Tarra Simmons’ life has taken a U-turn. As Seattle University School of Law’s first-ever Skadden Fellow, she enrolled in a J.D. program after a 20-month stint in prison for drug offenses. The former nurse, encouraged to attend law school by the attorneys who helped her get her life back on track, will soon spend two years working in public interest, thanks to the prestigious Skadden program that awarded 30 fellowships in 2017.
Serving time gave Simmons a firsthand look at the shortcomings of the criminal justice system—a perspective few lawyers have—including what she sees as a lack of empathy for low-income defendants, few true rehabilitation options for drug-addicted inmates, and a myriad of roadblocks for people trying to re-establish their lives with a conviction on their records.
