DALLAS (KRLD) — A Dallas man who once faced a life sentence in federal prison will walk across the stage at Southern Methodist University this weekend, marking the end of a ten-year journey from a jail cell to a college degree.
Chris Young, 38, is set to graduate from SMU on Saturday with a degree in Public Policy and Economics. His path to the Hilltop was anything but traditional; in 2010, Young was arrested by the FBI and DEA as part of a federal drug conspiracy. Due to prior non-violent drug offenses committed as a teenager, he was sentenced to mandatory life without parole.
Hear my full interview with Chris below.
While incarcerated at several federal facilities, including USP McCreary and USP Beaumont, Young dedicated himself to education, reading over 1,000 books on subjects ranging from history to science. His case eventually drew the attention of Dallas-based attorney Brittany K. Barnett and the Buried Alive Project.
"I realized I could transmute that pain and anger into an energy source," Young said of his time behind bars. "I embraced my curiosity."
Young’s sentence was eventually commuted by the White House in January 2021 after a high-profile advocacy campaign involving Barnett and celebrity activist Kim Kardashian. Upon his release, he enrolled at Dallas College before transferring to SMU in 2024.
Throughout his time at SMU, Young has been a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform, using his lived experience to educate peers on the impact of mandatory minimum sentencing. He plans to launch "Coherence Consulting," a firm focused on helping organizations implement social impact policies and progressive technology.
The graduation ceremony will be a full-circle moment for Young. Among those expected to attend are Brittany Barnett and the federal judge who originally sentenced him, Kevin Sharp, who resigned from the bench in 2017 partly in protest of the mandatory sentencing laws that required him to give Young a life term.
Young also plans to release a memoir titled The Wound is Where the Light Enters later this year, documenting his resilience and the systemic issues he faced.
After years in prison, Chris Young hopes to 'change the world'
After years in prison, Chris Young hopes to 'change the world'
