14 year old Quantel Lotts in prison for death of step-brother

Quantel Lotts, now 23, has been serving a life sentence since the age of 14, when he became one of Missouri's youngest citizens with a life sentence. Stepbrothers Michael Borton, 17, and Lotts had been playing with blow guns and darts until Lotts took it a step further grabbing a knife, ultimately stabbing Borton to death. Sentenced in Missouri's St. Francois County Circuit Court in 2002, Lotts was sent to prison without parole for first-degree murder. "They locked me up and threw away the keys," Lotts said. "They took away all hope for the future," Stephanie Chen said on CNN.com. More than 2,225 individuals are serving life sentences without parole for their crimes committed as minors. 42 states currently allow life without parole, with 73 documented cases of minors serving life without parole for crimes committed as 13 and 14-year-olds. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there are only a number of states left that prohibit sentencing minors to life without parole. "With two younger siblings it's scary to imagine any of them committing a crime, let alone in jail. I can't imagine how someone so young would be treated in such a place or what is even crossing their mind through that experience," said freshman Alexandria Scardapane. Earlier this month, Lotts' case was dismissed by the state of Missouri in St. Francois County Circuit Court. The Equal Justice Initiative, a private nonprofit organization that provides their services as legal representation to defendants and prisoners who are being denied equal and proper action in today's legal system, will challenge the decision in the Missouri Court of Appeals on Lotts' case. Filed in 2007, a separate petition is pending in the federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri as well. Until then, Lotts remains in Bonne Terre, Miss. serving his sentence. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, most of those prosecuted at young ages and are serving life sentences without parole are exposed to many traumatic things at an early age such as violence, poverty or drugs. Looking into his past, court documents revealed that Lotts' childhood was spent being raised in a drug-oriented environment with a mother who used and sold drugs. He was also sexually abused and it was not until the age of eight where child welfare officers took him into custody and placed him in the care of his now stepmother, Tammy Lotts. His case is not that rare either. Along with many others, dozens of 13 and 14 year olds have been tried as adults and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in the United States. An organization on the other side of the spectrum is the National Organization for Victims of Juvenile Lifers. This Illinois based group has a goal of helping the families of victims who were harmed by juvenile offenders and to prevent crimes like the ones they experienced from happening. They reach out to those affected and hope through education to prevent any adolescents from committing future crimes. "It's not just black and white," said psychology major Erica Diez, commenting on the connection between early childhood experience and the actions of criminals. "They're inexperienced and young, and if brought up around violence sometimes that is all a child knows. To an extent it can be justified, but through education and the help of others they should be able to learn that violence is not something they should resort to." The psychological aspects of these minority cases are not weighed as heavily as the physical evidence. Diez continued, "They should be given psychological help before any physical action is taken. A person's upbringing is a lot to be taken into consideration as well. Perhaps they should go through extensive therapy, but they should not be sentenced to life right away." "Criminal court doesn't care they are kids," said Melissa Sickmund, chief of systems research at the National Center for Juvenile Justice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "Once they are there, it's just another case," Stephanie Chen said on CNN.com In the 2005 case Roper v. Simmons, the United States Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18. Despite this case, young children are still being sentenced to life imprisonment without the option of parole. Featuring Lotts' case on the Equal Justice Initiative website, along with others that are fighting to have their sentence shortened, the organization states that, "Some young teens cannot manage the emotional, social, and psychological challenges of adolescence and eventually engage in destructive and violent behavior. Sadly, many states have ignored the crisis and dysfunction that creates child delinquency and instead have subjected kids to further victimization and abuse in the adult criminal justice system." Almost 10 years later after his sentence, Lotts constantly wonders what it would be like to be given a second chance. Many like Lotts are serving out their life sentences, having lived in prison for 10 or more years already and are still at a young age of being in their 20's. With many facing unfortunate life sentences, numerous groups are taking actions for both the accused and victims to find justice in today's legal system.