Woman Becomes Ph.D Candidate at N.Y.U After Serving 20 Years in Prison for Murder

In 1996, Michelle Jones was charged with murder and neglect of her four-year-old son. While incarcerated in an Indiana prison for more than two decades, the NY Times reports that Jones became a published scholar of American history and used the prison library to further her education. During her sentence, Jones, alongside a group of inmates, produced the best research project for the Indiana Historical Society, in addition to writing several dance compositions and plays, one of which is set to open at an Indianapolis theater in December. She also got certified as a paralegal and received a bachelor’s degree in 2004.

After spending 20 of an initial 50-year sentence behind bars, Jones was released. The very next day, Jones took her talents to New York University (NYU) to join the school’s doctoral program, only after her application was accepted and later denied by Harvard University’s history program, which was her first choice.

Although, Jones was among 18 applicants out of over 300 for the program, her application was overturned after some professors raised concerns about her application. While other professors supported Jones, calling her “one of the strongest candidates in the country last year, period,” Jones was ultimately denied for minimizing her crime “to the point of misrepresentation.”

According to reports, Jones got pregnant as a result of non-consensual sex with a high school senior, at the age of 14. In turn, her mother beat her in the stomach with a board, forcing her to be removed from the home. After years of domestic violence and neglect, Jones wrote in a personal statement that she suffered a psychological breakdown and did the same things to her own son, Brandon Sims.

Sims was murdered back in 1992, but the details remain unclear, as the body was never recovered. Jones admitted to the crime two years later and was sentenced to 50 years. She was released after 20 for educational attainment and good behavior, with a two-month reduction to start a Ph.D program.

Jones applied to eight schools, some of which rejected her, but others, including University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan, The University of Kansas and N.Y.U, welcomed her with open arms.

Now, after spending 20 years behind bars, Jones looks to become the poster child for rehabilitation with her admittance into N.Y.U.

“People don’t survive 20 years of incarceration with any kind of grace unless they have the discipline to do their reading and writing in the chaos of that place,” Ms. Jones said. “Forget Harvard. I’ve already graduated from the toughest school there is.”