A&E Investigative Doco “Exposing Parchman” Will Premiere June 17

The documentary “Exposing Parchman” delves into the ongoing efforts to reform the Mississippi correctional system, led by a group of lawyers on behalf of the inmates at Parchman Prison.

The three-hour “Exposing Parchman” documentary, directed by Rahman Ali Bugg and executive produced by Jeanmarie Condon (John Ridley’s “Let it Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992”), will premiere on Saturday, June 17 at 8PM ET/PT on A&E.

What is the documentary about

In December of 2019, news outlets began covering the mass deaths of inmates at Parchman Prison from causes including homicide, hanging, and untreated illness. Prisoners, desperate for outside assistance, broke rules by broadcasting cell phone footage from inside the facility. Legal representation against the Mississippi Department of Corrections was secured thanks to the efforts of Team ROC (the social justice and philanthropic arm of Roc Nation), Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, multiplatinum musician and entrepreneur Mario “Yo Gotti” Mims, and a group of lawyers. After filing numerous lawsuits, the U.S. Justice Department conducted an investigation and concluded that the Mississippi facility was in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The film provides an unprecedented look inside the infamous prison as well as an examination of Parchman’s shameful past through interviews with family members of inmates who are currently being held there. The legal team in “Exposing Parchman” also collaborated closely with Team ROC over the course of three years’ worth of court cases to finally put an end to the deadly conditions at Parchman.

Check out a video clip

The documentary features interviews with a wide range of people, including Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, Mario “Yo Gotti” Mims, Congressman Bennie Thompson, activist Tamika Mallory, activist Rukia Lumumba, family members of currently and formerly incarcerated men, advocates for prison reform, the legal team that led the lawsuit, and more.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and people of color make up a disproportionate share of its prison population. When Parchman Prison first opened in 1904, problems began. By taking advantage of the language in the Thirteenth Amendment that stated slavery would be abolished “except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,” Parchman turned Mississippi’s prison system into a cash cow. Inmates worked 15 hours a day in the prison’s slaughterhouse, sawmill, canning plant, brickyard, and two cotton gins, and were subjected to frequent and severe forms of punishment at the hands of prison officials.

Between 1904 and 1970, Parchman held between 1,800 and 2,500 inmates; after Nixon’s War on Drugs and Clinton’s crime bill, that number more than tripled to 6,500. “the deplorable conditions and practices” at Parchman were alleged to have violated the plaintiffs’ civil rights in a class action lawsuit filed in 1971 under the Civil Rights Act. The lawsuit alleged that between 1969 and 1971, there were at least 51 single-spaced victims of murder, rape, beating, and torture at Parchman. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed multiple lawsuits against the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) for failing to provide adequate medical care, implementing cruel and unusual punishment, and maintaining inhumane conditions within prison cells that were flooded with raw sewage due to broken plumbing, infested with insects, and regularly reached temperatures of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. After MDOC orders a lockdown of prisons across the state, conditions inside lead to rising violence and rioting.

“Exposing Parchman” paints a vivid and horrifying picture of how the American system of incarceration can fracture families, neighborhoods, and entire communities. An insider’s look at the people whose lives are irrevocably altered by involvement with the system, the struggle to effect change, and a plan for how the United States can end the cycle.

The documentary will be accessible on demand and via streaming on the AETV website and A&E app.