She was set to never breathe free air again, and she was the one encouraging me. Foundations want to change policy, which is necessary. Policies at the time allowed the judge to add "enhancements" to her sentence, including her legal license to carry a concealed weapon credited as "furtherance of drug conspiracy," her testimony in her own defense credited as "obstruction of justice," and weight conversion of powder cocaine to crack cocaine (which carried higher sentences). As the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother, Brittany knows first-hand the impact of mass incarceration is far reaching, devastating families and entire communities. Dont miss Marijuana Ventures special section on edibles! More recently, she was part of the legal team that helped secure clemency from President Trump for Alice Johnson. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Barnett was on the legal team of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman who was serving the 21st year a life sentence for nonviolent drug offenses. While Kim Kardashian West has been getting credit for her "efforts" in prison reform, these are the ladies actually putting in the work. Its Time to Reexamine One of the Most Beloved Books About Texas, How the Texas Rangers Became One of the Most Powerful Forces in the State, Sixteen of Texass Most Influential Cultural Figures of the Past 50 Years, Inside Friscos Lavish, Enormous New Golf Resort, Welcome to Palo Pinto, Texass Next State Park, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, Please Do Not Touch the Toxic Toupee, a.k.a. [22] In response to the decision, Barnett said "The presidents mercy and belief in redemption literally saved Coreys life. Award-winning attorney and entrepreneur Brittany K. Barnett discusses her memoir A KNOCK AT MIDNIGHT (9/8/20; Crown). These are nonviolent drug offenses. As an SMU law student interning in a Houston court, Barnett had a front-row seat to the horrors created by the mandatory minimum laws sending generations of Black Texans to federal prison. "Took a few moments today to reflect on how honored we are to work side by side saving lives and linking up . We cant just keep rescuing people from prison and restoring them to poverty. Federal Judge Kevin Sharp sentenced him to two lifelong terms in prison without parole on a nonviolent drug charge. 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. Barnetts new memoir, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, explores how that war shaped her life and career. BKB: Im hopeful that the Biden administration will bring back a clemency initiative so that it is normalized. It was almost as if I was living a double life because I was working on these multimillion-dollar deals by day and working pro bono to get people out of prison at night. Her Dallas-based nonprofit, works to free those who are eligible for release, but have been left in prison under outdated Reagan-era laws. More than 30 people were arrested. [9] Barnett is also the founder of Girls Embracing Mothers, a non-profit organization that provides support for girls with mothers in prison. And I looked at the bright side, and I stayed optimistic.. [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. 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. I made the decision to resign, and through President Obamas clemency initiative, I had seven clients receive clemency. When Barnett was 22, her mother, a crack cocaine addict, was arrested and sent to prison for eight years. 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.. Putting a Chris Young in prison for life does not make any more safer. When the crack epidemic hit, it wasnt treated like a public health crisis. There were times when she missed the clemency list, and I couldnt even get out of bed. 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. Milena Reign helps people lean into their gifts of storytelling to inspire the world. She also has a non-profit calledGirls Embracing Mothers. And it looks different here. Theres something we all can do to help make a difference, just by finding what speaks to our hearts. TM: Out of all the people youve helped, what stories affected you the most? Was that always your intention when you set out to write a memoir? TSA officers confiscated more than 6,542 firearms from passengers in 2022 the highest number recorded since the agencys inception. Practice Areas: None Reported By Attorney. As the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother, Brittany knows first-hand the impact of mass incarceration is far-reaching, devastating families and entire communities. Barnet disapproves of her mothers sentencing arguing that she did not deserve prison but a rehab. And Im hopeful that we see that again. But her passion led her down a different path, and she began helping people serving life sentences seek clemency under an Obama-era reform program. When youre in it, you dont see how bad it is. But it came to a point for me where I was getting very heavily involved in President Obamas clemency initiative and there were only about 10 months left of him in office, and I just wanted to do all that I could to help get people free. Brittany K. Barnett is an attorney and entrepreneur. Here we are updating just estimated networth of Brittany K. Barnett salary, income and assets. If you do drugs, youre a monster. No one was trying to help, and I didnt see that until years later. Fortunately, my mom found it within herself to become sober in prison, but it was in spite of being incarcerated, not because of it. