Photo Courtesy of Instagram/@MemphisNews

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, in one of his last acts in office, has granted clemency to 30-year-old Cyntoia Brown, who has spent the last 14 years behind bars for shooting and killing a man.

According to the Tennessean, Haslam’s commutation means Brown could be released as early as Aug. 7 on time served. After that, Brown will stay on parole for the next 10 years.

Had Haslam not commuted her sentence, Brown wouldn’t have been eligible for parole until she was 69 years old.

Cyntoia, was sentenced to life in prison at the age 16, she said she was forced into sex work and feared for her life when she killed 43-year-old Johnny Allen.

During her time in prison, Brown both completed her GED and received her associate’s degree from Lipscomb University.

But it was the circumstances of Brown’s conviction that had many social justice advocates, supporters, and celebrities petitioning Haslam to commute her sentence.

Cyntoia, sentencing in prison was harsh but that’s expected when you are black. The justice system will never be in the favor of black people until we get more people that look like us into those seats. America use to consider black men a 3/5 of a person. So imagine how they think about black women.

In Haslam statement,he lays out the conditions for Brown’s release. She will be required to get a job, take regular counseling sessions and perform a minimum of 50 hours of community service, which would include working with at-risk youth, the Tennessean writes.

Brown is currently working on completing her bachelor’s degree, and those close to Brown say she plans to set up her own nonprofit to advocate for social justice issues.


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