The following post was provided to us by Brett Myers with Youth Radio.
“I’m not the same person I was at 16. No one is. Juvenile offenders…need to know that society believes they can be more than their crimes… All any incarcerated minor wants to believe, is that life can be more than a series of cell doors.
~ Reginald Dwayne Betts
On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it cruel and unusual punishment to sentence juveniles to life without parole for cases not involving murder. Reginald Dwayne Betts’ story was included in an amicus brief in the case. At 16, Betts was found guilty for carjacking and spent more than nine years in adult prisons. But his sentence could have put him behind bars for life.
LISTEN to his commentary airing tonight (5/28) on NPR’s All Things Considered
And sure to check it out at youthradio.org
Youth Radio was founded in 1990 on the deeply held belief that underserved youth, ages 14-24 years old, have the creativity, technical skills and entrepreneurial spirit to become leaders in the multi-media industry and the community and to serve as mentors to other youth.
