✍️ PETITION FOR JUSTICE AND MERCY: Bring Sarah Lynn Berry Home

We, the undersigned, call on President Donald J. Trump, the Office of the Pardon Attorney, and Alice Johnson (whom Sarah met in prison, and who told her, “Keep fighting”) to grant clemency and justice for Sarah Lynn Berry .

QUICK OVERVIEW

 

🇺🇸 CALL TO ACTION

Sarah Lynn Berry has served more than 14 years on a sentence that would not stand today.

She deserves a corrected judgment, a fair review, and the ability to receive First Step Act credits she has earned. If she got clemency she would be able to go to state prison and get one step closer to being home with her family . 

📌 Clemency Number: C322798

📌 Website: JusticeForSarahBerry.com

📌 Email: Justice4SarahBerry@gmail.com

PERSONAL 

Sarah has never denied her mistakes. She drove the car ,  But for 14 years, she’s been proving day in and day out that she’s not who she was. 

 She’s been recognized for her leadership, work ethic, and commitment to rehabilitation. If you met her you would be shocked she is in prison . She is not your typical inmate . Everyone knows her as honest, trustworthy,  dedicated , a good friend and mother . Not a woman who would be caught up in robberies . 

Who was sarah ? 

 

 

 

 

Sarah was a volunteer firefighter, a skilled athlete who raced on NASCAR short tracks, and worked alongside her father to train police K9s. She came from a patriotic, hard-working family and had a promising future. But at just 23 years old her life changed she lost her freedom , her children and her family.  She was a young mother caught in a violent, controlling relationship with a felon who led her down a path of fear, isolation, and manipulation. 

Sarah always taken accountability for her involvement and lives every day with regret, remorse, and the pain of feeling she failed herself and her children. Yet from prison, she has remained a mother  doing her best to raise her kids despite the distance. Now, she’s even farther away, transferred from West Virginia to Texas after speaking out about abuse and corruption within the prison system. Her parents, both in poor health, can no longer travel to see her. Her children are now 15 and 18 . They both struggle daily with no having their mother.  It is detrimental for these kids to reunite with their mother and her parents see their daughter before they pass away and as it sits she doesn't come home till 2041. 

 

 

 

 

Sarah and her two children at the time of her arrest .

Sarah did what victims are told to do in domestic violence situations . And the truth about the " whole picture " that the government doesn’t say or consider as relevant . 

Her partner and his friend carried out a spree of  robberies tragically one that turned deadly. Sarah was not in the building, not even in the parking lot, and did not participate in any violence. Still, prosecutors threatened her with the death penalty and charged her with crimes that exaggerated her role. She was told her father could be indicted ( because the gun was one he gave her for protection ) if she didn’t take a plea. And even if you are in support of law and order the truth is the entire justice system is broken and we have seen the lawfair used against people in the wrong and corrupt ways . While sarah was under unimaginable pressure, duress she took the deal and its not because sarah didn't believe she deserved time and punishment but not abuse or power and discretion. She was sentenced to 34 years in federal prison, followed by a 35-year state sentence.

 

 

 

 

Her co-defendants  the ones who were inside the building were never brought to justice by the state. West Virginia failed to go after the co defendants and  Sarah is now the only one serving both federal and state time.  How is that fair?  Equal justice ?  because she tried to do the right thing, and the system turned its back on her. She notified them and faced the charges , while they did not . They do not have a detainer and she does . She is a minimum as low as you can get for security classification but is forced to stay in a medium security prison and She is eligible for camp but is denied because of the detainer.  

Her attorney failed to submit letters written by her co-defendants, which confirmed that Sarah was not involved in the planning or execution of the robbery and that she was threatened and forced to drive under duress. Any woman who’s been in an abusive relationship knows how bad it can get . But none of that was taken into account. And now, Sarah is serving more time than most murderers.

