Joan Ostrow The Denver Post

"As she has done in several previous award-winning efforts, writer-director-producer Bikel tackles underlying social questions and psychological motivations as she explores a peculiar corner of American criminal justice. Her speciality (sic) has long been examinations of wrongful convictions. ...

"'When Kids Get Life' joins the formidable Bikel archive, beseeching us to think hard about what constitutes justice."
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Colorado inmates sentenced to life without parole when they were teenagers

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He killed his parents after years of abuse, but even some of the jurors who convicted him wonder if he deserved life without parole


Serving life without parole for a con gone bad, Trevor Jones is an example of the exacting logic of Colorado's felony murder statute.










A player in a botched carjacking, he was only 15 when he was charged with first-degree murder and imprisoned; now he's serving time at Colorado's maximum-security facility.











Erik was there when
Nate killed his abusive mother.
Nate says Erik didn't do anything, but they're both serving life without
parole for her death.
Joan Ostrow The Denver Post
KIDS IN COLORADO

We at Pendulum Foundation believe in rehabilitation as well as retribution - and that all children deserve a second chance.
Below are the 5 cases highlighted on the PBS Frontline special,
"WHEN KIDS GET LIFE"

originally broadcast on May 8, 2007
Nathan Ybanez (L) and
Erik Jensen
Andrew Medina
Jacob Ind
Trevor Jones
Cheryl Armstrong

Cheryl Armstrong is serving a 96-year sentence for two counts of second degree murder. She did not kill anyone, but drove the getaway car and was accused of being the "mastermind" in a double homicide in 1995 when she was 16 years old.






                                                          Isaac Grimes
                                                        



                                                          Isaac Grimes was 15 years when he confessed to cutting the throat of his friend, Tony Dutcher and conspiraring to murder Tony's Grandparents. The story is  bizarre beyond words, but few doubt that Isaac was under duress and possibly mind control. he belonged to a secret organization led by Simon Sue then 18 and paid Simon approximately $3500 in "penalties" from his job at Carl's Jr. Isaac told his family he was saving his money for an engine. Isaac told police that the only way he could leave the group was to commit suicide and that he feared for the lives of his family. Psychological testing has borne this out:  he was terribly fearful and suffering from post traumatic stress and he is not a sociopath.  Our court system doesn't care about this, however. Isaac is  just another notch in their gunbelt.
TREVOR JONES

It began with a simple plan: Trevor Jones would scam a kid out of $100 and then just walk away. But the night of Nov. 21, 1996, ultimately revolved around a loaded gun. Jones, 17, fired a single shot - accidentally, he claims - that struck 16-year- old Matthew Foley in the head and killed him. Jones is serving life without parole.

SAM MANDEZ

The Greeley police detective shoved his chair closer to the teen in the baseball cap and accused him of murdering 78-year-old Frida Winter four years earlier. But the Greeley teen, Sam Mandez, denied any involvement or knowledge of the crime.







                               CHRISTOPHER SELECTMAN



No one disputed whether 16-year-old Chris Selectman was at the scene when McKinley Dixon, a young drug dealer, died from a gunshot wound. He was. And no one questioned where the bullets came from. They came from Selectman's .25-caliber handgun.


DIETRICK MITCHELL

Near the end of a day cruising northeast Denver and Aurora while draining three 40-ounce bottles and a six-pack of beer, 16-year-old Dietrick Mitchell turned a corner. Seconds later, the car he was driving slammed into 17-year-old Danny Goetsch as he walked in the gutter along East 13th Avenue with two friends.

Read the Denver Post Article here
If you would like to include a story here, please contact
maryellen@pendulumfoundation.com
Read the Denver Post Article here
Read the Denver Post Article here
Read the Denver Post Article here
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Jeff Johnson; will be 31 on December 26th of this year.
He has been in prison since he was 17 years old.

One of the 45 juveniles in the state of Colorado, who have been
tried as an adult and given life without parole, plus 32 years.
A juvenile, who is now a man, was convicted without DNA,
fingerprints, eye-witnesses to the crime against him.
Due to deceitful reports from the press in the past experiences,
his story has never been shared, you understand…

Do you remember being a teen? Those drive for independence, wanting friends and to have fun? Being a teen clumsy, awkward, skinny, misunderstood and uncomfortable with yourself? Wanting to belong and be accepted. When were young we make a lot of mistakes, we fall before we walk. I think that it’s what makes us young.

Now imagine you’re just living your daily life. You’re hanging out with a group of teens one needs your help like a trip to a store. But then something unimaginable happens. You try to help your in shock, scared; you don’t think you just respond. Fear and shock of events can make people run, hide, and scream, but you don’t know what to do its too late.

Read the court transcripts where the district attorney bluntly lied to the jury. Where she told them she had critical DNA against Jeff and she didn’t! The defense attorney failed to cross examine the witnesses and did not challenge the DA’s statements at anytime.

We have actual evidence of innocence. We have not had a lawyer since 1998, because we can’t afford one. Jeff has lived in prison the last thirteen years with his voice silenced hoping that our family would be able to afford a lawyer and the truth would be exposed. But we need your help.

Please don’t take our word for it we encourage you to research our claims for yourself.
Thank you for listening sincerely,

The Johnson Family


If you would like to have more information about Jeff or help Jeff in some way, please e-mail us at truluv1johnson@aol.com or forgottenjustice.com coming soon.


courtesy of the Denver Post
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If you would like to have more information about Chris or help Chris in some way, please e-mail me at dpin65@earthlink.net   or   www.pendulumfoundation.com.
MICHAEL QUINN TATE
You can sign the petition for Michael here
CHRIS WEEDMAN:
He ran away once too often.
Read more...
Jacob Ind
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