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Standing less than 5 feet and only 14 years old, orphan Claude Hankins would seem an unlikely candidate for California's notorious San Quentin prison. But in 1904, after Claude shot and killed a man who was physically, verbally and possibly sexually abusing him, Judge Eugene McDaniel turned down pleas from the defense council and the jury for the child to go to a reformatory and instead sentenced him to 16 years in the men's ward at the adult prison. Hear the full story of how Claude ended up there and what happened to him after he was paroled.
By Jeff BillingtonStanding less than 5 feet and only 14 years old, orphan Claude Hankins would seem an unlikely candidate for California's notorious San Quentin prison. But in 1904, after Claude shot and killed a man who was physically, verbally and possibly sexually abusing him, Judge Eugene McDaniel turned down pleas from the defense council and the jury for the child to go to a reformatory and instead sentenced him to 16 years in the men's ward at the adult prison. Hear the full story of how Claude ended up there and what happened to him after he was paroled.