督教或蔑视它的立意，我所想的只是了解它。
• You are glorifying a rather mediocre building. 你正在美化一栋普普通通的建筑。

21 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

22 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

23 lulled   

vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They lulled her into a false sense of security. 他们哄骗她，使她产生一种虚假的安全感。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. 火车轻微的震动催我进入梦乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

25 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

26 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。