Brook Davis: Diversion & Expungement - A Second Chance or Not? - Season 6, Episode 7

A record that’s expunged is supposed to be gone, so why can it still cost someone their job years later? In this episode, Amber and Jason chat with Brook Davis, a Memphis educator, veteran, and mom whose life changed in an instant after a years of domestic abuse and an acute crisis led to a conviction. Brook speaks with rare clarity about what it feels like when the system tells your story for you, especially when law enforcement power and public narratives are stacked on one side.

We also dig into veterans court and diversion programs, including what they demand and what they can make possible. Brook completed an intense 18-month path that ended in expungement, then translated her experience into teaching incarcerated youth inside a juvenile detention center. For more than a decade, she served as the kind of credible messenger young people in the justice system need, proving that rehabilitation and reentry can be real.

Then a change in facility ownership triggered a new background check, and Brook was suddenly told her background was “unfavorable” without any details, transparency, or clear appeal. We talk about expungement loopholes, “matters of fact” hiring decisions, clean slate laws, and why second-chance policy fails when agencies can access hidden data and keep it secret. 

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Welcome To Amplified Voices

Intro 0:12

Everyone has a voice, a story to tell. Some are marginalized and muted. What if there were a way to amplify those stories? To have conversations with real people in real communities. A way to help them step into the power of their lived experience. Welcome to Amplified Voices, a podcast lifting the experiences of people and families impacted by the criminal legal system. Together, we can create positive change for everyone.

Jason 0:46

Hello

Brooke’s Life Before The System

Jason 0:46

and welcome to another episode of Amplified Voices. I'm your host, Jason, here with my co-host Amber. Good morning, Amber.

Amber 0:53

Good morning, Jason.

Jason 0:55

Amber, today we have Brooke Davis. Hi, Brooke.

Brooke 0:58

Hi, Jason.

Jason 1:00

Brooke, can you tell us a little bit about your life before you entered the criminal legal system and then what brought you into it?

Brooke 1:07

Yes, well, I'm Brooke Davis, and I'm from Memphis, Tennessee. Before I entered the criminal legal system, um, I wasn't different from anybody else, a veteran, a wife, a mother, uh, educator. I was a principal of a Catholic school. I had normal stuff going on day to day, like anybody else. My family, both my parents are still alive, so very involved with family and active, uh, play on an adult soccer team. Just normal stuff.

Amber 1:52

So, Brooke, I I heard that you were a veteran, and um, so I have to add first of all, thank you for your service. I'm also a veteran. And what service? I was in the army. Both of my parents were in the army. That is amazing. I have heard the K Song song many times because I was in the Marine Corps band. And what did you do in the Army?

Brooke 2:13

I was military police. All right, okay. So you're from Tennessee. Are you originally from Tennessee? Um I was born in in Memphis after high school. I moved to San Francisco and did my undergraduate at the University of San Francisco. And that's where I was married, my first marriage, and had my daughter. And after I divorced, I ended up moving back to Memphis just due to the cost of living in the Bay Area.

Jason 2:45

How how old was your daughter when you moved back to Tennessee?

Brooke 2:49

She was turning two.

Jason 2:52

Okay. So that was what she knew.

Brooke 2:55

Right. So she's 25 now, about to be 26, about to get married. It's amazing to look back how how time moves so quickly. That is very real.

Jason 3:07

Yeah. Did you have just the one?

Brooke 3:10

Just the one.

Jason 3:10

What were you doing for work?

Brooke 3:12

I was actually working in radio and television. That's what my undergraduate degree was in. And it was in advertising sales. And I discovered quickly that working off of commission was not something that I liked. So I ended up getting in a master's program to get my master's in special education. And that's how I segued into teaching.

Amber 3:40

I mean, first thing that I'm noticing, Brooke, is that you're a person that is really resilient and just adjusts and does a lot of different things.

Brooke 3:48

As the army likes to say, adapt and overcome. That's my motto, adapt and overcome, because I'm still adapting and overcoming. Absolutely.

Jason 3:58

Did you remarry or did you say a single mom?

Brooke 4:01

I did remarry. So uh the second marriage, I think, occurred in like 2009. And so that that's the individual that I was married to when things turned toxic.

Jason 4:18

Ah, so what happened?

