{"id":29726,"date":"2022-03-15T11:20:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T11:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=29726"},"modified":"2022-03-15T11:20:40","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T11:20:40","slug":"cyntoia-brown-long-bill-haslam-will-speak-about-prison-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/15\/cyntoia-brown-long-bill-haslam-will-speak-about-prison-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyntoia Brown-Long, Bill Haslam will speak about prison reform"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Cyntoia Brown-Long speaks about her life since her release from prison\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_vp_w\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"teal\" data-t-pl=\"teal-hero\"><button class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__tp_a\" data-g-r=\"vp_ap vp_tg\" data-c-vpattrs=\"{&quot;muted&quot;:true,&quot;bContent&quot;:false,&quot;an&quot;:&quot;tn-knoxville-C1262&quot;,&quot;pn&quot;:&quot;Knoxville News Sentinel&quot;,&quot;vidNum&quot;:1,&quot;docking&quot;:true}\" data-c-vpdata=\"{&quot;adsEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;awsPath&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;byline&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;canonicalURL&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;contentSourceCode&quot;:&quot;PNAS&quot;,&quot;createDate&quot;:&quot;2019-10-24T01:36:44Z&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;The Tennessean&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:61000,&quot;headline&quot;:&quot;Cyntoia Brown-Long speaks about her life since her release from prison&quot;,&quot;hlsURL&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;4079564002&quot;,&quot;image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/24\/PNAS\/00969957-5ede-4600-80f5-2a67ec85d278-Cyntoia-Brown-Long-102319-005.jpg&quot;,&quot;opto&quot;:true},&quot;initialPublishDate&quot;:&quot;2019-10-24T01:36:44Z&quot;,&quot;keywords&quot;:&quot;Prison reforms&quot;,&quot;mp4URL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/downloadmedia.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/video-renditions\/22b6aa1b-2a26-4541-8e81-1f4113daa385\/1080p_30fps.mp4&quot;,&quot;origin&quot;:&quot;The Tennessean&quot;,&quot;pageURL&quot;:{&quot;long&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/videos\/news\/2019\/10\/24\/cyntoia-brown-long-speaks-her-life-since-her-release-prison\/4079564002\/&quot;},&quot;promoBrief&quot;:&quot;Cyntoia Brown-Long speaks about her life since her release from prison&quot;,&quot;propertyName&quot;:&quot;TennGroup&quot;,&quot;publishDate&quot;:&quot;2019-10-24T01:36:44Z&quot;,&quot;series&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;ssts&quot;:{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;subsection&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;topic&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;subtopic&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;tags&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;b805d5f0-fa63-4c2e-8238-a60b2b02b746&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Prison reforms&quot;}],&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cyntoia Brown-Long speaks about her life since her release from prison&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;\/videos\/news\/2019\/10\/24\/cyntoia-brown-long-speaks-her-life-since-her-release-prison\/4079564002\/&quot;}\" aria-label=\"Play video\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/24\/PNAS\/00969957-5ede-4600-80f5-2a67ec85d278-Cyntoia-Brown-Long-102319-005.jpg?width=660&amp;height=371&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-g-r=\"vp_po\" elementtiming=\"ar-lead-image\" decoding=\"async\"\/><svg class=\"gnt_em_vp_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_video_play\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">More than three years after she was granted clemency,\u00a0Cyntoia Brown-Long will join former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam\u00a0in a public\u00a0discussion of criminal justice reform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Tuesday evening event at Vanderbilt University will be their first public event together. Haslam commuted\u00a0Brown-Long&#8217;s sentence in January\u00a02019 and she\u00a0was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women in August 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Haslam told Knox News it was a decision he&#8217;s learned from and one\u00a0that supported his personal convictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI\u2019m grateful to see Cyntoia&#8217;s life since she got out,&#8221; Haslam said.\u00a0&#8220;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\u2019s 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&#8217;s living.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:546px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/09\/02\/PKNS\/edfe5241-08e6-4859-8944-afde20e3e867-234636462_373703210828872_6212690203911951027_n.jpg?width=660&amp;height=546&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/09\/02\/PKNS\/edfe5241-08e6-4859-8944-afde20e3e867-234636462_373703210828872_6212690203911951027_n.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=1092&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cyntoia Brown, third from left, posted this photo on her official Facebook page on Aug. 18, captioning it: &quot;Lunch date with Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam. Around this time two years ago this man of God ordered that I be released from prison. Forever grateful.&quot;\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.vanderbilt.edu\/2022\/03\/02\/register-author-and-advocate-cyntoia-brown-long-former-tennessee-gov-bill-haslam-to-discuss-criminal-justice-reform\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">The public\u00a0event, \u201cReform for Redemption:<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.vanderbilt.edu\/2022\/03\/02\/register-author-and-advocate-cyntoia-brown-long-former-tennessee-gov-bill-haslam-to-discuss-criminal-justice-reform\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Cyntoia Brown Long and Gov. Bill Haslam on Criminal Justice Reform and the Power of Mercy,\u201d will be held in person and online at 6 p.m. Central time Tuesday at\u00a0<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.vanderbilt.edu\/2022\/03\/02\/register-author-and-advocate-cyntoia-brown-long-former-tennessee-gov-bill-haslam-to-discuss-criminal-justice-reform\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Langford Auditorium.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Brown-Long has advocated\u00a0for\u00a0juvenile sentencing reform\u00a0since she was behind bars, and Haslam said there is more work\u00a0to 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cIt\u2019s a hard topic because every situation is different,&#8221; Haslam said. &#8220;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\u2019m not sure if it was the appropriate thing to do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">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 &#8220;death by life&#8221; sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_gl gnt_em__el\" href=\"\/picture-gallery\/news\/2019\/01\/07\/cyntoia-brown-photos-case-booking-clemency\/2502602002\/\" data-t-l=\":l|l|c|view gallery:inline promo\" aria-label=\"View Gallery - Cyntoia Brown over the years\" data-g-r=\"nav_mo\" data-g-tn=\"pgcss\" data-g-mtn=\"pg2502602002\" data-g-moh=\"hpgm\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-expanded=\"false\" onmousedown=\"event.stopPropagation()\" onmouseup=\"event.stopPropagation()\" data-c-id=\"2502602002\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/b3f1e51961f1c592d6eacb43f4e63414ff164049\/c=0-0-3496-1975\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/05\/23\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636626725232060445--LA58329.JPG?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/b3f1e51961f1c592d6eacb43f4e63414ff164049\/c=0-0-3496-1975\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/05\/23\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636626725232060445--LA58329.JPG?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">After grassroots efforts from celebrities and advocates,\u00a0plus widespread media coverage, Haslam\u00a0granted her freedom\u00a0at age 31, instead of well after 65.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI 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.\u00a0Bill Lee to take a second look at the way things are in our state, especially around the subject of juvenile justice,\u201d Brown-Long told Knox News.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;With the amount of time we sentence juveniles to, there&#8217;s\u00a0no middle ground.\u00a0We need to take into consideration\u00a0that these are kids,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:513px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/07\/29\/PNAS\/c179b838-3853-4ca4-a9ac-2bf517f50a34-NAS-HASLAM_ON_CYNTOIA-02.jpg?width=660&amp;height=513&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/07\/29\/PNAS\/c179b838-3853-4ca4-a9ac-2bf517f50a34-NAS-HASLAM_ON_CYNTOIA-02.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=1026&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\" Former Gov. Bill Haslam discusses what was perhaps the most significant decision made during his last days in office: Freeing Cyntoia Brown, a woman who was convicted of murdering a man as a teenager. Brown's advocates said she was the victim of sex trafficking, and pointed to her young age as a reason she should avoid life in prison. Monday, July 29, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. \"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">More:<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/story\/news\/crime\/2021\/08\/05\/cyntoia-brown-long-now-2021-since-walking-out-of-tennessee-prison\/8032128002\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Here&#8217;s what Cyntoia Brown-Long is doing 2 years after she walked out of a Tennessee prison<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">More:<\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/story\/opinion\/2021\/09\/03\/clemency-and-amazing-grace-lunch-bill-haslam-and-cyntoia-brown\/5675967001\/\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Lunch with Bill Haslam and Cyntoia Brown | Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In Haslam&#8217;s\u00a0book, &#8220;Faithful Presence,&#8221; he describes granting clemency and a pardon to Brown-Long\u00a0as &#8220;doing\u00a0what is right in the dispensing of justice.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Haslam said there have to be ways to evaluate whether individuals without the chance of parole are ready to return to society.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cBrown\u2019s case had extenuating circumstances. She was trafficked from an early age and I think we have a greater appreciation for what that looks like today than we did 20 years ago,&#8221; Haslam said.\u00a0&#8220;I was convinced Cyntoia had prepared for a life inside of prison where she could be more of an advantage to society on the outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The talk is hosted by\u00a0the\u00a0Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.vanderbilt.edu\/view.php?id=1501436\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Registration is required.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Brown-Long holds new role at Lipscomb University<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/01\/20\/PNAS\/c9f99c25-c9a0-414b-9e25-7377590267eb-_CP17136.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/01\/20\/PNAS\/c9f99c25-c9a0-414b-9e25-7377590267eb-_CP17136.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=882&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Judge Richard Dinkins and Cyntoia Brown-Long speak during the 19th Annual MLK Fellowship Breakfast at the Tennessee State Museum Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. \"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Brown-Long\u2019s 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&#8217;s where\u00a0she obtained her bachelor&#8217;s degree while in prison.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">She coordinates a business accelerator program for underestimated entrepreneurs who were formerly incarcerated or don&#8217;t have access to capital to launch businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I get to really bridge a gap\u00a0between the businesses in Nashville and bring those resources to people who wouldn&#8217;t otherwise have access to them,&#8221; she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Although busy, her life today is one she&#8217;s thankful for compared to her years spent in\u00a0prison. More than anything, she values her work with kids and the mentorship that helps young people who were once like her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;It&#8217;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\u00a0good.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knoxnews.com\/story\/news\/2022\/03\/15\/cyntoia-brown-long-bill-haslam-speak-prison-reform\/7036491001\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] More than three years after she was granted clemency,\u00a0Cyntoia Brown-Long will join former Tennessee&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-cj-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29726"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29728,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29726\/revisions\/29728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}