At only 11 years old, a pimp began grooming Sara Kruzan for prostitution. At 13, he began selling her to strangers on the street for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. At 16 years old, she shot and killed him. Since then, she has been serving a life sentence without a possibility of parole.
She Is a Victim, Not a Criminal
Sara was not old enough to legally consent to sex. Yet, the courts treated her like an adult, labeled her as a prostitute and showed no mercy for the fact that she was an abused, frightened and lost child.
She Has Already Served 15 Years In Prison
Yes, taking a life is horrible. No, she didn't have to do it. But let's be real. This man was a child-abusing pimp. He brainwashed her, raped her and stole her childhood. Murder is a serious act, but if the circumstances are justly considered, shouldn't 15 years be enough?
the Race Card May Be on the Table
Experts cite California as one of the states with the highest rates of racial inequality within the criminal justice system. Sara is Black. While this is not an automatic cause for release, it should be investigated to find if race, in any way, played a part in her sentencing.
She Has Served As a Model Prisoner
Sara has completed college, won awards for inmate citizenship and has managed to dodge further trouble while in prison. Shouldn't this count for something?
Sara Should Have Been Released Years Ago
The California Youth Authority labeled Sara as a young girl likely to be properly rehabilitated with treatment, but the judge ignored this (and other similar recommendations by mental health experts), viewed her as someone who lacked moral scruples and as someone who premeditated her crime (Duh, he'd been abusing her since she was 11 and selling her to strangers since she was 13...sure, she thought about killing him, she was a KID).
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