Abuse, Isolation, And The Arrest

Brooke 4:20

So it was 2013. My ex-husband, he worked for Memphis Police Department on the SWAT team. And the marriage was very toxic. It was toxic for the beginning. And knowing what I know now, I should have gotten out of it as soon as I got in it. The type of person I was, I wanted to do what I could to save the marriage and persevere, and that was the worst thing to do. So it became extremely mentally and physically abusive, dynamic. And we had a domestic incident. He ended up calling his police colleagues to the home. And unfortunately, due to my fear and crisis and poor judgment, I discharged a firearm uh in the direction of responding officers. And so I was arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated assault.

Amber 5:26

Wow, that sounds frightening. And I really appreciate you sharing sort of the context around one of the things that is really important when we have conversations with people who've been impacted by the system is nobody just stumbles into situations. There's a lot of like real life context around what is happening when people are experiencing oftentimes the worst moment of their life. And it sounds like you are in extreme distress. Am I characterizing that correctly?

Brooke 5:58

Oh, absolutely. There's parts of that evening that due to my mental state, I don't remember certain things. Even after all these years, you try to go back and did I do this? Did I not do this? So a lot of my circumstances, I had to go by what was being told to me. And when I questioned things, there was no evidence for certain things that I was asking about. So it felt like a very one-sided dynamic. And I was just kind of at the mercy uh of everybody. Um and in an instant, you're living your life, you're free, you have your goals, and then in a split second, it's all taken away.

Jason 6:49

You know, you described this domestic abuse. Did you have people you felt you could talk with, or were you did you feel isolated?

Brooke 6:56

I was very isolated. My ex, due to his position with the police department of being specialized operations, he didn't like to have social media. Um, we didn't have a lot of friends. I was basically living on my own island. And, you know, I was a principal of a Catholic school. And uh, you know, I would have to cover up bruises, get myself together, and go in and put on a face for families and children. And it was why I would want to hide that. I think I was just like, I didn't want another failed marriage, I wanted to make it work. Um, just all the wrong, wrong approach.

Jason 7:44

You've got this daughter you've got to care for, and you said you didn't want to have a second failed marriage. So it sounds like you're saying you were just you felt there was no way out.

Brooke 7:55

And I felt trapped. I felt trapped. It it took a lot to put on a strong face and keep it together, but I think there were friends and family that could tell that you know it was coming unraveled, but just didn't want to step in trying to be respectful. But looking back, I I wish I had just packed my bags and left.

Jason 8:23

Yeah, so you didn't. This incident happens, you discharged the firearm. Are you and are you taken into custody on the spot?

Brooke 8:33

Taken into custody. I had an injury that required medical attention at the hospital. Um, so they took me to the hospital and I was acting erratic. And so then once I was there and they stabilized me, they sent me to another organization for mental evaluation, and this is all in conjunction with my attorney getting involved and getting in front of a judge to see if a bond was going to be established. Because my situation was on the news and they were broadcasting, you know, additional charges could be added. Uh, my head was spinning. I'm trying to call home and find out what's happening to me. Where am I gonna, where am I going? Who's gonna help me? So I just had I had to wait for judge to thank God um give me a bond.

Amber 9:43

And so one of the things that I'm hearing, Brooke, is that there was this sort of additional layer of being in a essentially domestic violence situation, but also being married to law enforcement, yes, which had different access to the levers of power than other people. And absolutely when I'm thinking about this, I'm also remembering that you are a military policeman. Did your experience of what happened in this situation line up with your thoughts of what the sort of role of police or policing was? What are your thoughts on that?

Brooke 10:26

Well, in the marriage, my ex, when we would have disputes, he would always use the phrase, I can show you better than I can tell you. And I at first didn't really understand the magnitude of what he was saying to me early, right? When he started saying that. So now you're basically telling me that I can't call upon law enforcement to help me because you're gonna have your colleagues rally around you to twist the story. So I felt hopeless. Yeah.

Jason 11:24

How was your self-esteem after a few years of marriage?

Brooke 11:28

Oh, it was it was rock bottom. It was rock bottom. Um, when I was arrested, I did not look like the same person when I had originally married him. I had lost a ton of weight, my hair was falling out just from all the stress, everything I was experiencing. It was physical appearance, it was obvious that something was going on.

Jason 11:53

Now you're you're in the system, you've taken into custody, you have some bruises that need to heal. You said you bonded out. How long is the process before you actually have your day in court?

