Kalief Browder

The documentary 'For Venida, For Kalief' tells the story of Kalief Browder, who as a teenager spent three years on Rikers Island without trial, and his mother Venida Browder's fight for justice.

Ava DuVernay's award-winning documentary examines how the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has enabled the systematic mass incarceration of Black Americans since the abolition of slavery.

The documentary series tells the story of Kalief Browder, who at 16 was arrested for an alleged backpack theft and spent three years at Rikers Island without trial, two of them in solitary confinement.

Kalief Browder was arrested at 16 in 2010 for allegedly stealing a backpack. He spent three years at Rikers Island without trial because his family couldn't afford bail. Two years were in solitary confinement. His tragic story triggered historic reforms of the American bail system.