Savannah Chrisley Calls Her 'Special Forces' Appearance 'a Way to Connect' with Imprisoned Parents

“Obviously we have a pending appeal that we’re just waiting for the final word on and we’re ready to fight it to the very end,” she told PEOPLE of her parents’ legal troubles

Savannah Chrisley uses unconventional methods to connect with her parents in prison.

While talking to PEOPLE at the premiere of the movie’s second season Special forces: the toughest test in the world26-year-old woman Chrisley Knows Angert alum spoke openly about her decision to appear on the militant reality show during a difficult time in her life.

On Nov. 22, a federal judge sentenced her parents, Todd Chrisley, 54, and Julie Chrisley, 50, to 12 and seven years in prison, respectively, after they were found guilty of tax evasion and fraud. However, reality stars had their sentences reduced last week.

Julie Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley and Todd Chrisley.

Vivian Zink/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Everything you need to know about Todd and Julie Chrisley’s $30 million fraud trial

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ online inmate search system, the Chrisley family patriarch will now leave the Pensacola federal prison camp on Jan. 22, 2033, nearly two years before his original sentence was scheduled to end. Julie’s sentence was reduced by 14 months, pushing her release from Lexington Federal Medical Center to October 19, 2028.

“I think life is already hard, so what’s one more thing?” Savannah said, explaining her decision to accept the challenge. “Also, this was a big way to say first that my parents can watch this. I’m grateful for that and it’s a way for us to bond with each other, but also the amount of respect I have for our military is crazy.”

Savannah Chrisley.

Chase Chrisley/Instagram

Savannah Chrisley suffered a ‘total breakdown’ from caring for her siblings amid her parents’ prison sentence

Although her parents received a reduced sentence, she shared more information about their plans to further reduce their time in prison.

Savannah explained that their sentences were reduced because of the First Step Act, which “allows incarcerated individuals a second chance to reenter society” through classes in exchange for lower sentences.

“Obviously, we have a pending appeal that we’re just waiting for the final word on and we’re prepared to fight it to the very end,” she continued. “And I’m very confident that it’s going to work in our favor just because the amount of government overreach is absolutely insane and until people start stepping up, if it happened to us, it can happen to anybody else.”

The cast of ‘Chrisley Knows Best’. Dennis Leupold/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Lindsie Chrisley says her parents’ legal battle made her family ‘closer’: ‘We pulled together’

In July, Todd and Julie’s attorney Jay Surgent gave PEOPLE an update on the couple’s appeal process and said new filings were filed on the 31st of the month.

“The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals can overturn the District Court’s decision or it can remand the case for hearings that should have been held but were not held during this trial,” he explained. “We argued very vigorously that their constitutional rights were violated and that they were not actually given a fair hearing. Everything is actually black and white.”

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Another attorney for the two, Alex Little, later said of Savannah’s Unlocked podcast that “it’s going to be a tough job, but in this case, we have, you know, real legitimate substantive arguments that we think, you know, you know, if the court takes a fair approach, they have a very good chance of winning.”

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Source: HIS Education