Veterans Court As A Lifeline

Brooke 12:04

It took some weeks for them to establish the first court date. But what they were, what my attorney was trying to do, someone had, I don't know who it was, but there was an individual that came forward and he knew that I was a veteran and managed to make connections with the veterans court program in the Memphis court system. I had I had no knowledge that this court program existed and will be forever grateful that it exists. But my case had to go before the DA. They wanted to take me to criminal court and prosecute immediately. Uh my attorney went before the district attorney and said, let us have her case and put it in the VA court program. But at that time, the VA court program was on the fence with taking my case because of the severity of the charges. They said these are the most severe charges that we we would ever have in our court program. Most of the veterans that were going through this court program were like DUIs, drug charges, you know, smaller charges. And I just praying to God, please take my case. So if I was to go to criminal court, I would have been facing anywhere between uh up to 30 years. That's what my attorney told me. And and I knew deep down in my gut that they were going to make an example of me. It's a weird mentality when you do something that was being positioned as against the police department. Because I had people ask me, Were you trying to do death by suicide by cop? And I'm like, are you out of your mind? I'm married to a police officer. I was a veteran military police officer. Why on earth would I want to do something like that? Um, but that's how they were positioning it. And I said to myself, if this goes before criminal court, they are going to label me as a cop killer. That's how I felt.

Amber 14:26

Well, and I really appreciate you bringing that up, Brooke, because you do see that there is the idea that brutality against police or other sort of entities, first responder, you know, all of those types of things is seen as more egregious than violence between members of the public or so on and so forth. However, to be fair, brutality by police against people often falls under qualified immunity. So there is a bit of a different way that things are handled. So it is an interesting phenomenon that is real and exists. And oftentimes, even when you're talking about sentencing, charging decisions, even parole decisions, clemency decisions, things like that, if there is violence against a police officer involved, that is considered in a different way. So you were in a state of distress, it's being positioned, it's highly uh covered in the sensationalized, covered in the media. And so to Jason's question, the idea that it would go through veterans court, could you explain? Because veterans court is like a diversionary court, could you explain what that means?

Brooke 15:50

So if you're in this program, the veteran has the ability to have their record expunged if they fulfill all the requirements that they lay out for you, which is an amazing opportunity because I believe other diversion programs do not automatically give you an expungement at the end that you have to go and take care of that on your own. So it's like all inclusive. So they map out all the steps that you have to complete in order to fill, you know, to qualify. It's very, it's extremely difficult. I was given 18 months. Yeah. And so in those 18 months, I'm still under my bond. So I can't do anything to violate my bond. Otherwise, it's null and void, and I go straight before a grand jury that was told from the beginning. You do anything to mess up, and you're out of here. So I was scared to death. Oh my God. So while I'm 18 months of working this program, I still have aggravated assault charges on my record. So I lost my job as a principal, obviously. I can't turn around and go apply to another school system because you're in this limbo with charges. Because I've got charges. So I had to start waiting tables, and that's one of the requirements. You have to have a job. Then there's all these programs that I had to complete. PTSD, they sent me to a domestic assault. I was the aggressor. So I'm in this, I'm in this class with these women who have been, they're not the aggressors, and everybody has to introduce themselves and then get around to me. I'm Brooke Davis. What brought you here? Oh, well, I was arrested for shooting at the police. And I I didn't want to share this with them because I thought my situation is not the same as theirs, but I still had to do the program.

Amber 18:05

But actually, this seems a gross systemic irony when I'm thinking about it, because actually your situation was similar to their theirs, except for the fact that the result and the manifestation of that was your breakdown and that led to this because you were in a situation similar to theirs.

Brooke 18:29

Yes, yes. And as I moved along in the program with the women, I came to realize wait a second, I am similar to them. Not to make it funny, but there was a couple of women in there that were like, Yeah, right on for shooting at the police, because they knew my story. They knew that I was married to a police officer. And I was like, no, no, let's not cheer that on.

Jason 18:54

You had talked about self-esteem before, right? And not having that self-esteem. And it seems like it took you a while to even realize that you were in an abusive situation. You might have known it at some level, but going through this programming, it took you, it took you time to even understand and put into context how you got to where you got. Because it's not how could it be your how could it how could there have been anything that led to this? It was you know, you you took accountability right away for what happened, it sounds like, but or the blame for what happened without really thinking about what led up to it. Does that make sense?

Brooke 19:31

It took years to process, you know, the magnitude of the just the mental abuse that I had experienced. And that that's a process in itself. Years of being in a mentally abusive dynamic, you know, compounds over time. So it takes it's a process to unpack that and really understand, my God, how did I exist in that? And why would I subject myself to that?

