After 27 Years in Prison, Frederick Young Breaks Free of the Cycle

Frederick Young has spent a total of 27 years in prison throughout his life.

Young served in the Army as a surgical scrub technician with on-the-job training at Ft. Polk. After his graduation, he worked at Baptist Health, specializing in surgery.

While working at Baptist Health, Young began selling drugs at night and became addicted to easy money.

"The environment I grew up in had a negative impact on me," says Young, "as I witnessed drug dealers with more money and better cars. Also, growing up without a father figure was a challenge I had to face."

Young's addiction escalated. Young participated in a store robbery and received a 20-year sentence in 1985. With the enactment of the 70 percent rule at the time, Young served 14 years and was released in September 2009.

Unfortunately, Young fell back into the same negative lifestyle he had practiced before his first incarceration. He found himself back in jail for another robbery.

Young realized then that he needed to take action to turn his life around.

"Four years before my release date from my second imprisonment, I realized that if I didn't make changes, my life would continue down a destructive path."

Young has been released from prison now for six months. He completed a program with World Link to obtain his commercial driver’s license (CDL). With his CDL, he aimed to pursue a career in trucking and sought assistance from the 100 Families Initiative.

Young is now stably employed at a full time and a part time job and continues to work hard to reach his goals. He believes that community support has made a difference and given him hope for a better life.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to work as a commercial driver. 100 Families provided me with some stability between my aspirations and reality. I used to think my career goals were unattainable, but since connecting with 100 Families, this has become a dream come true."

His 100 Families Initiative advocate, Kambrei Charles, praises Young's hard work.

"I have seen many individuals struggle after being set back in life," Charles says, "and unfortunately, not all of them manage to break free from that cycle. Frederick Young is one of the fortunate few who transitioned from a life in prison to a career as a commercial driver."

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