Jamie Scott with her grandchildren/photo from NAACP petition
GOVERNOR SUSPENDS SCOTT SISTERS’ SENTENCES
Gladys Scott To Donate Kidney To Jamie Scott
POSTED: 4:45 pm CST December 29, 2010
UPDATED: 5:08 pm CST December 29, 2010
WAPT NEWS
JACKSON, Miss. — Gov. Haley Barbour on Wednesday suspended the double life sentences of sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott, who were convicted in 1994 in connection with a robbery.
“To date, the sisters have served 16 years of their sentences and are eligible for parole in 2014. Jamie Scott requires regular dialysis, and her sister has offered to donate one of her kidneys to her,” Barbour said in a statement.
“The Mississippi Department of Corrections believes the sisters no longer pose a threat to society. Their incarceration is no longer necessary for public safety or rehabilitation, and Jamie Scott’s medical condition creates a substantial cost to the State of Mississippi.”
Demonstration to free the Scott Sisters/Photo by Clifton Santiago
Barbour said the Mississippi Parole Board reviewed the sisters’ case and recommended that he neither pardon them nor commute their sentences.
“At my request, the Parole Board subsequently reviewed whether the sisters should be granted an indefinite suspension of sentence, which is tantamount to parole, and have concurred with my decision to suspend their sentences indefinitely,” Barbour said.
“Gladys Scott’s release is conditioned on her donating one of her kidneys to her sister, a procedure which should be scheduled with urgency.”
Barbour said the release date for Jamie and Gladys Scott is a matter for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. In September, nearly 200 people rallied at the state Capitol asking Barbour to release the sisters. According to court records, the Scott sisters were found guilty of luring two men down a road near Forest, where three young assailants used a shotgun to rob the men. The Scott sisters had exhausted all of their appeals.
http://www.wapt.com/news/26314528/detail.html
Ed. note: The Scott Sisters have spent 16 years in prison for an $11 robbery which they state they did not commit. Below are excerpts from a Nov. 14 commentary by Dr. Pamela D. Reed, titled “Mississippi Goddam” (after the Nina Simone song), published on the Diverse Blog and posted on VOD:
Dr. Pamela D. Reed
“This case has attracted national attention. Blogs and Facebook pages have sprung up lobbying for their release. New York Times columnist Bob Herbert has written two columns on the case.
The NAACP made a formal appeal to Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour for a pardon or commutation. As well, the civil rights organization has launched a petition urging Barbour to act swiftly and judiciously. The petition also points out the sentencing judge’s history of racial partiality.
“The presiding judge in their trial, Judge Marcus Gordon, has a history of racially biased rulings, including granting bail to the KKK murderer of the three civil rights workers: Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner,” states the petition.
I tell you, this thing has Jim Crow written all over it!
That is why there should be millions of signatures demanding the release of the Scott sisters. The mainstream media should put Barbour on blast and he should be subjected to questions about the Scott sisters during all of his media appearances.
To build a critical mass, all civil rights organizations should take to the streets, marching and sitting-in, as they did in the ’60s. Barbour should not be able to go anywhere without seeing picketers. Along with the NAACP, Rainbow/PUSH is also involved.”
Mary Ratcliff, editor of the San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper, who forwarded this news to VOD, recommends that everyone get on the phone to Governor Barbour to ensure that the Sisters are freed forthwith. The story says their release date is up to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Nina Simone
Call Gov. Haley Barbour at 1-877-405-0733 0r 601-359-3150; email governor@governor.state.mi.us. or send letters to P.O. Box 139, Jackson, MI 39205. Thank the Governor for his action but stress that the sisters must be released at once because of Jamie’s life-threatening condition.
“Just try to do your very best, stand up be counted with all the rest, for everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam … .” Nina Simone
