Updated on January 7, 2019:

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has granted executive clemency to Cyntoia Brown with less than two weeks left in office. According to a statement released by the governor’s office, after having served 15 years in prison, Brown will be released to parole supervision on August 7, 2019.

“This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said. “Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, 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. Transformation should be accompanied by hope. So, I am commuting Ms. Brown’s sentence, subject to certain conditions.”

Haslam went on to say, “While we have spent a considerable amount of time studying and implementing sentencing and criminal justice reform in our state, there is more work to be done,” Haslam said. “I am hopeful serious consideration of additional reforms will continue, especially with respect to the sentencing of juveniles.”

In a statement released by Brown, she thanked Governor Haslam for his "act of mercy in giving me a second chance".

”I will do everything I can to justify your faith in me,” she said. “I am committed to live the rest of my life helping others, especially young people. My hope is to help other young girls avoid ending up where I have been.”

Previously on December 12, 2018...

In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was 16 years old when she was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of a man she alleged had solicited her for sex, as CNN reported. On Thursday, December 6, the Tennessee Supreme Court said that defendants convicted of first-degree murder after July 1,1995, must serve five decades before they are eligible for parole — meaning Cyntoia won’t be eligible for parole until she is 68 years old. That has folks seeking an executive intervention in the form of clemency from Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam

Brown made headlines due to the specifics of her case — part of which includes the fact that she was a juvenile when sentenced but tried as an adult. She has argued that her sentence is unconstitutional, citing a 2012 ruling that declared a life sentence without parole for juveniles was unconstitutional. That ruling came about after Brown’s case gained national recognition with the 2011 release of the PBS documentary Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story, a film about the complexities of her case.

In response to Brown’s argument, the Tennessee Supreme Court released a statement saying "under state law, a life sentence is a determinate sentence of 60 years. However, the 60-year sentence can be reduced by up to 15 percent, or 9 years, by earning various sentence credits." According to the Tennessee code, those credits include recognition for good behavior or participation in educational or vocational training programs. Brown has earned some of those credits due to her “model” behavior as a prisoner — she has received her associate’s degree, is working on her bachelor's, and consults on an unpaid basis for the juvenile justice system.

But now the court says that her sentence isn’t unconstitutional because she will have the possibility of parole — it just won’t be until she serves at least 51 years.

CNN reported that at a clemency hearing in May, the Tennessee Board of Parole couldn’t come to an agreement on a recommendation to Governor Haslam — two members voted to grant clemency, two voted to deny it, and two voted to make her eligible for parole after 25 years.