Jason 20:06

And I think that it's really hard for anybody who hasn't been through that sort of situation to understand it. To like, why would you put yourself through that? Why would why would you why why didn't you just say something or step out of it? But as you talked about, it's not something that happens, you know, it's not a switch where one day everything's great and the next thing you're in this situation. It happens, it evolves over time in layers, right?

Brooke 20:30

I don't think it was until years after of completion of everything there was still healing that that had to happen. That that incident in itself, the magnitude of the severity of it, was so traumatic, coupled with the mental and physical abuse, took years for where I'm have arrived now. Now, I'll tell people today my peace and sanity is everything. My home is my sanctuary, and if you give me one inkling that there's a red flag, you're barred. No, no one's coming into my sanctuary to disrupt because I'm not going to put myself through something like that again.

Restrictions, Work, And Graduation

Jason 21:18

You said some programming that you had to go through, you had to have a job, you had to not have any other violations, were there other restrictions or other things you had to do in this 18-month period?

Amber 21:32

Prohibitions on things you could or couldn't do.

Brooke 21:35

Ooh, gosh. Was not allowed to go into any establishment but sold alcohol because I had had I had been drinking the night of the incident. So that was interesting because of they had never tested my blood level. So I was like, so we're deeming me as an alcoholic, or I I didn't understand that.

Jason 21:59

So that's not just the liquor store.

Brooke 22:00

That means you can't go into an Applebee's a restaurant that serves alcohol. That is few and far between often.

Amber 22:08

It's like a lunch cafe might qualify, but everything. Else, not so much.

Jason 22:13

So, talk about adding another layer of anxiety to your life. You're like trying to live in order, let's say you're working somewhere, and hey, let's all go out for some appetizer somewhere. Nope, you can't do that.

Brooke 22:24

And I hate to say this, but the only job that I could get was waiting in a restaurant. And when I gave my resume to the hiring manager, he kind of raised an eyebrow. He's looking at my credentials, looking at my degrees, and he says, What's exactly going on here? And I just kind of looked at him and he said, You don't have to explain. I think I have an idea. But he, out of the goodness of his heart, him not knowing that I had that on my bond restriction, gave me the job. I had to have a job. What else was I gonna do?

Amber 23:01

And it seems like along these journeys, there are people that provide a chance, right? It sounds like this person was like, what are all these degrees? And why would this person want to work here? But gave the opportunity. Maybe not the opportunity that you aspired to, but an honorable profession and a way to have a job.

Brooke 23:23

He didn't ask any questions. I wasn't gonna offer any extra details. I do know it was it became kind of a joke with the kitchen staff. They kept asking, are you undercover police? Are you here? And I'm like, No, I'm not undercover police. I promise you that. You just don't know.

Jason 23:46

So the 18 months goes by without incident, without incident.

Amber 23:51

Great, that's an accomplishment in and of itself. Oh, yes.

Jason 23:56

And and so did anybody send you these special greeting cards congratulating you on completing the 18 months and you had a big party at that point? What happened?

Brooke 24:05

I wasn't getting greeting cards, but I think my family was most excited. The court program, the VA court program, made a production of my graduation uh because it was considered kind of the first landmark case. Um, so they made me kind of the poster child of the court program, and I was happy to oblige.

Jason 24:31

So 2015, they're celebrating you. Your record gets expunged.

Brooke 24:37

Yes, you get your expungement papers in court on your graduation date.

Jason 24:42

Okay, so now it's like it never happened.

Amber 24:45

So for those who don't know what expungement exactly is, just explain you're given expungement papers. What does that mean practically for your life?

Brooke 24:56

That means that if you get a background check, since I'm a teacher, uh, they will run a background check with the state of Tennessee. That usually involves your fingerprints, that your record will come up clear. There won't be anything there to indicate that you have ever committed a crime.

Amber 25:18

So this is a big deal. This is this is like the the definition of second chance.

Jason 25:23

Compared to the alternative that you were facing potentially 30 years, you did your 18 months, it was not easy, but you did it, you were celebrated, you get, and now you have a completely clear record. And from there on out you wrote out into the sunset and saying kou by ya, and everybody's happy, right?

Brooke 25:41

So I thought.

Jason 25:42

Okay.

Brooke 25:44

All right, so what happens?

