How the Pardon of a Tennessee Child Sex Slave Holds Important Lessons for Texas

We would be the first to argue that people who commit horrific crimes such as murder should face the appropriate consequences for taking someone’s life.But we also believe there’s room for leniency in cases involving thousands of people — mostly young women and girls — enslaved in the scourge that is sex trafficking in Texas and this nation. Part of the solution to ending this brutal criminal enterprise is to treat these women as victims instead of criminals.That’s why we’re pleased that a Tennessee governor has granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, a woman who has already served 15 years of a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was 16 years old.Gov. Bill Haslam said in a statement that “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.”  Continue reading...