A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom

Sharanda’s mother, Genice, was serving her sentence at the only medical facility for women in federal prison, Carswell. Calling the care given at this facility substandard would be an understatement. When improper handling caused Genice to break her tailbone, prison doctors deemed treatment unnecessary. As a result, the swelling threatened her internal organs, and she had to be rushed to an outside hospital. Such malpractice, neglect, and lack of compassion were the norm at Carswell.

After tenacious efforts, Sharanda finally succeeded in obtaining a transfer to Carswell, as the prison also housed inmates not in need of hospital services. Once there, Sharanda was able to help nurse her mother back from her “alarming condition” (157). Characteristically, Sharanda “threw herself into the everyday things that brought her joy and a sense of meaning—her card-making, her culinary creations, caring for and mentoring other women on the unit” (163). It was particularly impressive that Sharanda could make tasty dishes from the items available at the prison commissary.

In 2012, Barnett launched her nonprofit organization Girls Embracing Mothers (GEM) at the Gatesville prison, where her own mother had served her sentence. She was denied permission to start the program at Carswell because of her representation of Sharanda.