Teaching In Juvenile Detention

Brooke 25:46

So 2015, as soon as I received my expungement papers, I applied to the Memphis-Shelby County school system and was hired as a teacher. And at this particular time, they had a position open to teach the incarcerated juveniles. The school system has a partnership with the juvenile detention center in Memphis. And they offered me the position and said, How would you feel about teaching incarcerated juveniles? And I was like, Absolutely. I can relate to what they're going through. Right. This would be the perfect fit. So I was there for 11 years and loved every minute of it. There are some dynamics there with any work organization because you are having to work in conjunction with law enforcement. So you have a lot of moving pieces. But my primary focus was educating uh the juveniles and sharing my story and letting them know that a moment in life doesn't define you for the rest of your life. So we like to think. Everything was great, great relationships, loved being there, loved working with the juveniles.

Jason 27:11

Just to be clear, so that you were married at the time of your of the time you were when you were arrested, and he called the police. You subsequently you got divorced, I'm assuming, the second time in that.

Brooke 27:22

Oh, yes.

Jason 27:23

Yeah. So you and you and then you continued to have custody of your daughter throughout, right?

Brooke 27:30

She during that time, my my parents provided care for her while I was going through having to go to court, you know, every few weeks and all my classes. So they were a great support in that area because it did affect her. It was on the news and her schools. Everybody saw what was going on. That was traumatic in itself.

Jason 27:56

Sure. But were you able to come through that with her?

Brooke 28:00

Yes. Uh you know, there were some there were some bumpy moments, some growing pains. Uh, but today our relationship is stronger than ever.

Jason 28:13

So you have this, you have it get this job. It's you're teaching, you're using your background as an as you're able to show up as a as 100% you.

Amber 28:22

Yes.

Jason 28:23

And use everything you got. And you excelled at it, and you were doing great.

Amber 28:27

Adapt and overcome once again.

Jason 28:29

We get to 2026, and there's like uh you hit a landmine, right?

Brooke 28:34

I hit a landmine, yes.

Expungement Flagged After New Ownership

Brooke 28:37

So last October 2025, the juvenile detention center did an exchange of ownership. Shelby County Corrections took over ownership of the juvenile detention center. And with protocol, their agency did a background check on all personnel, not just me, all personnel in the building. And when the background checks came back, I got pulled into a meeting and I was told, you know, we did a background check, and your background check came back unfavorable. And I just looked at the three of them and was like, what do you mean, unfavorable? I don't see any documentation. What is it that's unfavorable? And the director just said, it's just unfavorable. Our database is very thorough and extensive, and it's just unfavorable, and you will not be able to continue teaching in this building, you're no longer able to be in this building. And I'm like, so you're not gonna tell me what information that you have and how you access this information, and without going into his banter, it was just a flat no. And I I was in disbelief.

Amber 30:07

So, Brooke, you had not been there six months, you'd been there teaching and making a lot of impact with young people for 11 years, yes, and so suddenly the bureaucracy changes. There's this protocol that happens, and you find yourself in a room with people that are questioning your background, this and that, and they're not giving you the specifics of what exactly they are leaning on, if you will, to make these decisions. And so walk us through what are you feeling in that moment.

Brooke 30:46

I've flat out told the director, you've completely re-victimized me. You've made me a criminal again. And I told him, I said, you don't have to tell me what the information is. I know what it is, it's my expungement. I said, but the fact that you're using it, you're weaponizing it, and basically prosecuting me all over again is unjust. And I told him, I said, you do what you have to do, and I'm gonna do what I have to do. And I will try to take legal recourse on this. And I did. I contacted about every attorney in the city of Memphis and could not get one to assist with the case. Whether my case had merit or not is not the point. It's why didn't I have someone to help defend me in this situation?

Amber 31:45

And does the state of Tennessee have anything like a, like, for instance, in Connecticut, where Jason and I both live, there is an agency called the CHRO. Jason, what does that stand for?

Jason 32:00

Commission on Human Rights and Opportunity.

Amber 32:03

Yes. And so they basically hear discrimination cases. So I think I have two questions. Is there an entity like that in Tennessee? And is there any sort of second chance legislation? What does the law say about expungements? Do you know?

Brooke 32:19

No, I don't I don't know exactly what the state of Tennessee's expungement law says. I pulled up different information. I spoke to several attorneys. I had one attorney that told me expungements are not all cracked up to what they're supposed to be. And I was like, You're like, that's crazy. What does that mean? Then I had another attorney tell me, well, because let me just make a point. My employer, the school system, is not the one that did this to me. Shelby County Corrections, which is in the law enforcement organization.