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. How has that part of Texas changed since you were a kid? Brittany K. Barnett, better known by her family name Brittany K. Barnett, is a popular American attorney and criminal justice reform advocate. It wasnt the stereotype you hear about with gang wars and rioting. Southern University Law Center is approved by theCouncil of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association to award the juris doctorate degree. Brittany K. Barnett is an award-winning attorney and entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. Learn How much net worth Brittany K. is in this year and how she spend her expenses? Brittany K. Barnett. Unfortunately, it was too familiar to me. Theyve each left their fingerprints on my soul. Bogota. I Wrote a Book Called The Leopard Is Loose. Then a Leopard Got Loose in Dallas. Only two of us. her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. She is dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system and has won freedom for numerous people serving life sentences for federal drug offenses-including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. Its much more subtle, and even though you dont hear about it on the news, families are still being destroyed. As I was writing, I started to wonder, Do we ever really process this? Find the area youre passionate about and make a difference that way. In the book, you see the positivity of Sharanda Jones (a woman from Terrell). Designed and Developed by, The Marijuana Venture Interview: Brittany K. Barnett, Marijuana Venture will explore the rapidly growing, Despite its unique characteristics and dedicated a, Energy efficiency could be the difference between, Prior to becoming the president and chief operatio, We look forward to seeing everyone @interchange_mv, You can have your cake and eat it too. [19], Barnett's book A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom was released on September 8, 2020. [4], December 4, 2018, Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Chuck Grassley held a forum on pending criminal justice legislation. Everybody was locked up, and it has had a devastating impact for generations. Ms. Bishop is the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who was murdered in 1990 along with her husband and their unborn baby. And I make no excuses for my clients selling drugs. Few are ready to go in deeper and understand the issues surrounding their incarceration. Bogota. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The childhood experience she had motivated her to help others get perspective on prisoners. Brittany K. Barnett is an award-winning attorney and entrepreneur focused on social impact investing. And thats the beautiful part of our journey. Barnett has worked to get 11 clients freed from federal prison through presidential clemency or presidential pardon in the past six years. She later came across the similar case of Donal Clark, who was serving a 30-year sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. She wrote a best-selling book, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, which she hopes will open a window for the world to see that her clients are human beings just like any other. [8] she is a Practitioner-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University's Deason Family Criminal Justice Reform Center. Chris was a catalyst and became a poster child for my issues and the federal justice system. I tell everyone: find the area that youre most passionate about, whether its bail reform, whether its marijuana justice, whether its sentencing reform or parole and probation. Do we ever have the resources to process what its like to be kids on the front lines of the war on drugs?. And I would be remiss not to say that financial resources are always needed to get more people free and break more chains. She credits her mothers own incarceration with teaching her that persons in prison were often treated as unworthy of any compassion or concern. After graduation, she worked for accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers as a CPA, and studied for her LSAT. Founded in 2014. Sometimes we can be one-dimensional in how we create change, and I want to be a part of change that isnt just about capital or policy. Two of her clients, Corey Jacobs and Sharanda Jones, now work along side Barnett in the organization. She has founded several nonprofits and social enterprises, such as the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, XVI Capital Partners, and Milena Reign LLC. And we did. Weve gotten by without help before, and we can keep doing what were doing if the help comes or not. [16] Her stepdad (also an attorney) had previously worked with Barnett to release someone who had been imprisoned for 18 years. Ms. Barnett will be interviewed by Jeanne Bishop. [26] The Obama administration denied her petition for clemency in January 2017, however, after separate meetings with Kardashian West and her husband, Kanye West,[27] President Donald Trump commuted Johnson's sentence. [16] Following her win, she partnered with Barnett in representing and successfully litigating the release of Alfred Rivera after serving 18 years of a life sentence for non-violent drug offenses. 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. BKB: I think one of the ways they can help bring justice is to educate themselves about the law and how the system works, whether through reading my book or other books like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander or even watching Ava DuVernays amazing documentary called 13th on Netflix. 