All of them have never experienced a good night’s sleep because they dread the moment they are transferred to a general prison, as it means their execution is near.

Shams daily visited these youths and documented their daily fear.

A 19-year-old youth, who did not want to be identified, said that he committed a murder when he was 16 years old.

“My friends invited me to go out. At that time I was innocent and did not sense any danger,” he said.

“They took me to a remote area outside Jeddah where they ganged up on me so they could rape me. I fought them with all my power and I managed to escape with the help of a driver who saw us. I went home not believing that I had actually escaped.”

The next day, the same group invited him out and apologized for what happened the other day. This time he agreed to go with them but hid a knife under his clothes for protection.

“They took me 10 kilometers away from Jeddah but this time they did not gang up on me, they offered to have sexual intercourse with me instead,” he said.

“I took out my knife and stabbed one of them in the stomach many times until his insides came out. He was crying for help but there was no one nearby to hear him in the desert. I ran away but later the police arrested me and I was locked away in the juvenile center.”

He was accused of murder and he said he is waiting every day for his execution.

“I know the day when I am transferred to the general prison that my execution is near. But I want everyone to know that I was defending myself. How can I be sentenced to death if I was defending my honor?,” he added.

Another case involves a 17-year-old boy, who also requested that his name be withheld, convicted of killing two men during a fight.

“I joined a gang fight against a group from another neighborhood,” he said, adding that he fell on the ground during the brawl, took a knife that was on the ground and stabbed the first man he saw 15 times, killing him instantly.

The violence did not stop there, as he stabbed another man six times until he was covered with blood. The fight stopped within seconds and the sound of fist and kicks turned into calls for help. He was charged with murder.

“The ambulance arrived at the scene within minutes and transferred the two victims to hospital, even though they were already dead,” he said.

“I was arrested and thrown into the juvenile center where I was sentenced to death and am now waiting until I am of a legal age for the sentence to be carried out. I cannot sleep because every day that passes by, my execution day nears. My family is suffering because of my actions. I am hoping that this torture will be over soon.”

Another 17-year-old boy ended up in a juvenile center when he killed his friend after play fighting with him at school.

“We were playing like normal friends. I punched him and he fell to the ground unconscious,” he said. “The school principal interfered and took him to the hospital. I thought that he had just been injured so I went home to get some rest. I woke up when I heard my mother shouting after police showed up in front of my door to arrest me for murder. I could not believe that my friend died and hope that his family will forgive me because it was not my intention to kill him.”

Ahmad Al-Shahrani, manager of the juvenile center in Jeddah, said that most of those at the juvenile center have been involved in theft, moral-related cases and bad behavior. He said that the number of juveniles involved in murder was very few, adding that the center works to rehabilitate inmates psychologically and socially so they can be reintroduced into society again.

“Many of the troubled kids arrive here without the ability to read and write. We involve them in educational programs so they can continue their studies.”

“Most of the juveniles arrive with psychological problems and we treat them here. We allow family visits without any restrictions because we want him to meet his family in a good environment.”