Jason 32:58

Yeah.

Brooke 32:59

They seem to be protected by embedded policies and procedures that they have the right to go into the system and dig into your background and still hold it over your head. So this one attorney said, I'm not seeing exactly what statute they would be violating. And I'm like, really? I'm finding that hard to believe. Because from what I'm looking at within expungement, there's no agency that's supposed to still have this information. Yeah. So I got very conflicting information. It's like, do people even really know how this is supposed to work?

Jason 33:48

That sounds like it's confusing on purpose.

Amber 33:50

And so um, you are seeking an attorney. Seems like you had a few conversations with attorneys that had some thoughts about it, but were not willing to sort of move forward with any sort of legal action.

Brooke 34:04

No. And what really my main focus was whether or not I would be allowed to go back into the building and teach was kind of secondary. What I wanted to focus on is how this director accessed my information and how he's able to use it to prohibit me from my position. That's what I wanted to target.

Amber 34:31

And so, what do the freedom of information laws look like in Tennessee? Would it be possible to put in a freedom of information request in order to get some of that information from the agency? Shelby County Correction.

Brooke 34:49

I don't know.

Amber 34:51

See, this is what a lawyer might, like if they would take your case, might might ask some of these questions. And so where does it stand right now, Brooke?

Brooke 35:02

Where it stands now is I was told January, so I came back to work January 2026 after the holiday break. That's when I was told this information. And from January to April, the school district had to scrounge around to find me another position in the district and had me in a holding place because again, I had done nothing to warrant disciplinary action as a teacher. They knew that, but this was all for it foreign territory to the school system. So people were they didn't know what to do with me. It was a mess. It was a mess. So I now have a new position in a new high school that I started at the end of the school year. So, you know, but yay, people were like, Oh, you still have your job.

Amber 36:04

You should float away into the night because you got the a bone, right?

Brooke 36:10

Right. I'm like, oh, I should be so grateful. Yes, I'm happy to have my job, but I should have my job. I'm an excellent teacher, I've done nothing wrong. Yes, it doesn't take away from everything I've just re-experienced from 2013, and I still have anxiety around it. It's like I'm having to readjust once again. My life was turned upside down. I had to share with my family members again. My daughter was worried. Are you gonna have your job? Why should someone have to be subjected to that again? We've already gone through this.

Amber 36:52

And after, again, not to keep harping on it, so much good being done in the interim because what the impact that you were making as a credible messenger to children who were in the juvenile justice system that could see success on the other side, and a person whose experience did not define their life is invaluable. And all of the students that you were able to impact in that way, that those are the folks who are missing out in addition to you as an excellent teacher. And so when we're thinking about what is the most effective way to reach people, credible messengers are it.

Jason 37:40

And when you also add to that, it's 11 years since you've been teaching there. And here you are, you've been doing a good job. It's not there's they obviously like the work that you've done. And so this has nothing to do with risk mitigation and everything to do with just punishment and making sure that you are punished for what you did. Some power somewhere felt that you weren't punished enough and they wanted to keep it going.

Brooke 38:06

That's how it feels. It and it makes you take a step back. It's made me take a step back and say, what is the system really about? Is it about redemption and rehabilitation, or is it long-term punishment? Because this feels like long-term punishment to me. I don't even own a weapon anymore. And and in this in the city of Memphis right now, you're supposed to be equipped with a weapon. We're like, I don't know what number, one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.

Amber 38:41

There, there are many ironies arriving, but the irony to me is that they feel if it's about risk, right? It seems a little silly that you can't teach in a juvenile justice system, but you can't teach in a regular high school. It's just crazy. Like all the irony that is arriving here illustrates that it's not about anything except somebody not liking the fact that this history, maybe it is that the history is around violence against the police, and people can't see me, but I'm using air quotes in my hands there. It makes it very clear that there is something wrong here. When you think about it, I heard you say it's not necessarily only about getting your job back or whatever. What would you see as an outcome that would be positive or useful? What do you want to see happen?

Brooke 39:41

To

Demanding Transparency And Legal Clarity

Brooke 39:42

this day, I want to know how Shelby County Corrections is able to access my expungement information and what information there's C. If you're going to tell me that I have unfavorable information in my background, then I think it's only fair to any individual that there's transparency. Because I should have the opportunity to speak on it, even if I'm still banned from the building. How can I defend myself or protect myself if it's kept a secret and they have a right to keep it a secret because they're an agency in power? That's that's not fair to any individual.

