Raised in the System: Re-Examining Juvenile Justice with Actor and Producer, Michael K. Williams Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion

Actor and producer Michael K. Williams (Omar Little from The Wire, Chalky White from Boardwalk Empire) brings his HBO VICE documentary, “Raised in the System” to the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Williams will screen his one-hour documentary on the people impacted by the juvenile justice system, and then participate in a panel discussion and question-and-answer period about the film and the juvenile justice system.  The event also features Williams' nephew Dominic Dupont, one of the incarcerated persons featured in the documentary. 

“Raised in the System” takes viewers inside detention facilities, where Williams speaks directly with juveniles about their pathways into the system.  Williams also talks with incarcerated adults about how their experiences as juveniles contributed to their adult incarceration.  Finally, Williams takes viewers into an elementary school classroom to hear from young children aboutthe impacts on their lives of parents and family members who areincarcerated.  The film also explores alternative models of juvenile justice—in places like Toledo, Ohio, and Richmond, California—that offer more hope for rehabilitation instead of incarceration.

Dupont was recently released from prison after serving 20 years of a 25-to-life sentence, which was commuted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in recognition of Dupont's leadership in anti-violence programs for youth.  For the past nine years, Dupont served as the director of the Youth Assistance Program, a volunteer group that works with at-risk youth.  Dupont's murder conviction, discussed in the film, stemmed from a fight among two groups of young men, in which Dupont, then age 19, killed someone while defending his twin brother.

The discussion will be moderated by Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich.

The event is free and open to the public BUT you need to get a free ticket here: https://www.classy.org/event/raised-in-the-system-re-examining-juvenile-justice-with-michael-k-williams/e211811