Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
Meet the kids sentenced to over 50 years in a maximum security prison for murder and other horrific crimes.
focusing on some of America’s youngest and most dangerous criminals. Indiana’s Wabash Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison, is home to 40 teenagers serving terms for up to 65 years for murder, armed robbery and assault.
In the state of Indiana, children as young as ten can be tried and sentenced for serious crimes within the adult criminal justice system.
Their childhoods lost, these boys are fighting to come to terms with how just one moment of madness has completely devastated their young lives. Caught in a system that seems to work against them, what are their hopes for the future?
17 years old blake layman’s ,was sentence to 55 years for murder
17 year old, jesus macedo -perez got sentenced to 65 years for murder.
ths is wabash valley correctional facility. the american state of Indiana.
the 90 acre maximum security compound is home to over 2 000 of the state’s most notorious criminals.
the convicts are imprisoned by a 15-foot high fence topped roof with razor wire a second electrified fence
six guard towers and over 150 staff.
block D is unique.
inside live 40 teeangers. teenagers so troublesome and violent
they’ve been tried and convicted as adults.
they’ve committed everything from armed robery to murder serving
sentences from two years to 65 years.
locked in teir cells for 18 hours a day these youngsters are paying a huge price for their crimes. boys reflecting on how a moment of madness has destroyed their lives.
9 .am,two new teeager inmates arrive
children are tried asadult when they’ve repeatedly reoffended in the youth system or their crimes is considered so horrific that an adult maximum security prison is the answer
wíth over 50 teenage boys annually coming through the gates ,the officers at wabash know what to expect.
at s17, jacob eldridge is back is back for a second visit to the juvenile block.
after breaking his parole on a previous conviction for carrying a handgun without a license.
the other new inmate story is typical of the youngsters at wabash
a few minutes of their life followed by huge consequences. 16 ear old and got sentenced ten years for robbery.
irelande mcCain is owed money for drugs so he ,his sister and a friend decided to rob a family friend’s house.
mcCain beat him with a socket wrench.
with alll theor possessions it’sthe walk to their new home the juvenile facility in Block D.
completely separate from the adult prisoners these 40 teenage criminals eat , sleep and learn in this one unit
some are very agressive and the unite will respond the same way. sme of them are very passive. it depends on the personalities that comes in.
prison officers aren’t the only staff to work in the unit.
new inmates jacob and mcCain have an induction from the casework manager burnett. her job is to offer the boys counseling and guidance.
the majority of teenagers at wabash are om for sentences of 10 years or less. however ,being tried as adults means that those who have committed horrific crimes will spend much of their life in prison.
jesus has been involved in gangs from a young age.
one june evening out driving with friends in his hometown of Elkhart he spotted a rival and an argument began.
the fits anger of jesus fired one shot.
16 year old braxton barhams was dead.
jesus is now spending 65 years at wabash.reflecting on that one moment.
the teenagers have one hour recreation in the morning and one in the evening .part of staff’s philosophiy not to punish but to reahilitate.
if you have just punishment and no rehabilitation, then you’re doing nothing , you just housing people and you’re not helping them turn around and you’re go dump them back on to society. so basically you shot youserlf in the foot.
because they’re going to go out and be the very same they were when they come in and maybe worse.
marquise lee is 18 year old and got 15 years for aggravated battery -marquise lee was 16 and on probation for theft .when he commmitted his crime for which he was tried as an murder
his uncle then also fired the victim diesd at the scene.
marquise lee
as long as he avoid getting written up.for the six month’s essentially stayed out of trouble this is part of our reward program at 180 days they’re entitled to get a loaner TV.
from the reward programs through to mandatory schooling, staff inside the juvenile of wabash attempt to provived as stable a life as possible for the boys in their care.
but some of these are teenagers trying to cope emtionally with long sentences. Indiana Law states that with good behavior an inmate has to serve a minimum of half the sentence.
leaving jesus still facing being in prison until he’s at least 49 years old.
jesus is looking for any way to shorten his sentence.for advise he’s come to casework manager burnett.
jesus is from elkhart in northen indiana his, his father left home when h was a toodler. there were no good memories . jesus remember him on top of mom he was hitting .jesus grabbed simething i and hit mih in the head with it . then the father hit him and jesus across the room.
his mother Irene is unemployed and is bringing up her five remaining children in their two -bedroom apartment..