Amber 40:34

You're thinking about government transparency. So again, any entity, whether it's the police or it's the IRS or whatever government entity it is, should have some level of transparency, particularly if it's being utilized to infringe on somebody's rights.

Brooke 40:54

Does that feel of course the whole situation? I'm like, what system did he use to access this information? Because fingerprints weren't even given. All the background checks were just providing basic uh information about yourself. I discussed this, of course, you know, with my colleagues. I'm very close to them, and they were all very supportive. But I said, Do you understand that none of us had fingerprints? Right. Dug deeper, and I want to know which system it is that he's used to access my expunged information. Is that legal to use my information that's on public domain? Here we get into another area of there's there could be lots of information floating around on social media or news reports. Uh, but to weaponize it, is that legal? I don't think so, but this is another gray area that it that we get into.

Jason 42:04

And it I mean, it's a it's a huge question. It's a huge question.

Amber 42:08

It is a huge question, and actually, even legal entities, because I've talked to some different legal experts in this area who have stated that sometimes matters of fact can be used in hiring decisions that have not that do not show even after pardons or expungements. And so again, matters of fact are things that actually happened and can be proven. And I don't understand how that's legal or whatnot, but unless there is some statute in your state that precludes, like for instance, in the state of Connecticut, they did a clean slate law, and in that they they actually codified into law that you cannot discriminate against somebody who has received a pardon. Now, it seems crazy that you would have to actually write that in the law, because what the hell is the purpose of a pardon if it's not just assumed that you can't do that? But this is an area of law that I think is very confusing. It's meant to be confusing. People have different opinions about it, and people like yourself are caught in the crosshairs of that.

Brooke 43:16

Yes. I definitely feel like I've been in the crosshairs. And for the state of Tennessee, it doesn't seem that there's laws in place to protect for situations like this. Too many conflicting feedback as I was trying to get answers with attorneys, no feedback from the director of corrections, my own leadership with the school system. They clearly didn't know what to do. This is something that they had never dealt with. And it was embarrassing as well. I wanted to have to unpack, but I just I had to come forward and I'm like, I know exactly what this is. They did, they didn't tell us anything. And I'm like, really? So you're gonna sit here in a meeting and say that my background is unfavorable. Based off of this one individual and not know what the facts are?

Amber 44:16

Brooke, it sounds like you're here today, you're chatting with us, you're wanting to sort of bring awareness to what is happening. Do you feel like your story is an illustration of maybe some actions that either legislators could take or other individuals that may have experienced this might organize around to make some changes?

Brooke 44:43

Yes. Yes. Because I'm not the only one. There's thousands of people that have been through diversion programs or other programs that either have to worry that their backgrounds are going to come up, or they do come up and they become a victim of their circumstances. And you know, the question is redemption, is it real? Or I just have to continue looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. When is this gonna pop back up? When's this gonna come back up?

Amber 45:19

And so say more about so are there other things? Have you talked to other people who have been in this situation? I know you've reached out to lawyers as far as like a legal case. Are there other things that you have done or you're thinking about doing or arriving for you that you might want to think about moving forward or share here today?

Brooke 45:41

Well, I had to take a break. So at the end of May was the end of my school year. And and just due to the the mental anguish, I was on, I was running on fumes. I was just mentally tapped out because I've had friends say, you know, well, I think you should make more phone calls. I'm like, I don't have it in me right now. I need to get grounded. I was putting my pants on backwards. I was just so tired. So now that I've had a summer break, um, I would like to make move forward and make connections with organizations and individuals that focus on this area.

Jason 46:23

So, Brooke, thank you. And Amber, I think it's important to pause for a second and just highlight we have a lot of people that come on, and there's always this expectation that they're gonna take their story and become some huge massive advocate, right? And what Brooke is sharing is something that's very real that people who have gone through traumatic experiences have moments where they're just overwhelmed by everything and don't have it. They just can't do that, they just can't take on the world and make those major changes. And you know what? I want to tell you, Brooke, and tell our listeners that that's okay. That it's totally okay to be where you are and to heal and to pause and to just exist for a while. You've you've had to do so much, and you're a great living example of perseverance. You've done so many things, and it's clear that you've done a lot of healing work. And if that's what you do, that's phenomenal.

