Kalief Browder Summary

I watched a 5 part documentary on the life Kalief Browder on spike tv a few months ago. I knew the general information of his case, such as he went to jail for a crime he did not commit. But prior to watching the documentary on his life, I did not know the pain, the hunger to prove his innocence, the anguish that was developed while in prison. The experiences he had in prison and as a free man, involved the medical model as well as the social constructivist model of disability. Could either of these models save him?

Kalief Browder is an African American male born in the Bronx, that went to prison for a crime for the robbery of a book bag, a crime he did not commit. He ended up spending 3 years in prison. Two of the years were in solitary

The medical model failed Kalief. Risperidone medication is used to treat for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Kalief didn’t like Risperdone he describes it as making him feel spaced out, and that it makes him feel like a zombie. First time he took this medication was when he was in prison in solitary confinement. The side effects for Risperidone consists of dizziness, tremors, anxiety, depression, aggression, delirium, and suicidal behavior. I don’t understand why he would receive risperidone as medication if the very side effects are the very components he is struggling with. It comes off as counterproductive. Some how this medication is suppose to be the quick fix solution to his problems. It doesn’t seem as it benefited from taking the pills in the long run. The medical model looks at whats wrong with a person, but neglects the individual’s needs. One of the needs Kalief had was the desire to get a job but he had no luck in finding one. These difficulties are mention in the article the Disable Watch. According to Longmore, P.K (2003), “the medical model locates the problem of disability in the bodies of “afflicted” persons. By defining disability as a pathological medical condition, it inevitably individualizes the cause of the socioeconomic disadvantage:impaired individuals cannot function appropriately within society.” (age

He struggled with having a sense of value, sometimes he felt discouraged with the amount of obstacles he felt he had in his way. The models of disability are present in the video clip with the mechanics of his speech. As Kalief speaks you can see that he speaks with a sense of uncertainty, hurt, anguish, in which he does not know how to cope with. He struggled finding mental stability, even as his story caught national attention with interviews with local news outlets, Rosie O’Donnell invited him to the show called the View, and he also met Jay-Z. He didn’t want or like fame, he simply wanted his story to be heard and advance in life making something of value of his life. Another important thing to him was getting justice and finding peace within