Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein will tonight lead a town hall panel discussion about the case of teenager Kalief Browder, who spent three years on Rikers Island without ever being convicted and ended up taking his own life.
The discussion is being aired live on SPIKE an hour before the screening of the second episode of miniseries TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, which looks in-depth at his case and what it means for America today.
Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein are executive producers on the series, and the town hall panel will also include Kalief’s siblings Akeem, Nicole, Deion, and Kamal, along with the family’s attorney and producers of the hard-hitting show.
Other experts will also attend to look in detail at Kalief’s story and how his case can help America reform its criminal justice and juvenile justice systems.
This week’s episode of TIME: The Kalief Browder Story looks at the early days of Kalief’s time inside Rikers Island, and the prison’s culture of fear and violence.
Kalief was arrested when he was 16 on suspicion of robbery and spent three years in the NYC prison complex without ever being convicted of a crime. He committed suicide by hanging two years after his release.
Two years of his time inside Rikers Island were spent in solitary confinement or segregation, and he claimed he was beaten and abused by guards during his time in the prison.
He always maintained his innocence.
The town hall discussion will air live at 9/8c on SPIKE, and via a live stream on Spike’s Facebook page and on the MTV News Facebook page.
Episode 2 of TIME: The Kalief Browder Story then airs on SPIKE at 10/9c, with repeats of the town hall discussion airing at midnight on BET and VH-1.
The Kalief Browder town hall airs at 9/8c on SPIKE, followed by Episode 2 of TIME: The Kalief Browder Story at 10/9c.