Amber 47:22

Jason, I really love that you're saying that because what was coming up for me when you were saying, like, I had to take a reset, it was like, you know what that shows me? That shows me that Brooke is the person I want in my corner because she has tools, right? She has tools to navigate the world in extremely difficult situations. And if you don't want that in a teacher, then boo on you, Shelby County corrections, because that's the kind of person that you want that has tools that knows when they need a reset, that knows that has learned from all of the breadth of experience that you've had. So, yeah, thank you for sharing that. Thank you for sharing that. Yes. So you've got your reset, you're thinking about those things, you're doing what you can. And so what are you excited about?

Reset, Mexico, And Reclaiming Energy

Amber 48:16

Because it seems like you've been through this thing. We all have trauma and joy in our life. What is bringing you joy at this time?

Brooke 48:26

Well, Mexico was bringing me joy. Say more about that. Oh, I told myself part of my resetting and reclaiming my energy was I'm going to Mexico so I can enjoy the area that I like to go to has jungle and beach. So I wanted a timeout from day-to-day demands so that I could just get up, take in the ocean air, go on morning walks, go to the botanical gardens, take little boats to beaches. I did spent the majority of the time outside in nature, which for me is was very therapeutic. And I came back and I had a few appointments. I've just been back a few days, and people were like, My God, you look amazing. You're glowing. And I said, Yeah, it was set with intention. I knew, I guess after you go through something so traumatic, you know when you're becoming unraveled. At this point in my life, I was feeling that unraveled effect again. And before it gets out of control, I said, I've got to invest in myself. I won't be good for myself, my family, my daughter, my students if I don't reclaim my energy and get grounded. Because I do, I love teaching. Yes, I do wish I was back with juvenile detention, but that's not gonna happen. I'm in a new position, and I want to bring my best to the students there. It's not fair to them. They didn't do this, so that's where I'm at. And as I move along and have the time and energy, I do want to make connections with organizations that focus on this, focus on the policies and procedures around expungements and the and the laws in Tennessee because I'm not well versed on all of them. Maybe we missed something. I'll have to revisit some of that, but I couldn't do all of that until I got some rest. Right. Absolutely.

Advice, Hope, And Closing Reflections

Amber 50:53

And so, Brooke, that's a shout out for all any organizations or people that are in Tennessee that have an interest in that. And so I think we're coming to the part of our podcast where I ask you the question: if you were able to give one piece of advice to someone who is embarking on a journey similar to your own, what might that be?

Brooke 51:22

To not be afraid, first of all, to ask for help. If you are in a crisis situation, reach out to someone before things spiral out of control, get help. Sometimes help comes from a place you would never imagine. But that would be one. The second thing is when you're feeling like there's just no this is the end. Where does this go from here? Especially dealing with the legal system. Uh, have faith. Surround yourself by people who are going to be in your corner and support you that can help you navigate those waters because they are prickly at times, confusing, discouraging. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. I don't want to say that the legal system is all terrible, but if you persevere, adapt, and overcome, things can improve. You can have your life back. That's what I've had to learn to do through the years. Yes, this last hiccup was disruptive again, but I'm the type of person, I'm not gonna let you take away my freedom.

Amber 52:44

Thank you, Brooke, so much for sharing. This has been an amazing conversation that we've had here today. Jason, you have any last thoughts before we wrap up our time?

Jason 52:54

I do, and I I thank you, Brooke, for coming on and talking with us. And some of the things that I'm thinking about throughout your whole conversation is just there's so much more work that has to be done around the category of domestic abuse and domestic violence and sharing that and understanding the impact that it has on people. And then on the flip side, understanding that when somebody does act out as a call for help and making sure that there is a path to uh rehabilitation and healing, and honestly, for everybody to try to heal, and that should be all of our goal. And then once you finally have demonstrated that you have gone through that rehabilitation, that you know you've highlighted so well that we need to get to a point where it's over, where it's behind, and you're able to move on. And I'm sorry that you haven't been able to do that, but thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully, maybe by sharing your story, other people it will prevent others from being in similar situation, and also might stimulate some discussion that helps change some of these laws for the better.

Brooke 54:03

So all right, thank you.

Jason 54:05

Yes, so thank you, Brooke, and until next time, Amber.

Amber 54:10

We'll see you next time.

Outro 54:14

You've been listening to Amplified Voices, a podcast lifting the experiences of people and families impacted by the criminal legal system. For more information, episodes, and podcast notes, visit amplifiedvoices.show.