Sharanda Jones is an entrepreneur and passionate criminal justice advocate. She was sentenced in 1999 to mandatory life without parole for a federal drug offense – her first ever conviction. After serving 16 years and 9 months in prison, Sharanda was granted clemency by President Obama on December 18, 2015. This act of mercy by the President literally saved her life. She works tirelessly to use her story to highlight the critical need to transform the criminal justice system.