[16] Her stepdad (also an attorney) had previously worked with Barnett to release someone who had been imprisoned for 18 years. I knew my mom had a drug problem, but I didnt realize she had a disease. Brittany K. Barnett: I love East Texas. Young, now 32, was in jail 10 years, one month and 10 days. In 2017, Sharp stepped down from his life-appointed position toreturnto work for criminal justice reformas a civil rights attorney. BKB: Over 80% of people in federal prison for drugs today are black and brown. What did you learn about yourself as you were writing this book? New prisons sprang up across Texas and the country. Mass incarceration is, to me, the most pressing civil rights issue of our time. Ms. Barnett will be interviewed by Jeanne Bishop, assistant public defender in the Cook County Public Defender's Office and adjunct professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Was that always your intention when you set out to write a memoir? Barnett is also the founder of Girls Embracing Mothers, a non-profit organization that provides suppo Marijuana Venture is the leading B2B monthly publication for the cannabis industry. Designed and Developed by GuoWei Cheng, @2020 - All Right Reserved. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous people serving fundamental death sentences for federal drug offenses - including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. Everybody was locked up, and it has had a devastating impact for generations. Award-winning attorney and entrepreneur Brittany K. Barnett discusses her memoir A KNOCK AT MIDNIGHT (9/8/20; Crown). Its lost some of its innocence. BKB: I came to terms with trauma. [22] The sentencing judge in the case, Judge Henry Coke Morgan Jr., wrote a letter advocating for Jacobs's petition for clemency, explaining that he would not have handed down a life sentence if he had not been required to do so by law. [22] In response to the decision, Barnett said "The presidents mercy and belief in redemption literally saved Coreys life. Since 2016, Barnett has earned freedom for 53 incarcerated people. Anifa Mvuemba, Wikipedia, Bio, Age, Husband, Net Worth, Hanifa. TM: On social media, youve been candid about the struggles youve faced getting funding for your organization, Buried Alive. [18] On August 29, 2019, rapper Pusha T released the song "Coming Home" with singer Lauryn Hill to bring awareness to the Third Strike Project. [2] She recounts that as a little girl, she wanted to be a lawyer like Clair Huxtable, a character on The Cosby Show, but had lost that dream by high school because there were no lawyers in her rural East Texas community, and certainly no black women lawyers. She has earned many honors, including being named one of Americas most Outstanding Young Lawyers by the American Bar Association. Over the past few months, claims BET.com, 90 Days of Freedom and The Decarceration Collective have helped free approximately 17 women and men from prison, allowing them to get . She shares stories of the innovation languishing in America's prisons -- and a vision for investing in people whose unjust sentences . [3] Sierra Crane Murdoch of The New York Times said the book "unfurls like a coming-of-age story," but said that "her depictions of her mother are flat, distant. A vision of sustainable liberation for justice-impacted people. She was arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison for failing to attain sobriety during probation. But fortunately, I shook that thought off every day. When we think about the crack epidemic or the war on drugs, we think about New York or Oakland, but not the South. Remains of child found during search for Athena Brownfield, 4, Hundreds of thousands of kids left alone at border in FY 2022, Rural crisis teams bridge mental health gaps, Smartphones keep homeless veterans housed, healthy, Mother killed in shooting at Florida MLK Day party, TSA confiscates passenger's anti-tank weapon, Father: Gun in Beech Grove incident belongs to cousin, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Her mother was a crack cocaine addict. She was going to die in prison. Learn How much net worth Brittany K. is in this year and how she spend her expenses? Learn more here: https://www.penguinran. [25] In response, Barnett said, "I was overjoyed when I received the call from Pardon Attorney Robert Zauzmer telling me the President had granted clemency to my client, Trenton Copeland, who was being buried alive under an unduly harsh sentence of life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense. "All of my clients were serving time in federal prison under outdated federal drug laws and so I've had 7 clients who received clemency under President Obama and four clients over Donald Trump," Barnett said. [4], December 4, 2018, Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Chuck Grassley held a forum on pending criminal justice legislation. MV: How can how can people get involved and help bring justice to people serving unfair prison sentences? [10] The center provides funding and training to Buried Alive. From a pen gun to a gun shoved inside a raw chicken, TSA says it found a record number of firearms in carry-on bags last year. Brittany K. Barnett is an American attorney and criminal justice reform advocate. Despite being sentenced to life in prison with no parole, he says he never gave up hope that he would be free one day. Before shifting her entire focus toward civil rights endeavors, Barnett was on track for a lucrative career as a corporate lawyer, working on mergers and acquisitions. TM: The East Texas you describe is so idyllic, and its clear you grew up in one of those tight-knit communities where people looked after one another. