15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story
Eleven years ago Kenneth Young received four life sentences. He was 15 years old. The United States is the only country in the world that routinely condemns children to die in prison. This is the story of one of those children, now a young man, seeking a second chance in Florida – one of the most punitive states in the country.
For over a decade Kenneth believed he would die behind bars, until in 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled life without parole sentences for children who haven’t killed unconstitutional. In Tampa, Florida we follow Kenneth Young’s legal battle for release. Recruited by his mother’s crack dealer to rob hotels, Kenneth needs to prove that he is rehabilitated and that the judge who sentenced him was wrong to throw away the key.
15 to Life weaves the unfolding story of Kenneth’s re-sentencing with the story of his difficult childhood, and the circumstances that lead to a 30-day crime spree that changed his life forever. Kenneth’s story is a powerful testament to a child’s remarkable capacity for change, and a stinging indictment of a penal system that has condemned thousands of children to die in prison.