Kenneth Young sits on a small plastic chair in a room with bare white walls. His arms shackled together, his orange jumpsuit crinkled where his elbows bent:

“everything happened so fast,” he exhales.

26 year old Kenneth Young was involved in four armed robberies, at the time he was fourteen years old and sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison, for an armed robbery in which he wasn’t even holding the gun, guaranteeing that he would die in prison. Kenneth Young was given an unjust unfair life sentence for a crime he committed as a child.

Young is guilty, plain and simple. However, as you dig deeper and deeper there becomes more and more parts about this case that prove the injustice Young faced. Questions like whose fault was it really start to complicate Young’s story, which discredits and denounces Young’s sentencing.

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that a juvenile could not serve life in prison for anything less than murder, allowing cases like Young’s to be given a re-sentencing. Even though this ruling potentially could opened doors for prisoners, sentences can still be extremely harsh. Young’s case is a cut and dry example of someone who could benefit from this ruling.

When Young was little, drugs and thievery were part of his everyday life. His mother, who was addicted to drugs, left him and his sister alone for days on end. His sister, who was sixteen, was already a mother of a baby who Young was left to raise.

“Nine out of ten times I knew where my mom was, getting high,” Kenneth admits to PBS

Young was directed by 24 year old, Bethea, who was also Young’s mother’s drug dealer. According to Young , Bethea had threatened him and his mother’s life throughout the course of these robberies.

Soon after the final robbery, Bethea and Young were caught. Young was tried as an adult and received four consecutive life sentences for a crime that for an adult would usually receive less than twenty years.

It’s common sense that a teenagers are more likely to follow their elders without thinking or even realizing the consequences that may follow. Therefore, Young, as a small boy, did not understand the consequences that he would face after the armed robberies, according to Randy Otto, a criminal psychologist.

In Otto’s testimony, he stated that juveniles are more “self motivated,” and are less able to understand others perspectives, hence, explaining Young’s mindset throughout the robberies.

In 2011 Young began his  re-sentencing, Giving him hope that he might receive a lighter sentence.

A letter was presented in the case from Jennifer Norman, a victim who was living in Clearwater Florida at the time. She was an employee at a hotel that Bethea and Young had robbed. During the robbery Bethea started threatening Norman, saying “ I’m gonna rape this b****” However, Young stepped in drawing Bethea away from Norman and therefore preventing the situation from becoming much worse.

With these two prominent figures speaking on Young’s behalf, he had a good chance of his sentence becoming predominantly shorter, leaving hopes high for both Young and his family.   

Another man who defended Young was a retired guard at the prison Young was being held at. He described him as always looking for opportunities to learn and educate himself. As he had not gone through any formal education in prison, as it was considered a waste of resources to educate inmates. However, Young didn’t care, the neglect of education did not discourage Young, and in fact pushed him to educate himself further.

Margaret Birnbaum, a graduate student at Durham University in Great Britain, studying History and museum studies says:

“He was a child and I think to be sentenced to one life sentence as a child immoral and unconstitutional and he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences, meaning there was no chance of him even getting out early on good behavior.”  

Ms.Leplante, a teacher at iSchool, agrees with Margaret Birnbaum saying:

“It seems like it was a lot for a fourteen year old.” states Ms. Leplante, teacher at the NYC iSchool.

Are you the same person you were at fourteen?

Should a fourteen year old pay for a mistake he made his whole life, without given  second chance? Without considering how far he has come?

Overall I have talked to two high school students, around the age of Young was he was initially sentenced. They unanimously agreed that both the initial and the re-sentencing was unfair, and unjust. Keira Daignault a ninth grader at the NYC iSchool states: “Since he was fourteen at the time of the sentencing, I think that they couldn’t throw away his life.”

Henry, another ninth grader, said, “ He was forced to participate in the crimes, and he didn’t even hurt anyone I don’t see why you would have to serve your whole life.”

After digging into Young’s case and the cases of other juveniles kept in prison their whole lives, I can’t help but feel that children —  boys and girls — shouldn’t be locked up in jail cells for the rest of their life. Throwing juveniles in jail for the rest of their lives is unjust. We must punish them, but also give them the chance to redeem themselves.

Unfortunately Young was never given this chance, he was re-sentenced to 40 more years in jail. When he finally leaves prison, Kenneth Young will be sixty six years old, his whole life down the drain for a crime he committed as a child.