When the Light Finds Us From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed

Judy Henderson was a single mother withasuccessful small business of her own when she was arrested andconvicted of a crime she did not commit.Sentenced to life in prison, Henderson faced the untenable: leaving her young children as she entered the brutal prison system.Even as she faced violence, mistreatment, Henderson persevered with hope and determination. Shenever lost sight of her innocence-or her deeply held role as a mother. She also gained new purpose, fighting for her clemency and for the rights of incarcerated women, especially mothers. As the years passed, Henderson experienced hope through serendipitous events and calls, letters, and too infrequent visits with her children and other family. With the support of the prosecutor who once sought her conviction and the Missouri governor, Henderson was granted clemency and received a full pardon after nearly thirty-five years behind bars.