Skip to main content
Back to Show
Amanpour & Co.

A Judge Sentenced Him to Life, Then Fought to Set Him Free

Chris Young was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 22 due to mandatory minimum laws, after a third nonviolent drug-related conviction in 2010. Kevin Sharp was the federal judge who handed down that sentence and who later resigned from his lifelong judicial appointment. He then worked with Young’s legal team to overturn the sentence. Sharp and Young join Michel Martin to tell their story.

Support Provided By
Season
June 16, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:43
Chrystia Freeland; Stephanie Flanders; Erin Brockovich
June 15, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:54
Karim Sadjadpour; William D. Cohan; Viktória Serdült; Dan Diamond
June 12, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:42
James Verini; Mark Strong; Lesley Manville; Rebecca Winthrop
June 11, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:36
Dominique de Villepin; Martina Navratilova; Chris Evert; Byron Allen
June 10, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:35
Suzanne Maloney; Máiría Cahill; Heidi Blake; Colette Hirstius
June 9, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:46
Susan Glasser; Anne Applebaum; Jules Boykoff
June 8, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:35
Nimrod Novik; Joseph Aoun; Jacqueline Maguire
June 5, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:36
Joseph Aoun; Kristen Holmes; Eddie Glaude Jr.; Craig Fehrman
June 4, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:54
Isobel Yeung; Jasmine Garsd; Aaron Reichlin-Melnick; Dr. Mark Goldsmith
June 3, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:55
Jonathan Martin; Dominic Erdozain; Robert Kagan
May 13, 2025
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:46
Daniel Kurtzer; Jordan Thomas; Kelsey Grammer
February 28, 2024
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:48
Philippe Lazzarini; Lawrence Wright; Dr. Jonathan Metzl
Active loading indicator