Kalief Browder’s Family Joins Jay Z, Gayle King for Town Hall

By Sameer Rao Mar 08, 2017

Members of Kalief Browder‘s family will join Jay Z and other members of the team behind docuseries "TIME: The Kalief Browder Story" for a live town hall on criminal justice reform tonight (March 8).

"Time and Punishment" airs at 9 p.m. EST on Spike TV and will concurrently stream on Spike, BET and MTV News‘ Facebook pages. Spike TV will play the second of "TIME’s" six episodes immediately following the town hall.

Gayle King will host the event, and guests include: Kalief’s siblings Akeem, Deion, Kamal and Nicole Browder; "TIME" co-executive producers Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein; director Jenner Furst; and Browder family attorney Paul Prestia. The special will also tap experts who will discuss Kalief’s case and the future of the juvenile justice system.

The six-part docuseries explores Kalief Browder’s three-year incarceration without trial at New York City’s Rikers Island jail and the difficulties he experienced during that time. The then-teenage Browder spent a total of 400 days in solitary confinement and endured severe violence from correctional officers and other incarcerated people. Browder and his family’s search for justice eventually compelled Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s promise to reform trial waiting periods for minors. Still dealing with trauma, Browder committed suicide in 2015.

"TIME" premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and airs on Spike Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST.