Clemency for Cyntoia Brown

Cyntoia Brown figured out the biggest news of her life this week. Cyntoia Brown, back in 2004, was a victim of human trafficking and shot and killed the man that assaulted and threatened to kill her.  She was convicted in 2006 when she was 16. She was charged as an adult on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to life in prison with possibility of parole in 51 years.  

Cyntoia Brown was granted clemency by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and will be released on August 7th, 2019. Lots of attention was brought to this case because of the celebrities that started to pay attention to it some being Drake, Rihanna, Lebron James and Kim Kardashian and lots of work by Black Lives Matter. The case brought to light that not everyone is able to fight their case if they feel if the sentence was unjust. Cyntoia released a statement to the court after she heard the news of her clementation saying  “Thank you, Governor Haslam, for your act of mercy in giving me a second chance.  I will do everything I can to justify your faith in me. I want to thank those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who saw something in me worth salvaging, especially Ms. Connie Seabrooks for allowing me to participate in the Lipscomb LIFE Program. It changed my life.  I am also grateful to those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who will work with me over the next several months to help me in the transition from prison to the free world. Thank you to Dr. Richard Goode and Dr. Kate Watkins and all of you at Lipscomb University for opening up a whole new world for me. I have one course left to finish my Bachelor’s degree, which I will complete in May 2019.

I am thankful for all the support, prayers, and encouragement I have received. We truly serve a God of second chances and new beginnings.  The Lord has held my hand this whole time and I would have never made it without Him. Let today be a testament to His Saving Grace. Thank you to my family for being a backbone these past 14 years. I am thankful to my lawyers and their staffs, and all the others who, for the last decade have freely given of their time and expertise to help me get to this day. I love all of you and will be forever grateful. With God’s help, I am committed to live the rest of my life helping others, especially young people.  My hope is to help other young girls avoid ending up where I have been.

Thank you”.

Cyntoia Brown was wrongly sentenced 15 years ago and is finally being served justice. After relentless work and determination by black lives matter and numerous celebrities in the attempt to help her case gain publicity. The case of Cyntoia Brown is one of the rare cases where the defendant has another opportunity to fight their case which brings up that not everyone that has been falsely punished will get the same justice. This is a huge reminder that not everyone gets the same rights in the justice system and something needs to change to get people the justice they deserve.