NLADA New Leaders in Advocacy Award - Stacey Lannert
Stacey Lannert is an assistant public defender for the state of Missouri whose personal commitment to defense work derives from her own experience as a criminal defendant. At the age of eighteen, Stacey was sentenced to life without parole for fatally shooting the man who sexually abused her for over a decade. That man was her father. After serving eighteen years in prison, the Governor of Missouri granted her clemency in 2009, and within six days, she walked out prison gates and towards a law degree.
Stacey graduated from Southeast Missouri State University, magna cum laude, in 2014, and from the University of Missouri School of Law in 2017. Stacey became a criminal defense attorney with the St. Louis City Public Defender’s office in November, 2017. Shortly after becoming a public defender, Stacey received a pardon in July, 2018.
Stacey has the distinction of being a double clemency recipient and helping others navigate the complicated process. Clemency is often a last chance for freedom for unjustly convicted persons. While in law school, Stacey had the opportunity to intern with the Missouri Governor’s Office where she assisted with the creation and implementation of Missouri’s first rigorous rubric for clemency application. Stacey developed and instructs a presentation geared to assist other practitioners navigate the clemency process.
In 2017, Stacey was appointed to the Missouri Governor’s State Justice Reinvestment Task Force, where she assisted in designing and implementing a justice reinvestment approach to address criminal justice challenges. Stacey assisted with analyzing data and the development of policy options for legislative consideration.
Stacey believes in the power of transformation and hopes to be a driving factor in systemic change directed at the criminal legal field. Stacey’s voice for advocacy is amplified by her background and she has shared her message on a variety of stages: The United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review, Oprah, CNN, the Joy Behar Show, and Piers Morgan Tonight. Stacey’s memoir, Redemption: A Memoir of Sisterhood, Survival and Finding Freedom Behind Bars was released by Random House in 2011.
The criminal legal system can be a dehumanizing system for people trapped within it. Stacey describes incarceration as a place where hate laughs and love cries. She hopes to achieve a more just and humane process for her clients as she zealously advocates for them.
Congratulations Stacey!
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