When attorney Brittany Barnett met Sharanda Jones, she saw positivity and light, far from what she expected from meeting a woman 10 years into her life sentence. Barnett was a young lawyer who felt a pull towards Jones, who was sentenced to life in prison on her first federal drug offense.
Barnett, a criminal justice reform attorney, visited Elon University on Feb. 26 as part of the Liberal Arts Forum, a student-run organization that invites speakers on various topics to engage with the Elon community.
The tug Barnett felt from Jones’ case changed the course of Barnett’s life.
“Her case just spoke to my soul and I wanted to do what I could to help her,” Barnett said in an exclusive interview with Elon News Network.
One of the reasons it spoke to her soul was Barnett’s own mother, who was in prison at the time due to her own drug use.
In 2016, after 6 years of working on Jones’ case for free after work, President Obama granted Jones clemency, or a president’s ability to give mercy for crimes, effectively ending the life sentence. Jones now owns a food truck called “Fed Up.”
In the time since, Barnett left corporate law and has assisted in the release of over 70 individuals serving life sentences. One client of hers has been in prison since 1986. She argues for reform and restoration, saying that her mother, who now works as a nurse at a drug rehabilitation facility, got better despite her incarceration, not because of it.
Many of her cases, Barnett said, involve charges based on laws no longer in effect.
“We still have people serving life sentences today over yesterday’s drug laws,” Barnett said.
Other cases involve instances of discrimination or regulations that enforce some crimes more heavily than other similar crimes.
“Within the bounds of laws are outside the bounds of morality,” Barnett said.
One of the most significant parts of her work, Barnett said, is forming relationships with her clients. She cares deeply about her clients and says staying connected even after release allowed her to see the ripple effect of her work.
“There’s no way I would have been as successful as I am if I didn’t care,” Barnett said.
Through her talk, Barnett aimed to show the humanity and dignity in everyone, even those who have committed crimes. She said students are her favorite audience because they often carry with them the belief that they have the power to change the world.
The first step to that change, Barnett said, is educating yourself on the flaws of the justice system.
Barnett was specifically interested in visiting Elon because of her interest in the liberal arts. She said she appreciates when a diversity of subject matter comes together to impact the greater good.
As a guest of the Liberal Arts Forum, Barnett was chosen by students for students.Elon Senior Lizzie Osting is the co-president of the forum.
“Our goal is essentially to bring in people who talk about subjects that we care about,” she said
When asked if there was one case that stood out to her as impactful, Barnett said all of them. She described the process of her work by saying she always keeps one thing in mind.
“With every word you type, you should type with the belief in freedom,” she said.