justice for cyntoia brown

UPDATE: Tennessee’s Governor Bill Haslam has said that is considering granting clemency to Cyntoia Brown. He has until January 19, his last day in office, to do so.

Tell Haslam to grant clemency to Brown.

Here’s how you can help. Sign this MoveOn petition which has over 600,000 signatures and call his office directly at (615) 741-2001.

At just 16, Cyntoia Brown was convicted of murder and robbery for killing 43-year-old Johnny Mitchell Allen in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison. Last week, a court ruled that she will have to serve 51 years before she is eligible for release.

The ruling came after Brown’s legal team challenged her sentencing citing a  2012 Supreme Court decision deeming mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles unconstitutional.

Brown, who ran away from her adoptive parents as a teen, was forced into a life of sex trafficking by her 24-year-old abusive boyfriend nicknamed “Kut Throat.” After Allen picked the teen up for sex, he took her back to his home where Brown says his behavior scared her.  Brown says she shot Allen in self-defense after she thought he was reaching for a gun. The prosecution maintains that she went to his home with a premeditated plan to rob and kill him. 

Brown has been described as a model inmate, earning both her GED and an associate degree from Lipscomb University while in behind bars.

Her hefty sentence has drawn scrutiny on sentencing disparities for Black offenders.

Celebrities like Lebron James, Rihanna and Snoop Dogg expressed solidarity with Brown on social media.

Brown’s legal team has appealed the court ruling which is still pending.