a five hours drive from the prison, they havnt seen jesus since he was taken to wabash from prison they havet seen jesus sincehe was taken to wabash with his familiy liveing just yards from where jesus’s gangland shooting took place .his fear is that a rival gang seek revenge on his family.-
with his familiy liveing just yards from where jesus’s gangland shooting took place .his fear is that a rival gang seek revenge on his family.
but not jus on the outside where his gang life can catch up with him.
officers have called jesus carrying a letter containing gang -related material.
many of the teenagers at wabash join gangs at a young age some of them are not getting nurtering the way that they need to have it it
and so they get into a gang , everybody wants to belong they just want to belong to something and a lot of them get pulled in .
for jesus this is his first write -up in prison more than ever gang member ship is hard to escape.
while many of the teenagers at wabash have absent fathers many of them are fathers themselves
today is wisiting day. and it’s particulary for one prisoner.
anthony sanders.his 17 ,he was into eight years for two council robbers.
anthony has a son and today will be the first time he’s seen him since he arrived at wabash over a year ago.
his girlfriend Nene and his two year old son anthony Jr have made the two -hour drive from indianapolis to visit.
they haven’t seen him over a year.
a lot of the kids are in relationships ad of course they’re wanting them to their girlfriends to marry them and all of this .
it is crushing for them when they move on and it’s crushing forthem escepcially if they have a child with that person because that happens a quite a bit .
it’s memorial day, a public holliday in america.
and the prison put on a special meal for the boys in block D.
the boys in block D getting extra food ,extra calories. special treats that they don’t normally get throughout the week .
if they dont like prison food , inmates can also buy treats with their own money.
blake layman’s has bee at wabash over a year and have saved up some ingredients to make cake.
his celebrating a big moment in every child’s lfe ,his 18 ths birthday.
this is his second birthday he spent in jail .
as a teenager blake was involved in petty crime and had been expelled from his high school.
he hung out with his girlfriend a lot . he was gtting high every day. smoking , he was really orried about a lot of stuff and wasn’t thinking too mich about nothing.
blake and four friends decided to break into a house in search of quick money.
with their friend denxel dead in the house the home owner called the police. remaining four were arrested and taken to the local jail .
blake found out while he was sitting in jail that they were charging them with murder. something they miust have this something switched around or something mixed up or something.
but there was no mix -up.under Indiana Law if someone dies duirng a burglary all those breaking in can be held accountable.
the prosecutors said there was a murder committed
the jury found the four guilty of murder.blake was given 55 years behind bars. time to reflect on how it had gone so badly wrong
there’s been an incident in the yout block ,marquisley is charge with assaulting a custody officer. and his about to go through the disicplinary process.
the previous evening ,marquisley threw liquid at another offender which also hit the the night shift officer .
it may not sound serious, but it is . if they throw liquid or anything else or any assault to staff ,if they would not take that seriously they would be assaulted all the time
if it’s urine and all of this and you through it at somebody could containe viruses so it’s very serious.
if he’s moved out of the juvenile block ,marquisley will miss the chance to complete his education
hearing office sarah chapman is responible for deciding the sentence
she found him guilty and send him to 3 months to SAG or segregation unit is the solitary confinement wing for adult prisoners
he was on this unit even though he was 18 years old, he has been moved to an adult unit where he will be treated as an adult.
he is not being segregated from the other influences like he would be over here therefore even though he is in a cell by himself he he will still be influenced by the voices and comments of those around him .
over here ,the prison tend to try and shield them from that as much as humanly possible over there if the shield’s gone.
they make a mistake . after all , they’re here for misstakes they’ve made it’s just a repetition of behavior.prison job is try to correct and change that behavior.
are they prison successful not always.no , are prison successful some of the times , yes.
18 year old blake clement recently took his final exams.
he past high school equivalency .
blake is now eligible for the next stage of prison life . -the adult wing.
where he could stpend the next 53 years .
a prison libary could help jesus find an answer. adult prisoners work as clarks to help guide fellow into imates through the complex through the U.S . legal system .
his murder charge combined with his gang activity meant he was looking at a sentence of 130 years , so he took a guilty plea in court in return for a reduced sentence of 65 years.
every prisoner whatever age whatever crime has to come to terms with the consequences of their actions
“i hate myself for what i did and iundestand why people hate me.i get it. i hate myself to”
whenever a child’s future holds, it falls to guide the inmates through their time as best they can
blake layman’s earliest release date is 2040.he has launched an appeal.
marquise lee has left the segregation uit and is now in theadult wing.
jesus marcedo -perez is not eligible for release untik 2045.