Carla Crowder's unexpected courtroom experience in 2019 — representing Alvin Kennard, who spent 36 years in prison for a minor theft due to Alabama’s “three strikes” law — reshaped the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.

CNN(CNN) - A 22-year-old man in Alabama was sentenced to life in prison in the 1980s after he stole about $50 from a bakery. After more than three decades behind bars, he is now set to walk free. As a judge in Alabama sentenced Alvin Kennard to time served on Wednesday, video from the courtroom showed his family raising their fists into the air. All of us cried," Patricia Jones, Kennard's niece, told CNN affiliate WBRC. But as for what's next, Jones said Kennard's family will be there for him in this next phase of his life.