Home / Series / Frontline / Aired Order / Season 2007 / Episode 11

When Kids Get Life

The U.S. is one of the very few countries in the world that allows children under eighteen to be prosecuted as adults and sentenced to life without parole. In Colorado, between 1992 and 2005, 45 juveniles between fifteen and eighteen were sentenced to prison without the hope of ever being released. Last spring, the state's legislature eased its tough laws targeting juvenile offenders. The state passed a bill that made parole possible after 40 years in prison, but the measure did not apply retroactively to the 45 former juveniles now in Colorado's prison system. Producer Ofra Bikel visits five young men in Colorado sentenced to life without parole to examine their crimes and punishment, the laws that sanctioned their convictions, and the prospect of never being free again.

English
  • Originally Aired May 8, 2007
  • Runtime 60 minutes
  • Production Code 2511
  • Network PBS
  • Created August 19, 2011 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified August 19, 2011 by
    Administrator admin