Erik Jensen was born in Douglas County, Colorado and grew up there. He had a typical, suburban lifestyle, living with his parents Curt and Pat Jensen and his younger sister Kelsey. He attended school, wrote stories, played in a band, participated in sports, and worked part-time in a bagel shop.

Erik’s life took an unexpected and dramatic turn when he was 16 years of age. He began a friendship with a schoolmate who claimed to be the victim of abuse. While Erik and his parents attempted to find help for Erik’s friend, the police and social services agencies refused to listen. The situation escalated, and in 1998, when he was 17, Erik was charged as a complicitor in the killing of his friend’s mother. A jury later found him guilty, and today he is incarcerated in a prison in Colorado, serving a sentence of life without parole. His sentence is currently under appeal.

While for most people a life sentence without parole (or LWOP) is a kind of death sentence, Erik has vowed to make positive use of his time, writing fiction and music, and reaching out to troubled young people through his Next Day Foundation and its website, teensintrouble.org. With the help of his parents, Erik hopes to help young people avoid the kind of situation he found himself in as a teenager, when he tried to help a friend and found himself going to prison.

To learn more about Erik Jensen and the Next Day Foundation, click here.