15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story
Does sentencing a teenager to life without parole serve our society well? 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. At age 15, Kenneth Young received four consecutive life sentences for a series of armed robberies. imprisoned for more than a decade, he believed he would die behind bars. Now a U.S. Supreme Court decision could set him free. 15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story follows Young’s struggle for redemption, revealing a justice system with thousands of young people serving sentences intended for society’s most dangerous criminals.
Featuring Kenneth Young, Stephanie Young, Paolo Annino, Corinne Koeppen, Bryan Stevenson.
Produced by HitPlay Productions in association with PBS. Production funding provided by The Fledgling Fund, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund, Harvey T. Strosberg and Edward Greenspan, and with the participation of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation Film and Television Tax Credit.
Credits
Director/Writer Nadine Pequeneza
Producer Nadine Pequeneza
Executive Producers Simon Kilmurry and Cynthia Lopez
Cinematographer Stefan Randstrom
Sound Recordist Paul Adlaf
Editor Ricardo Acosta
Composers Alex Khaskin and Stan Fomin
Incredibly important.
Top 5 Staff Pick.
The most chilling documentary I’ve seen in a long time, worth every minute. I have been moved, and I’m going to start moving some people.
Social-justice documentaries aren’t always as engaging as you’d like them to be – they can be preachy, decidedly one-sided or two-dimensional. Not so for this little gem… it does a fine job of using one very human story to make a larger point about the criminal justice system. 4 out of 5 stars
Harrowing… depicts a justice system that only perpetuates the sort of violence it was intended to keep in check.