Advocacy & Reform
We work to reduce and eliminate harmful impacts of the criminal legal system through legal representation, healing justice, and systemic reform.
In the late 1990s, Sharanda Jones and Corey Jacobs – each facing their first ever felony convictions – were sentenced to life in prison under draconian federal drug laws.
After receiving clemency from President Obama in 2015 and 2016, respectively, Sharanda and Corey joined forces with attorney Brittany K. Barnett to co-found the Buried Alive Project.
Through our Buried Alive Project initiative, we have freed more than 70 people who collectively survived over 1,000 years in prison serving unjust life without parole sentences.
Life without the possibility of parole is, short of execution, the harshest imaginable punishment permitted by law in America. Utilizing transformative litigation, legislation, and humanization to free people serving life sentences under outdated federal drug laws, this lifesaving work not only liberates bodies, but also unlocks potential.