Love During Lockup: Britney Asks For Help!

Britney Alvarado Cruz is currently taking the viewers of Love During Lockup on a rollercoaster ride regarding her unique relationship with Kerok. Kerok is a trans male, and they met while they were both incarcerated. Britney is adjusting to her “outside” life and eagerly waits for Kerok to come home so they can start their life together. However, Britney finds juggling work, school, and Kerok’s overbearing friend EB overwhelming at times.

Britney is no stranger to prison life. When she was seventeen years old, her family reported her as a runaway. This would lead to a series of bad decisions by Britney, eventually leading her to serve time for criminal charges, including robbery and unlawful wounding.

In a wide-ranging interview with the YouTube channel Kiki and Kibbitz, Britney admits she believes she had to serve her time in prison to become the woman she is working on today. Britney believes in God and is “not the same person I was when I first went in.” Britney fully intends on taking advantage of her second chance – and while encouraging everyone to live a clean and safe lifestyle- believes in giving well-deserved second chances to others. Check out Britney’s full interview below!

Giving second chances is why this particular movement is so near and dear to Britney’s heart, and she is asking the fans of Love After Lockup for their help! According to Britney – her best friend Holly Landry – is an example of someone who deserves a second chance. Holly – like Britney- was incarcerated at a young age – sixteen years old.

The details of her charges are serious – she was convicted of capital homicide, conspiracy to murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit abduction by force or deception, two felony counts of kidnapping, two felony counts of robbery, and one felony count of malicious witness wounding. She was sentenced to a life sentence in 1996 and was rejected by the Virginia State Parole Board in 2022.

The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution acknowledges that children under eighteen may not have the mental capacity to understand the severity of such circumstances regarding violent crimes. According to an appeal submitted by the attorney for Holly Landry:

“In its Eighth Amendment jurisprudence, the Supreme Court recognizes that
persons under the age of 18 as a class are constitutionally different from adults for
purposes of sentencing. Juveniles inherently lack maturity; they do not have a fully
formed character and a fully developed sense of responsibility; and they are both more susceptible to external influences and less able to control their environment than are adults. Juveniles are also more capable of change than adults and therefore more capable of being reformed. Because of these attributes of youth, juveniles are not as morally culpable as adults when engaging in similar conduct. In light of these characteristics, the Court recognizes that juveniles as a class are less deserving of the most severe punishments. But it also recognizes that a rare few juveniles may nonetheless be found to be permanently incorrigible.”

Holly’s appeal was denied because she argued that the Miller v Alabama ruling – which made life sentences in prison for teenagers unconstitutional- didn’t apply retroactively to past cases that may also fit the same criteria. Miller v. Alabama could be used for cases from the date of the ruling- but not past cases such as Holly’s.

Holly’s friend Britney is using her platform as her voice. Britney asks her fans and the viewers for help to ask for Holly’s second chance in society. After serving over twenty-five years in the prison system, Holly Landry spends her days making a difference in other women’s lives. She mentors younger inmates and is a licensed cosmetologist. Holly has used her time in prison to reform herself – and like Britney – also has found comfort and guidance in God. Check out Britney’s TikTok below, where you can hear her impassioned plea and learn more about her best friend Holly, who she believes deserves a second chance – just like Britney herself is receiving.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRWKdNVB/

Britney is asking for as many fans and viewers as possible to show their support and sign the Change.org petition she created. Britney is taking full advantage of her second chance and wants her best friend to be able to do the same.

https://www.change.org/p/grant-holly-landry-parole

Please help Britney help her friend by signing this petition. While no one should commit a crime in the first place – don’t we agree that once someone shows they are rehabilitated, they deserve a second chance? What do you think? Please drop me a line below and let me know!