Why This Is a Call for Justice and a Cry for Mercy

In her federal  § 2255, the judge agreed that her conviction would not be lawful today under United States v. Davis  but still denied relief. Also that she is innocent of count 11 but she can't prove she is innocent of dismissed charges . WHAT???  Ask yourself is this justice ? 

The Bureau of Prisons has misclassified her conviction under § 924(c) instead of § 924(j), which has resulted in the loss of program access, time credits, and release opportunities..

Despite everything, Sarah has shown extraordinary strength, remorse and rehabilitation. She’s completed over 100 rehabilitation programs, mentored fellow inmates, and earned the respect of both staff and inmates . She’s survived retaliation, corruption, and abuse  and still chooses to speak out, not just for herself, but for others too afraid or too broken to do so . Truth and accountability is important. 

This Is Not Just About Sarah  It’s About What’s Right

She is ready to come home and she has earned that . Staff is constantly telling her in their 30 years of Corrections they havent seen a record like hers .

Sarahs parents have raised her two children while shes been in prison . Her disabled veteran father is declining in  health. Her mother's eye sight is deteriorating and they need their daughter  . Her children have grown up without their mother. She’s not asking to be let off the hook she’s asking for the chance to rebuild a life of purpose, service, and redemption.

While serving her sentence, Sarah Lynn Berry has proven herself through hard work, leadership, and personal transformation. She hasn’t just been a role model prisoner ,  she’s gone above and beyond to serve others and rebuild her life. Some of her accomplishments include:

Teaching GED classes and tutoring inmates

Working for Hobby Craft and painting large-scale murals inside the prison

 

 

 

 

 

 

Received her apprenticeship certificate for a dental assistant .

She has painted murals in the Prisons 

She helped balance budgets, audits and worked as a commissary worker 

Earned her paralegal degree while in prison 

Earned her culinary degree while in prison 

Works as  a suicide watch companion

The rec and visitation photographer

Trains dogs for service dogs in prison  

And much more 

Sarah is not the same young woman who entered prison over a decade ago. She is a living example of rehabilitation and redemption. She just needs the chance to finish her journey not behind razor wire, but reunited with her family and giving back to her community.

What We Are Asking

We respectfully ask for executive clemency a reduction in Sarah’s federal sentence so she can continue her state time and seek parole. This would bring her one step closer to home.

Please stand with us. Sign your name. Share her story. Help us shine a light on this injustice and give Sarah the chance to prove that even in the worst of circumstances, people can rise, rebuild, and return stronger.

A 34-Year Federal Sentence Based on Law That No Longer Applies

 

Sarah Lynn Berry was arrested in 2012, sentenced in 2016 at just 23 years old, and given 34 years in federal prison. She had no criminal history, was in an abusive relationship, and was a young mother with her entire life ahead of her.

 

At sentencing, the government asked for a reduction.

 

The judge refused.

 

Her Judgment and Commitment order also contains a clear clerical error: it lists a dismissed 924(c) charge. That mistake has never been corrected, and it is blocking her eligibility for the First Step Act (2018).

 

The Bureau of Prisons cannot fix a judgment.

 

Only the judge can.

 

He refuses.

 

Supreme Court decisions issued after her sentencing Johnson (2015), Davis (2019), Taylor (2022), and Lora (2023) make it clear that her sentencing structure would not be imposed today.

 

Sarah has now served over 14 years.

 

Her judgment is wrong.

 

Her sentence would not stand today.

 

She deserves a fair review.

 

Inside prison, Sarah has spent more than 14 years proving her growth and character:

 

Completed over 100 rehabilitative programs

 

Held consistent work assignments

 

Mentored and supported other women

 

Tutoring and graduating with degrees 

 

Trusted by staff and inmates 

 

Demonstrated maturity, accountability, and resilience

 

She is a devoted mother of two who has missed their entire childhoods.

 

She is not asking for favors ,only for fairness under the law.

 

🇺🇸 THE LEGAL ISSUES 

 

1. The Judgment Is Wrong — Not Outdated

 

Sarah’s Judgment and Commitment incorrectly lists a dismissed 924(c) as a conviction.

