A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom

Crack cocaine is an illegal drug that contains the same ingredients as powder cocaine. Unlike powder cocaine, crack is smoked, not snorted or injected. It is cheaper and typically results in a faster high, but one of shorter duration. The sentencing disparities for crack compared to powder caused the lengthy sentences of Barnett’s clients.

Federal drug conspiracy is a crime that contains three elements: an agreement to traffic drugs in any amount that is made between two or more people who join the agreement voluntarily (125). Given its breadth, this law made convictions based on testimony easy and accounted for the federal government’s high conviction rate, even with no physical evidence.

Ghost dope refers to the calculation of drug quantities based entirely on testimony, often uncorroborated, in the absence of physical evidence (129). The calculations often inflated the amount of drugs, resulting in excessive prison sentences.

Pulling chain is jailhouse slang for being transferred from a local jail to a state-run prison. It was traumatic for Barnett when her mother was transferred this way.

Sentencing enhancements allow prosecutors to lengthen prison sentences via the citation of aggravating factors or past convictions. Prosecutors routinely used such enhancements to lengthen the sentences of Barnett’s clients.

Stacking is a prosecutorial strategy by which charges are added to increase the odds of a harsher sentence or to bully defendants into accepting plea bargains (119). This strategy was routinely invoked in the War on Drugs and in cases against Barnett’s clients.