The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer

Season 3, Episode 8: "No Regrets"

Release: September 1, 2025, iHeartPodcasts and Novel
Host: Anna Sinfield

Episode Overview

This emotionally charged season finale concludes the story of Kelly Harnett, a survivor of domestic abuse who was imprisoned for over a decade for a murder she claims her abusive boyfriend committed. The episode explores the blurred lines between victimhood and villainy, the high personal cost of freedom, and Kelly's ongoing quest for meaning and redemption beyond the prison walls. Anna Sinfield, the host, weaves together Kelly’s legal battles for herself and others, her painful homecoming, and the continued obstacles she faces after her release.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Day of Freedom: Resentencing and Release

• Anxiety Before Court
  • Kelly describes her fear and confusion during the prison van ride to court, convinced something was wrong.

    "I am not kidding. I thought I was getting kidnapped on the way to court." (03:59, Kelly Harnett)

• Judge DiBiase's Empathy and Unusual Perspective
  • Judge Bruna DiBiase, coping with family addiction and incarceration, recognizes Kelly’s suffering and resilience.

    “I do make a conscious effort to interact with the individuals in my court… I often think when they come in and see me and probably think, what does she understand about my pain? But I do.” (06:20, Judge DiBiase)

  • Judge DiBiase acknowledges reading every page of Kelly’s legal motions and calls her “a true survivor.”

    “What she said to me next was as close to vindication as I’ll ever get… You stand here before me today as a true survivor.” (08:02, Kelly Harnett)

• "Time Served": The Moment of Release
  • Kelly is resentenced to time served and receives a “second chance at life.”

    "Your Honor is giving me my second chance at life." (09:00, Kelly Harnett)

2. Coming Home: Joy and Loss Intertwined

• Transition Back to the Outside
  • Kelly works through her last night in prison, tying up legal cases for other inmates. She finds leaving her clients and friends behind “so, so hard.” (11:18, Kelly Harnett)
• Bittersweet Homecoming
  • Released from prison, Kelly feels isolated, with no family waiting at the gates while others embrace their loved ones.

    "I just wanted to be with my mother." (12:13, Kelly Harnett)

  • Rushes to see her ailing mother, Kathleen, at the hospital for their first reunion in 13 years; they share a fragile, tearful embrace.

    "That's my mother. I couldn't believe what I was seeing… She was like, 'You look so beautiful. I can't believe that you're out.'" (14:04, Kelly Harnett)

3. Immediate Grief: Loss of Her Mother

• Frenzied First Weeks & Tragedy
  • Kelly races to secure paperwork, housing, and her mother’s health.
  • Her mother deteriorates and dies shortly after Kelly’s release, leading to intense guilt over her strict curfew preventing her from being at her mother's side.

    “I have so much guilt for not just breaking curfew that once… He needed me, Ronnie needed me, and so did my mother." (17:58, Kelly Harnett)

• Reflections on Family and Time Lost
  • Kelly laments missing 13 years with her mother due to incarceration, and speaks to the broader impact on her family.

    "When they put me in prison, they put everybody in prison." (19:05, Kelly Harnett)

4. Final Goodbyes: The East River Farewell

• Scattering Her Parents’ Ashes
  • Kelly and her brother Ronnie, with the help of a GoFundMe and community, cremate their mother and father and scatter their ashes in the East River.

    "I felt that it was his [her father's] energy, and I felt that he was happy to be free." (25:15, Kelly Harnett)

  • Offers gratitude to her parents and symbolically takes on responsibility for her own future.

    "That we got it from here." (26:51, Kelly Harnett)

5. The Price of Freedom: Plea Deals and Ongoing Punishment

• Taking a Guilty Plea
  • Though resentenced, Kelly must plead guilty to manslaughter—even after insisting on her innocence for years.

    "If you're entering a plea of guilty, you're saying you did it. But... I had to get home to my mother. You have to do what you have to do sometimes." (28:56 & 29:01, Kelly Harnett)

  • The conviction remains as a permanent barricade to jobs and full reintegration.

    “The only jobs I’ve gotten have been from people who actually know me personally and they know what I am capable of…” (29:35, Kelly Harnett)

6. Barriers to Work: Stigma and Hope

• Work Rejection and Ongoing Struggle
  • Kelly is repeatedly rejected due to her record, even after earning a paralegal certificate from Columbia.

