Cyntoia Brown-Long, Bill Haslam will speak about prison reform

[ad_1]
More than three years after she was granted clemency, Cyntoia Brown-Long will join former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam in a public discussion of criminal justice reform.
The Tuesday evening event at Vanderbilt University will be their first public event together. Haslam commuted Brown-Long’s sentence in January 2019 and she was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women in August 2019.
Haslam told Knox News it was a decision he’s learned from and one that supported his personal convictions.
“I’m grateful to see Cyntoia’s life since she got out,” Haslam said. “Being in office as governor you get to make a lot of decisions. Some, you look back on and in hindsight realize you might have done that a little different. In Cyntoia’s case, I have never had a moment to doubt that I made the right decision. It has been a source of joy for me to get to know Cyntoia better and see the life she’s living.”

The public event, “Reform for Redemption:Cyntoia Brown Long and Gov. Bill Haslam on Criminal Justice Reform and the Power of Mercy,” will be held in person and online at 6 p.m. Central time Tuesday at Langford Auditorium.
Brown-Long has advocated for juvenile sentencing reform since she was behind bars, and Haslam said there is more work to be done in restorative justice. The criminal justice system should prepare juveniles to return to society, he said, not keep circling them back to incarceration.
“It’s a hard topic because every situation is different,” Haslam said. “But from my time being in office, we had a lot of people who had been sentenced as juveniles to very lengthy sentences, and in retrospect I’m not sure if it was the appropriate thing to do.”
Brown-Long was tried as an adult in the Tennessee criminal justice system and found guilty of first-degree murder when she was 16. At the time, she was one of 90 minors in Tennessee serving a “death by life” sentence.
After grassroots efforts from celebrities and advocates, plus widespread media coverage, Haslam granted her freedom at age 31, instead of well after 65.
“I hope to have a very open and honest conversation about the way things are currently in Tennessee. I hope that it encourages our current Gov. Bill Lee to take a second look at the way things are in our state, especially around the subject of juvenile justice,” Brown-Long told Knox News.
“With the amount of time we sentence juveniles to, there’s no middle ground. We need to take into consideration that these are kids,” she said.

More:Here’s what Cyntoia Brown-Long is doing 2 years after she walked out of a Tennessee prison
More:Lunch with Bill Haslam and Cyntoia Brown | Opinion
In Haslam’s book, “Faithful Presence,” he describes granting clemency and a pardon to Brown-Long as “doing what is right in the dispensing of justice.”
Haslam said there have to be ways to evaluate whether individuals without the chance of parole are ready to return to society.
“Brown’s case had extenuating circumstances. She was trafficked from an early age and I think we have a greater appreciation for what that looks like today than we did 20 years ago,” Haslam said. “I was convinced Cyntoia had prepared for a life inside of prison where she could be more of an advantage to society on the outside.”
The talk is hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy. Registration is required.
Brown-Long holds new role at Lipscomb University

Brown-Long’s life today is full of public appearances and speeches. She was hired by Lipscomb University in November as the assistant director of business as mission. It’s where she obtained her bachelor’s degree while in prison.
She coordinates a business accelerator program for underestimated entrepreneurs who were formerly incarcerated or don’t have access to capital to launch businesses.
“I get to really bridge a gap between the businesses in Nashville and bring those resources to people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to them,” she said.
Although busy, her life today is one she’s thankful for compared to her years spent in prison. More than anything, she values her work with kids and the mentorship that helps young people who were once like her.
“It’s one big hustle with so many opportunities, and I feel so blessed that I am just able to do it. This is what I was created to do and should have been doing all along, and it just feels real good.”
[ad_2]
Source link