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. Fulbright. Texass Most Venomous Caterpillar, Texass First Nonalcoholic Bottle Shop Reflects the Shifting Culture Around Drinking. He said one of the first things he would like to see reformed are mandatory minimums and penalties should be set on a case-by-case basis. New, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom. But Sharanda's case opened the door to a harrowing journey through the criminal justice system. In September of 2020, we actually had a huge victory in the court and got Chris life sentence reduced to 14 years, and that was amazing in and of itself. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Darryl Hinton , explores how that war shaped her life and career. She added the Manifest Freedom Fund and Milena Reign, which raise funds and resources for entrepreneurship through which people coming out of prison can access opportunities. [12] The effort resulted in 17 persons being released under provisions of the First Step Act. BKB: Absolutely. As far as prisons go, they have to release people. Its beyond legitimate debate at this point that the system bleeds with racial injustice and to know that there are so many more Chris Youngs that are still buried alive and in need of their freedom as well. His windows are never open. [3] One of her clients, Corey Jacobs, forwarded her the sermon to cheer her up when she was discouraged due to setbacks in his case. We havent seen enough of that during this pandemic, and thats incredibly heartbreaking. With Young now out of prison, he plans to work closely with Barnett and former judge Sharp to help others they say are buried alive.. They are helping shift the paradigm and helping change the narrative on how people look at formerly incarcerated people, Barnett says. Barnett is also in the process of launching a venture capital fund to ensure formerly incarcerated people have access to capital and resources so they can have what she calls life after life.. She has founded several nonprofits and social enterprises, such as the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, XVI Capital Partners, and Milena Reign LLC. This work has been her focus since then. BKB: Im hopeful that the Biden administration will bring back a clemency initiative so that it is normalized. Founded in 2014. With Sharps support,a major win followed for Young. He and his co-defendants were just fringe participants in a much larger drug conspiracy, said formerU.S. District Court JudgeKevin Sharp. Durbin, Grassley talk criminal justice reform at The Washington Post", "Opinion | Kim Kardashian's 'prison reform' work reveals downsides of celebrity activism", "Kim Kardashian West has helped free 17 inmates in 90 days", "Kim Kardashian West Helped Free 17 More People From Prison", "Kim Kardashian West has helped free 17 people from prison in the last 90 days", "Brittany K. Barnett is asking for donations", "Lawyer Brittany K. Barnett Gives Backstory of Kim Kardashian's Work With 90 Days of Freedom", "Miss USA Cheslie Kryst helped free a man sentenced to life in prison for a drug offense and says marijuana should be legal", "Miss USA, Miss Teen USA reveal what makes them proud to be Americans", "Third Strike Laws Have Been Hurting Entire Communities for Years. brittanykbarnett Verified 113 posts 18.7K followers 997 following Brittany K. Barnett attorney. She claims that laws in the United States unjustly put some people in prison whereas better systems would be used to improve their lives. It wasnt the stereotype you hear about with gang wars and rioting. [21] Amazon Books selected the book as the Featured Debut for the Best Books of the Month. I think all the time, How do I bridge the gap for my clients? We need the laws to change, for sure, but we need change thats more than that. Bogota. Through the organization Buried Alive, which she co-founded with Sharanda Jones and Corey Jacobs, she came to national attention when she and her co-counsel, MiAngel Cody, litigated the release of 17 people in 90 days. She advocated for President Donald Trump to help get Young out of jail. Thanks to Attorney Brittany K. Barnett and her team of civil rights lawyers, Young is free. His clemency initiative was truly historical, and Im blessed to have lived that part of history. At once a coming-of-age story and a powerful evocation of what it takes to bring hope and justice to a system built to resist both at every turn, A Knock at Midnight lays bare the dire human costs of our broken legal system. So uncovering that issue and really pounding the pavement to get this motion in front of the court really the best way possible, that was the highlight of the case process for me. Brittany K. Barnett is an attorney and entrepreneur. Please look for it! This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Brittany K. Barnett. All FAN programs are free and open to the public. 