Sex trafficking victim Cyntoia Brown was granted clemency by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Monday, after serving 15 years of a life sentence for killing a 43-year-old man who “bought” her for sex when she was just 16. Recently, Brown’s sentence had drawn national attention after celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Amy Schumer, and leveraged their celebrity to bring exposure spotlight to the case. Kardashian even spoke to the president and recruited her legal team to work on Brown’s behalf. Clearly, it paid off.
For his part, Haslam said that the decision “comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case.”
Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. Transformation should be accompanied by hope.”
Brown will be released on August 7, 2019, and will spend the next 10 years on parole supervision. In a statement, she expressed that she is thankful for all the support, prayers, and encouragement that she has received.
I am thankful to my lawyers and their staffs, and all the others who, for the last decade have freely given 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.”
With so many moved by Brown’s ordeal, celebrities, journalists, and others celebrated the Governor’s decision on Twitter.
YES!!! YES! This is when our justice system makes me proud. Made my day ♥️ https://t.co/k7CUoJMClR
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) January 7, 2019
THANK YOU Governor @BillHaslam!!!! https://t.co/Qmt4vFSXvC
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 7, 2019
Incredible news. Many people worked long and hard to make this happen. Shout-out especially to @BLM_Nashville @prisonculture and many more. https://t.co/mNcgFVuLrK @WomensMarchTN
— Women's March (@womensmarch) January 7, 2019
Cyntoia Brown was finally granted clemency and will be released on August 7th after being tried as an adult at 16 and given a life sentence. https://t.co/qEVonrBQD2
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) January 7, 2019
Justice has finally been served: #CyntoiaBrown has been granted clemency. This victory belongs to Cyntoia Brown & to the Tennessee human trafficking activists, especially Black women, who refused to concede injustice & instead organized to create change. https://t.co/ANC0aOXj5N
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 7, 2019
Cyntoia Brown will be freed. In one of his last acts as Tennessee’s governor, Republican @BillHaslam granted executive clemency to Brown, a victim of child sex trafficking, commuting her life sentence for a killing she committed in self-defense at age 16. https://t.co/IXNeVYQlEm
— Jamil Smith جميل كريم (@JamilSmith) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/stopbeingfamous/status/1082329495556812800
https://twitter.com/IjeomaOluo/status/1082327282792882176
Glad Gov. Bill Haslam granted clemency, but credit to Black women activists who have been working on this non-stop.#CyntoiaBrown https://t.co/VSHWtZqmMd
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/Russian_Starr/status/1082326049692762113
Finally she is FREE #CyntoiaBrown has been granted clemency by Tennessee Governor https://t.co/OBp0Nvodm7
— Sophia A. Nelson (@IAmSophiaNelson) January 7, 2019
Clemency for #CyntoiaBrown! CONGRATULATIONS to her and all the activists who worked so hard for this outcome! https://t.co/x62DG04sSu
— afrobella (@afrobella) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/IWriteAllDay_/status/1082335649728872453
But not everyone was quite as thrilled with the outcome, as others pointed out the continued injustice in the fact that Brown is still subject to 10 years of strict probation after her release.
https://twitter.com/OakSmash/status/1082354388968955904
Lowkey mad that #CyntoiaBrown is being released on parole instead of just being free (but I'm still happy she out regardless). We know how frivolous the state is about that shit. So listen, she get put back in on some BS we rioting, k?
— William Jamal Richardson (@DecolonialBlack) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/prisonculture/status/1082331955985874946
Adult Brock Turner served 3 months for raping an unconscious woman because prison would “ruin his life” while teenage Cyntoia Brown will have served 15 years for killing a man who bought her for sex, but please tell me more about how white male privilege is a myth.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) January 7, 2019
In any case, it’s certainly better than the alternative. Previous to Monday’s announcement, Brown wouldn’t have been eligible for parole until she was nearly 70 years old.