The stats and facts are alarming. On average, according to the Campaign for Youth Justice, the U.S. sends two million children to juvenile prison per year. And annually, about 250,000 minors are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults.

Beyond the figures are the individuals and their families impacted by juvenile incarceration, each with a unique tale that spans the emotional spectrum. Some suffer irreconcilable heartache and tragedy, oftentimes as a result of a petty crime. Others are able to defy the odds, survive adult sentencing, and turn their lives around.

Beneath the staggering statistics, these stories often get lost. But thanks to the duo of composer Daniel Bernard Roumain and powerhouse journalist Lisa Armstrong, as well as their friends at the National YoungArts Foundation, one of these stories is being brought to the forefront in hopes that audiences will respond with meaningful action.

The 40-minute documentary Little Boy Lost: One Child’s Story of Life Behind Bars makes its world premiere in Miami as part of the National YoungArts Foundation’s “Outside the Box” series on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Complementing the documentary will be live musical scoring by Roumain as well as spoken word and musical performances by a number of YoungArts alumni. Among them are violinists Aubree Oliverson and Geneva Lewis as well as spoken word performer Simbaa Gordon. YoungArts alumni Hugh Kennedy, Nilo Batle, and JeanCarlo Ramirez also worked on the directing and/or film production aspects of Little Boy Lost.

Saturday’s transmedia experience is shaping up to be “educational and transformational,” according to Roumain.

Source: www.miaminewtimes.com