2023 Family Action Network. The childhood experience she had motivated her to help others get perspective on prisoners. Semi-Annual Crime Stats Report, Students Faculty AlumniFaculty DirectoryVote EverywhereLaw ClinicsUn(re)solved Exhibition, Policies & Forms Information Technology Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures) Student Accommodations. Theyve each left their fingerprints on my soul. Marijuana Venture: What was the process like for you writing A Knock at Midnight? That was before her mother fell. I realized that we had uncovered a huge issue in his case as it related to ineffective assistance of counsel as it related to his plea negotiation, Barnett said. Clemency shouldnt be this big news story every once in a while. The panel of invited speakers included Barnett. Also, help by voting and getting involved in not just national elections, but local elections that have a huge impact as well. Chris Young said he plans on working with Barnett on other justice reform projects in the future. Dominique Broadway, Wikipedia, Bio, Age, Husband, Reviews, Net Worth. Brittany K. Barnett is a best-selling author, attorney and entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of hope, justice and freedom. Barnett is also in the process of launching a venture capital fund to ensure formerly incarcerated people have access to capital and resources so they can have what she calls "life after life." Not only are Jones and Jacobs partners in the nonprofit, but Barnett says they're an inspiration to her and leading examples of a greater cultural transformation. If you do drugs, youre a monster. No one was trying to help, and I didnt see that until years later. Attorney And Criminal Justice Reform Advocate And then of course with him being free, nothing can trump it.. Right now Im working on sustainable liberation. As the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother andthe once-girlfriend of an abusive drug dealer, Ms. Barnett has felt the far-reaching effects of mass incarceration firsthand. Her tirelesswork hasfreednumerous individuals from overly harsh sentences imposed by draconian federal drug laws, including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Obama. My sentence legally made me not be able to get released from the custody of the BOP until I was pronounced deceased. She didnt get the help she needed. MV: What was it like to go from the Obama administration to the Trump administration over the past four years? Attorney and entrepreneur Brittany K. Barnett fights to free people from prison and champions restoring and nurturing the creative ingenuity of justice-impacted people. Her organization has received funding and endorsement from television personality Kim Kardashian. More empathy, whether it be just in the judicial system or whether it be in every area of hospitality.. Another reason I wrote the book is to tell the truth about that. Her organization has received funding and endorsement from television personality Kim Kardashian West. Under President Ronald Reagan, the federal government poured more money and resources into prosecuting drug offenders than ever before. But as you see in the book, the war on drugs was hitting us hard, and as a kid, that was hard to see. Associate professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego, Professor of psychology, George Mason University, and bestselling author, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, co-director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, and co-founder of the Lifespan Research Foundation, William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, Professor of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Faculty Director of the Greater Good Science Center, and bestselling author, Author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books Quiet and Bittersweet. Fortunately, my mom found it within herself to become sober in prison, but it was in spite of being incarcerated, not because of it. The Buried Alive Project focuses solely on people serving life for drug offenses, which includes about 1,300 to 1,500 people nationally. So, how much is Brittany K. Barnett networth at the age of 19 years old? They have to let people go home if they meet the criteria. She added to her education by studying for another Juris Doctor in law at Southern Methodist University. Regardless, Barnet maintained a close relationship with her after she was released. Barnetts new memoir, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, explores how that war shaped her life and career. Chris was a catalyst and became a poster child for my issues and the federal justice system. [7] After submitting her paper, Jones's case plagued Barnett, and she wrote to Jones offering her assistance; the women began corresponding through email. More recently, she was part of the legal team that helped secure clemency from President Trump for Alice Johnson. But shed be telling me to get back to work, telling me we could do this, that we could get her free. And its not just trauma inflicted on my sister and me because of my moms addiction; it was trauma inflicted on my mom because she was criminalized. The U.S. Conference of Mayors will address the nations immigration crisis Wednesday. Required fields are marked *. But shed be telling me to get back to work, telling me we could do this, that we could get her free. But Im not playing those games anymore. The Photo the Dallas Cowboys Never Wanted the Public to See, Nolan Ryan Threw as Hard as He Could for as Long as He Could. Ms. Bishop appears in several documentaries, two TEDx talks, and the CBS 48 Hours segment Road to Redemption. She is the author of a memoir, Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy and Making Peace with My Sisters Killer and the recently released Grace from the Rubble: Two Fathers Road to Reconciliation After the Oklahoma City Bombing. 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