‘An American Story’: Chris Young Was Facing Life In Prison. Then He Found The Power Of His Mind

Chris Young was only 22 when he was arrested in a federal drug conspiracy case, and because of federal mandatory minimum laws, he received two life sentences. But Chris didn’t want incarceration to be the end of his story. After he came across an encyclopedia in the prison library, he quickly grasped the power of knowledge. He taught himself about everything from finance to history, and philosophy to coding. In a speech that changed his life and eventually garnered national attention, he rattled off everything he had learned to Judge Kevin Sharp before he was sentenced. Judge Sharp’s hands were tied—he was bound by law to sentence Chris to life. But he was so moved by Chris’s words—and potential—that he ultimately left the bench and joined Chris’s fight for freedom. With the help of a lawyer, that judge who sentenced him to life, Kim Kardashian, and other advocates, Chris Young ultimately walked out of prison a free man after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence at the end of his first term. Chris wrote a memoir, “The Wound Is Where the Light Enters,” and joined “Forbes True Crime” to discuss his story.

Stay Connected
Forbes Breaking News on X: https://x.com/ForbesTVNews
Forbes Breaking News on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forbestvnews
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com