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. Through her criminal justice work, Brittany has encountered some of the most brilliant minds humanity has to offer. All we had was Just Say No, which created this culture of, If you do drugs, its your fault. I was witnessing mass incarceration at its height and could not help but be affected.. He and his co-defendants were just fringe participants in a much larger drug conspiracy, said formerU.S. District Court JudgeKevin Sharp. Mandatory minimum sentences forced judges to dole out extreme punishments for crack cocaine possession, disproportionately affecting Black Americans. In the book, you see the positivity of Sharanda Jones (a woman from Terrell). Brittany K. Barnett: I love East Texas. Darryl Hinton Commerce. His clemency initiative was truly historical, and Im blessed to have lived that part of history. It was this appeal for law and order, it was this fear that was carried out into the country about drugs and crack, in particular, which is unfortunate because we had this crack epidemic. BKB: Right now Im working on sustainable liberation. Many of them were family. The -born attorney and criminal justice reform advocate expert is arguably the worlds most influential Brittany K. Barnett is expert, with a wide-ranging social media outreach. What did you learn about yourself as you were writing this book? She didnt get the help she needed. It wasnt the stereotype you hear about with gang wars and rioting. Your email address will not be published. [21] Amazon Books selected the book as the Featured Debut for the Best Books of the Month. She represented lending institutions in matters related to real estate, secure financing, and acquisition financings. Texas Monthly: What was it like to grow up in East Texas? In her riveting debut,A Knock at Midnight:A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom,Ms. Barnett sharesthe powerful story of her awakening to the inhumanity of Americas criminal justice system and her ongoing fight to unlock the human potential trapped senselessly behind bars. 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. Soon enough, the war on drugs reached that wooden house in Fulbright. A friend named Keyon got life without parole after being named as an accomplice by alleged dealers arrested in a police raid. [3], Barnett attended The University of Texas at Arlington,[4] earning a bachelor's degree in 2005 and a master's degree in 2006 in accounting. All of my clients were serving time in federal prison under outdated federal drug laws and so Ive had 7 clients who received clemency under President Obama and four clients over Donald Trump, Barnett said. 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.. It seemed like an accepted part of life, like, This is just the way it is. It wasnt until I got to college that I realized how powerful it was. From Fulbright to the White House, the beautifully written, often haunting. Dad arrested after video shows toddler with gun: Whats next? February 2023Print And DigitalOn Sale Now. Despite growing evidence in the missing Ana Walshe case, attorney Duncan Levin said this is the opposite of a perfect murder.. Yes, she is a global superstar, but this was another person a part of the team. Were also partnering with law firms that will take these cases pro bono so that we can scale and provide more impact. 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. In Bogota, where my grandparents lived, opioids and meth have taken over. U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis ultimately calculated her sentence to be 46 years without parole, effectively a life sentence. More empathy, whether it be just in the judicial system or whether it be in every area of hospitality.. Barnett is also the founder of Girls Embracing Mothers, a non-profit organization that provides suppo They have to let people go home if they meet the criteria. Then, the war on drugs commenced. It seemed like an accepted part of life, like, This is just the way it is. It wasnt until I got to college that I realized how powerful it was. If you do drugs, youre a monster. No one was trying to help, and I didnt see that until years later. Under the federal Three Strike law, defendants receive mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if they have three federal convictions for serious violent felonies or crimes related to drug trafficking. 2023 Family Action Network. Ive always felt the heartbeat of the people behind bars, but writing the book really gave me that time to be, like, wow, this country is locking up the very ingenuity our nation needs to thrive. Weve gotten by without help before, and we can keep doing what were doing if the help comes or not. What was the culprit for somebody like Sharanda Jones, who was convicted of a single nonviolent drug crime, being given the same sentence as the Unabomber? [5][6] When Barnett was 22, her mother was sentenced to eight years for failing a series of drug tests while on probation. But the two administrations were quite different. They are responsible. When we think about the crack epidemic or the war on drugs, we think about New York or Oakland, but not the South. BKB: Over 80% of people in federal prison for drugs today are black and brown. Her organization has received funding and endorsement from television personality Kim Kardashian. "[20] USA Today included it on its list of 5 books not to miss for the week of September 5, 2020. First, a conviction for possession of cocaine, marijuana and a weapon. TM: On social media, youve been candid about the struggles youve faced getting funding for your organization, Buried Alive. Brittany is founder of several nonprofits and social enterprises, including the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, XVI Capital Partners, and Milena Reign LLC. The leading resource for cannabis retailers and growers. A mandatory life sentence was never an appropriate sentence for what he did. Cyndi Brown Before she specialized in getting people out of prison, Brittany K. Barnett was a young girl living in a wooden house in Fulbright, Texas.. Born on in United States, Brittany K. Barnett started her career as attorney and criminal justice reform advocate . Barnet was born on February 24, 1984. Thank you, Have you picked up a copy of the November 2022 Iss. [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. Possession of cocaine, marijuana and a weapon just by finding what speaks to hearts. 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