Shawn “Jay Z” Carter and Weinstein Television have partnered with Spike TV for an event series called “TIME: The Kalief Browder Story.”
The six-part documentary tells the story of Kalief Browder, a young African-American student who spent three years on Rikers Island without being convicted of a crime. He was 16, walking home from a party in the Bronx when he was arrested for allegedly stealing a backpack. Two of his three years at Rikers were spent in solitary confinement. The case never went to trial and the charges were eventually dropped. However, he took his own life after his release.
The series is set to debut on Spike in January, and will use Browder’s first-person accounts, archival footage, and cinematic recreations of key scenes from his life. The documentary will also feature exclusive interviews from those connected to the story, including family members and politicians.
“Kalief Browder is a modern day prophet; his story a failure of the judicial process,” said Carter. “A young man, and I emphasize young man, who lost his life because of a broken system. His tragedy has brought atrocities to light and now we must confront the issues and events that occurred so other young men can have a chance at justice.”
“Kalief’s story should endure and inspire much-needed change in the criminal justice system,” added Sharon Levy, Spike’s executive vice president, original series. “When Weinstein Television brought us this project, we immediately knew it was a story that had to be told.”
Carter, Harvey Weinstein, David Glasser, Jenner Furst, Nick Sandow, Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro serve as executive producers on “TIME: The Kalief Browder Story.” Levy and Chachi Senior, senior vice president of original series for Spike, will oversee the series for the network.