​This ladies and gentlemen this is Davontae Sanford, a 23-year-old exoneree from Detroit, Michigan. When Sanford was just 14 years-old, he plead guilty to the involvement of the murders of four individuals, but he was innocent! Now I know that sounds a little bizarre to most, thinking “why would someone say they were guilty of something they didn’t do,” but the truth is, it happens more than our criminal justice system is willing to admit. In a popular article entitled “Why Innocent Plead Guilty” by Jed S. Rakoff, it states that approximately 95 percent of felony cases end in plea bargaining, but does that mean that 95 percent of those accepting these pleas are guilty? No!

Over the past week, our country has been reeling from the deaths of two more black men at the hands of police and the deadly attack on several police officers in Dallas, Texas. In the midst of it all, many people have rallied to protest against police brutality and to call an end to violent retaliation, and while police brutality is and has been a major issue in this country, it is but one of the many results of the true problem that must be solved, which is this notion of white supremacy.

According to the Houston Police Department’s spoke’s person, 33 year old Robert Stephen was taken into custody on Sunday, December 27, 2015 on alleged public intoxication and resisting arrest charges. Based on his “behavior,” he was placed in an isolation cell, which means he was in a cell alone and was found dead hours later. Those who have spent time inside a county jail or prison, know that it is highly difficult for suicide to be committed within these facilities, especially in solitary confinement or during intake. Typically, if someone does commit suicide, it is after they have gotten their hands on a knife, a man made shank, or a razor, but access to these items transpires only after one has been detained for days or weeks, in this case there had been no mention of Stephen leaving his cell for any reason upon entering. Additionally, hanging oneself in a jail is more unusual than officers and the media would lead people to believe based on the physical makeup of a jail/prison cell; therefore, it may be concluded that foul play is involved when it is stated that an inmate has “killed” themselves.