Jay-Z and Yo Gotti are featured in a new trailer for A&E’s Exposing Parchman documentary.
A&E Networks teamed up with Roc Nation/Team Roc for the investigative doc, exploring the ongoing battle to habilitate Mississippi’s Parchman Penitentiary. With help from Hov, Gotti, and a team of attorneys on behalf of the jail’s imprisoned population, the three-hour documentary hopes to bring more attention to the institute’s inhumane conditions.
Additionally, the trailer shows prisoners suffering from extreme conditions such as flooding, lack of water and heat, severe soilage in their cells, and more.
A&E’s Exposing Parchman, executive produced by Jeanmarie Condon and directed by Rahman Ali Bugg, includes Q&As from various influential figures.
Interview subjects include Jay, Gotti, Congressman Bennie Thompson, social activists Tamika Mallory and Rukia Lumumba, family members of current and formerly incarcerated men, prison reform activists, the legal team that led the lawsuit, and more.
Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E, spoke about the doc in an official press release. “The accounts of the individuals incarcerated at Parchman and their desperate family members are heartbreaking,” Bryant expressed. “There are so many untold stories like this that have a profound impact on American culture, communities, and families.
“Shining a light on human rights atrocities and the need for reform has been a cornerstone of the A&E brand and we hope Exposing Parchman brings awareness to the public and sparks much needed change to the American prison and justice system.”
Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, also spoke about the importance of Exposing Parchman and her hope for the project. “The incarcerated population in Parchman and their loved ones have experienced immeasurable pain and suffering,” Perez said. “So we felt a responsibility to help them share their stories with the compassion and consideration that it deserves.
“Our hope is that this documentary will educate the public about these torturous injustices, hold the leaders in Mississippi accountable for fostering unconstitutional and inhumane conditions in Parchman, and create swift and comprehensive change to eradicate the state’s depravity in this prison and disregard for the criminal justice system.”
Parchman Prison faced past controversy, becoming a headline in 2019 for its enormous death toll due to violence and neglect. Jay-Z, Yo Gotti, and Team Roc, the philanthropic arm of Roc Nation, spearheaded a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of 29 inmates against the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
A&E’s new documentary will highlight this case regarding the decaying prison and unpack Parchman’s unsettling history.
Exposing Parchman premieres on Saturday, June 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on A&E.
Watch the trailer above.