 

This single error:

 

Labels her a “violent offender”

 

Blocks First Step Act earned time credits

 

Stops BOP from reclassifying her

 

Prevents program placement

 

Blocks early release calculations

 

Rule 36 exists specifically to correct clerical errors like this.

 

In 2025, Sarah filed a Rule 36 motion.

 

The judge refused to correct it.

 

2. Her Sentence Would Not Be Legal Today

 

Sarah’s sentence hinges on treating her underlying offense as a “crime of violence.” Under current Supreme Court law, it no longer qualifies.

 

Key legal rulings:

 

Johnson (2015) — narrowed “violent felony”

 

Davis (2019) — struck down the residual clause

 

Taylor (2022) — limited Hobbs Act predicates

 

Lora (2023) — clarified § 924(j) sentencing structure

 

These decisions make clear that the legal basis for her current sentence has collapsed.

 

If sentenced today, Sarah’s guideline range and statutory exposure would be significantly lower.

 

3. The Judge Ignored Required Sentencing Factors

 

At sentencing, the judge did not meaningfully consider:

 

Sarah’s young age (23)

 

Her lack of criminal history

 

Her documented abusive relationship

 

Her status as a mother of two

 

Her letters of support

 

Her rehabilitation potential

 

These are legally relevant factors under federal law.

 

They were not weighed properly.

 

4. The Government Asked for a Reduction — The Judge Refused

 

At Sarah’s 2016 sentencing:

 

The government recommended a sentence reduction

 

The judge rejected it outright

 

This is rare.

 

It shows how unusual and severe her sentence was from the beginning.

 

5. The First Step Act (2018) Was Meant for People Like Sarah

 

Sarah has earned time credits under the First Step Act, but she cannot use them because of the incorrect 924(c) on her judgment.

 

BOP has repeatedly told her:

 

“We cannot change a federal court judgment. Only the judge can.”

 

She is trapped between:

 

A judge refusing to correct his own clerical error

 

A Bureau of Prisons required to follow that error

 

This is exactly the kind of case Congress needs to see.

 

🇺🇸 TIMELINE

 

2012 – Arrest

 

Sarah is arrested at age 23. No prior criminal record.

 

2016 – Sentencing

 

Government asks for a reduction.

 

Judge refuses.

 

34-year sentence imposed.

 

Judgment incorrectly lists dismissed 924(c).

 

2018 – First Step Act Becomes Law

 

Sarah should be eligible, but incorrect judgment blocks credits.

 

2019 – Davis

 

Predicate no longer qualifies as a crime of violence.

 

2020 – Taylor

 

Confirms certain Hobbs Act offenses cannot serve as predicates.

 

2020–2024 – Relief Attempts Denied

 

Court denies all attempts to correct or reconsider sentence.

 

2025 – Rule 36 Motion Filed

 

Sarah files Rule 36 to correct dismissed 924(c) language.

 

Judge refuses.

 

2025–Present — Continued Denials

 

BOP cannot apply First Step Act credits without a corrected judgment. Court refuses to correct the error.

 

🇺🇸  WHAT CONGRESS CAN DO 

 

This is not about politics  this is about fairness, law, and accuracy.

 

Congress can:

 

Ask the sentencing court why a dismissed statute remains on the judgment

 

Urge the judge to correct the J&C under Rule 36

 

Support clemency based on rehabilitation

and changed legal standards

 

Ensure the First Step Act is being applied as Congress intended

 

Review how uncorrected clerical errors trap people in unlawful sentences

👉 SIGN THE PETITION. SHARE HER STORY. HELP BRING SARAH HOME.

CALL CONGRESS DEMAND THEY PUSH FOR CLEMENCY 

#JusticeForSarah

#BringSarahHome

#SecondChancesMatter

#ClemencyNow

 

* If you know Sarah and can get in touch with me please do by email 

Justice4sarahberry@gmail.com