Update: Survivor Tiffany's Simpson's Habeas Hearing
Last Spring, Dressember partnered with Karana Rising to launch the Survivor Justice Initiative and advocate for the freedom of Tiffany Simpson, a survivor of human trafficking who is currently wrongfully incarcerated. We have shared her story and advocated for the reform that is needed in the US criminal justice system to protect the rights of victims and survivors of human trafficking. We’re so inspired by the way the Dressember community has advocated for Tiffany and other wrongfully incarcerated survivors, and we’re sharing this update to invite you to show up loudly for Tiffany again.
In 2011, at the time of Tiffany’s arrest, child victims of sex trafficking were protected from arrest and incarceration by Georgia law. Despite knowing that Tiffany is a victim of child sex trafficking, the court sentenced her to 30 years in prison, which is 20 years longer than the mandatory minimum in the state. Tiffany has been imprisoned for a crime she was involved in while being trafficked (trafficking victims often experience coercion to commit criminal acts while in trafficking situations), has been separated from her son who is currently in the custody of her trafficker’s mother, and was forced to work alongside ineffective and adversarial counsel until she began working with the Karana Rising team and her effective and compassionate pro bono attorney, Susan Coppedge.
Tiffany's habeas hearing was presented in January and we'd like to provide our community with an update on her case and encourage you to sign the change.org petition for her freedom.
A habeas hearing allows those convicted to appear before the court and explain or address any issues with their trial, including issues like ineffective counsel. On January 4, 2022, Tiffany had a habeas hearing to address the ineffective counsel assistance she received at her trial. The court-appointed attorney who previously assisted Tiffany was interviewed during this hearing. According to the change.org update, “Tiffany herself testified for hours with her testimony showing the grave miscarriage of injustice done to her through her 2011 arrest, sentencing and incarceration. It was painful to hear her tears and know how deeply triggering the reliving of her court trauma was for her. Yet, her grace, bravery and honesty were so inspiring.” Tiffany said after her habeas hearing that she had never felt so loved and supported before.
Tiffany’s team is hopeful that the habeas will be granted and that Tiffany will therefore have an opportunity to have her case transferred to the county where she was convicted, leading to a re-trial and, hopefully, freedom. We are hopeful that this can be a message and example to all courts that injustice toward survivors will no longer be tolerated.
In Georgia, where Tiffany has been tried, the laws surrounding this issue were recently updated. As of July 1, 2020, survivors of both labor and sex trafficking may seek to vacate convictions and/or restrict access to criminal history information for any offense committed in Georgia as a direct result of trafficking. While this is certainly a strong start, survivors must still wait six to twelve months following a conviction to file a petition. As a result, the law does not necessarily serve those in Tiffany’s situation who have been wrongfully convicted.
A criminal conviction for these types of crimes reduces survivor access to employment, housing, financial aid, child custody, and government assistance. Habeas hearings like Tiffany’s can help to clear survivors’ names and ensure that survivors will be able to access economic opportunity, resources, and the support needed for sustained liberation. Survivors are forced to relive trauma from trafficking experiences every time their past interferes with their pursuit of stable employment or housing. Helping those who have been wrongfully convicted, like Tiffany, to clear their names must also be coupled with criminal record relief, which works to absolve survivors of criminal activity that occurred while they were being trafficked.
Despite facing all of these challenges, Tiffany continues to powerfully advocate for herself and women who have faced similar situations. Tiffany said, “When I am free, I am going to make sure I use my past to help other girls coming up behind me. That is what women do. We lead.” Tiffany seeks to turn the lack of love she felt into powerful resources and tools for others who face similar circumstances and experiences, so that they may not face similar outcomes to hers.
As an advocate alongside Karana Rising, Tiffany fights for people whose experiences have looked like hers. We partnered with Karana Rising as part of our Survivor Justice Initiative, which works to break the cycle of incarceration and trafficking. Karana Rising seeks to educate the public on the realities of incarcerating survivors, create a network of survivors and experts to identify the root causes of incarcerating survivors and establish pathways for survivors by supporting mentorship and healing for incarcerated survivors rooted in survivor leadership and trauma-informed care.
Over 75,000 people have shown that they believe survivors and want justice through the legal system for them by signing the change.org petition to free child sex trafficking survivor Tiffany Simpson.
If you have not already shown your support by signing the change.org petition, please consider doing so. Your support can help to show the importance placed on this case and the issue of incarceration for crimes committed while in trafficking situations more broadly. By passionately advocating for individuals like Tiffany and against practices like incarcerating survivors for crimes committed while in a coercive and trafficking situation, we can continue to work toward a world in which survivors of human trafficking can live with dignity and, someday, one entirely free of human trafficking.