Sharanda Jones: Her Sad Story, Imprisonment, Release, Where is She Today?

• Sharanda Jones is an entrepreneur who was sentenced to life imprisonment after she was convicted of drug-related offenses
• Jones and her case came to the public light after her sentencing became a subject of debate most especially because she was a first-time offender.

• Brittany K Barnett picked her case as a student and ensured Sharanda Jones got a pardon during President Barack Obama’s regime.    

Sharanda Jones; 57, is an African-American woman who came to the limelight after she was arrested in 1999 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Previously an entrepreneur, she attracted the sympathy of many who felt her sentencing without the possibility of parole was quite on the heavy side most especially since she had no history of crime.

Fortunately, 17 years after her sentencing, she finally regained her freedom thanks to the clemency that she was granted by the Barrak Obama government.

Sharanda Jones’ Background

Sharanda ‘Purlette’ Jones was born on July 25, 1967, to a family of five in Terrell, Texas. At 3, her mother suffered an automobile accident which left her paralyzed. With such tragedy, Jones’s grandmother took charge of her well-being.

The tragic incident involving her mother did not stop her from at least, going to high school. After her graduation, she became an entrepreneur and opened a hair salon. In addition, she co-owned a restaurant in Dallas.

It was at the restaurant that she was allegedly introduced to the drug business for the first time. It didn’t take her long before she started traveling to several places, including Dallas and Houston to get the supply for her consumption and sale. Sadly, this would not go down well for her.

Looking at her personal life, the 57-year-old became a mother at a very young age when she welcomed her daughter Clenesha.

The Arrest That Led to Her Sentence 

Sharanda’s involvement in drugs got her into trouble with the law for the very time in 1997, when Kaufman county Sheriff carried out a drug check in Terrell, about 30 miles from Dallas. In the process, over a hundred people were arrested including Keith Jackson who was known as ‘Baby Jack’ and his wife.

Although Sharanda was not arrested at the time, her name came up when Jackson and his wife agreed to plead guilty in other to get a reduction on their sentence. In their confession, they made it known that they got 30 kilos of cocaine from Jones.

In 1999, two years after her name was mentioned, Sharanda Jones got indicted alongside five others by a grand jury and was charged with drug conspiracy in the buying, keeping, and distributing crack cocaine.

Her Life Sentence Came as a Shock

During her trial, she said the prosecutors wanted her to plea and testify against a friend who was a Police officer but she didn’t accept the offer because it was a lie. She opted herself to court which led to her trial.

On November 10th, 1999, Jones took her daughter, Clensha, to school and headed straight to the restaurant that she co-owned. At lunchtime, she quickly left for her trial with the hope of coming back to continue her affairs but she was found guilty of conspiracy.

The trial judge slammed her with a life sentence without parole. Immediately, she saw Marshals walking into the courtroom, they came and picked her up. Jones said I couldn’t understand it. I was just blank. My body was numb. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t process it at all.”

Furthermore, she said her family, including her sister, brother, and mother were also given lengthy sentences for abetting Jones’s conspiracy. She said, “I never dreamed that those three trips would lead me to a life sentence in prison.”

The sentence was a Draconian law which was an Anti-Drug Abuse Act that was signed into law in 1986 by president Ronald Reagan. The law was made strict on crack cocaine compared to powder cocaine.

Has Sharanda Jones Been Released?

Jones’s case was one of the commutations that got a pardon and on December 15, 2015. The list was out and Jones was released after serving 16 years and 9 months in prison. She became free again.

In 2009, a law student, Brittany K Barnett came across Sharanda’s story. Intrigued by the events of her case, Brittany decided to meet with her. Though she was just a student, she promised to get Sharanda out. After graduating from Law school, Brittany became a corporate Attorney and began to work with Sharanda. 

In 2010, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 was reviewed and the penalties were reduced on crack cocaine leaving inmates like Sharanda stranded in prison. Brittany knew it would be difficult for her release. So they began to work on clemency. Barnett began her campaign to highlight what happened to Jones in 1999. At that time, President Barack Obama was granting commutations to over 200 individuals serving a life sentence. 

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Where is Sharanda Jones Today?

After gaining her freedom, Sharanda Jones returned to Dallas to reunite with her family, especially her daughter who was only 8 years old at the time of her sentence. Unfortunately, her mother died while in prison and did not witness her daughter’s freedom.

Sharanda’s dreams were never lost even in prison as she now owns a food truck where she works to earn some money.

Brittany, Sharanda, and Corey Jacobs, who was given clemency after he was sentenced to life just like Jones, are now working together on a Buried Alive Project where they try to help people who had similar cases to theirs hoping they get their freedom.