    “If I could just get a chance to be the Kelly that I was when I was in there, I think I’ll be fine. But that’s what kept me going: my work. When you take my work from me now, I don’t have anything.” (32:00–33:11, Kelly Harnett)

7. Parole Crisis and Fresh Uncertainty

• Parole Complications
  • Despite exemplary behavior, Kelly’s release from supervision is threatened by missing paperwork pertaining to her mandatory programs; she faces the possibility of extended parole.

    "Being on parole is not actually free." (39:36 & 40:16, Kelly Harnett)

  • Emotional breakdown ensues; her “freedom” is once again at risk due to system failures.

8. Final Breakthrough and New Hopes

• Resolves Parole Crisis
  • Kelly gathers documentation and finally secures her final freedom as parole ends.

    “Now I speak to you today as a free woman.” (43:35, Kelly Harnett)

• Looking Forward
  • Kelly details her ambitions to be a paralegal, climb within a law firm, and—ideally—give back by enabling incarcerated women to access the law library and legal resources.

    "I think I have a mission from God. I think I was put here to save souls by getting people out of prison. That sounds like an insane statement, but that is my belief at this point." (45:01, Kelly Harnett)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Being Seen By the System:

  “She said, Ms. Harnett, I just want to let you know that I have read every single page of every motion that you have ever written… you stand here before me today as a true survivor.” (08:02, Kelly Harnett recalling Judge DiBiase’s words)

• On the Ongoing Consequences of Incarceration:

  “When they put me in prison, they put everybody in prison.” (19:05, Kelly Harnett)

• On Finding a Mission:

  “I think I have a mission from God. I think I was put here to save souls by getting people out of prison…” (45:01, Kelly Harnett)

• On Identity and Faith:

  “You know, I’m not going to apologize for what perceives to be miraculous stories. What I will tell you, if you fail to understand them or even believe them, then unfortunately you’re the one missing out…” (46:21, Kelly Harnett)

• Prayer for the Deceased and Her Own Peace:

  “St Therese… please send a shower of roses from the heavenly gardens as a message of love for the loss of Angel Reuben Vargas. And I’d like to pray for his entire family and their souls as well… So please also hold that with me, for it is too hard and too heavy for me to carry alone and ask God to hold it for me.” (51:03–51:59, Kelly Harnett at Immaculate Conception Church)
  “Thank you for allowing me to save a few souls… I have no regrets.” (52:03, Kelly Harnett)

Timestamps for Key Moments

• 03:59 — Kelly’s anxiety in the van en route to court
• 05:20 — Kelly prepares herself for Queen's Court and release
• 06:20–08:43 — Judge DiBiase’s empathetic approach & Kelly’s vindication
• 11:18–12:29 — Kelly’s bittersweet release and lack of family at the gates
• 13:00–14:04 — Hospital reunion with her mother, Kathleen
• 17:58–18:52 — Guilt and grief over her mother’s death
• 25:15–27:11 — Scattering parents’ ashes in the East River
• 28:56–29:27 — The implications of her guilty plea for freedom
• 32:00–33:11 — Barriers to employment and work as self-worth
• 37:12–40:23 — Parole officer crisis and the threat of additional supervision
• 43:35 — Kelly’s confirmation that her parole has ended
• 44:01–45:24 — Kelly’s hopes for her future, focus on paralegal work and helping others
• 50:01–51:59 — Prayer at Immaculate Conception Church for Angel Vargas and herself

Closing Reflections

Anna Sinfield emphasizes the impossibility of reducing Kelly to simple labels—victim or villain—highlighting instead the complexity, contradictions, and courage in her journey. The episode’s conclusion is one of ambiguity, resilience, and unresolved longing for justice.

“I can’t sum Kelly up in a sentence or even in a whole fricking podcast. But maybe that’s the lesson I need to take from this, that my job is just to tell people stories, not to neatly package them into categories, into victims or villains or anything else.” (49:45, Anna Sinfield)

Tone & Language

The episode is intimate, raw, and direct—often moving between dark humor, sorrow, righteous anger, and fierce hope. Kelly’s voice is authentic, sometimes brash and unapologetic, always honest and reflective.

For listeners affected by issues discussed, visit NO MORE for resources on domestic violence.