Summary

Brittany travelled to the Carswell women’s prison in Fort Worth, Texas, to visit Sharanda. Listening to the guards harshly guide the visitors through metal detectors and sitting in the cold, sterile waiting room brought back memories of visiting her mother in prison.

Brittany and Sharanda had a warm conversation. Sharanda was the same age as Brittany’s dad and had grown up within an hour of both of Brittany's parents’ hometowns; she had the familiar country accent that Brittany was used to hearing. Throughout their conversation, the vastness of Sharanda’s life sentence hovered over them, although they did not discuss the case. Sharanda remained optimistic and was determined that she would not die in prison. After the visit, the two kept in close communication and opened up to each other about their experiences and struggles.

When Sharanda was...