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From: Nancy Lockhart
http://www.wapt.com/news/26314528/detail.html
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
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 Scottâ•˙s medical condition creates a substantial cost to the State of Mississippi."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 Scottâ•˙s release is conditioned on her donating one of her kidney 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.
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Dec. 29, 2010
GOV. BARBOUR'S STATEMENT REGARDING RELEASE OF SCOTT SISTERS
"Today, I have issued two orders indefinitely suspending the sentences of Jamie and Gladys Scott. In 1994, a Scott County jury convicted the sisters of armed robbery and imposed two life sentences for the crime. Their convictions and their sentences were affirmed by the Mississippi Court of Appeals in 1996.
"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. 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.
"The Mississippi Parole Board reviewed the sisters' request for a pardon and recommended that I neither pardon them, nor commute their sentence. 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.
"Gladys Scott's release is conditioned on her donating one of her kidneys to her sister, a procedure which should be scheduled with urgency. The release date for Jamie and Gladys Scott is a matter for the Department of Corrections.
"I would like to thank Representative George Flaggs, Senator John Horne, Senator Willie Simmons, and Representative Credell Calhoun for their leadership on this issue. These legislators, along with former Mayor Charles Evers, have been in regular contact with me and my staff while the sisters' petition has been under review."
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Dec. 30, 2010
Sister's Kidney Donation Condition Of Miss. Parole
Unique Parole Condition: Miss. Inmate Must Give Kidney To Sister To Have Life Sentence Lifted
(AP) JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has suspended the life sentences of two sisters convicted in 1994 for their roles in an armed robbery, but one sister's release is contingent on her giving a kidney to the other.
Gladys and Jamie Scott were convicted of leading two men into an ambush in central Mississippi in 1993. The men were robbed of $11 by three teenagers who hit both men in the head with a shotgun and took their wallets, court records said.
The Scott sisters are eligible for parole in 2014, but 38-year-old Jamie Scott "requires regular dialysis, and her sister has offered to donate one of her kidneys to her," Barbour said.
Barbour said in a news release that 36-year-old Gladys Scott's release is conditioned on her donating one of her kidneys to her sister.
Dan Turner, Barbour's spokesman, told The Associated Press that Jamie Scott was released because she needs the transplant. He said Gladys Scott will be released if she agrees to donate her kidney because of the significant risk and recovery time.
"She wanted to do it," Turner said. "That wasn't something we introduced."
Barbour is a Republican in his second term who has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2012. He said the Mississippi Parole Board reviewed the case at his request and agreed with the indefinite suspension of their sentences, which is different from a pardon or commutation because it comes with conditions.
An "indefinite suspension of sentence" can be reversed if the conditions are not followed, but those requirements are usually things like meeting with a parole officer.
The Scott sisters have received significant public support from advocacy groups, including the NAACP, which called for their release. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Jackson from the state capital to the governor's mansion in September, chanting in unison that the women should be freed.
Still, their release won't be immediate.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said late Wednesday that he had not received the order. He also said the women want to live with relatives in Florida, which requires approval from officials in that state.
In general, that process takes 45 days.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010.
I originally started ~LostFaces~ of the missing, as a means of aiding in the distribution of information, concerning missing children and persons. Yet I find that my perception of who a ~LostFace~ is, continually changes with time.
I have come to realize that some ~LostFaces~ are not even missing at all.
In October of 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were sentenced to double life terms in prison. That's double sentences each! Neither sister had prior convictions or arrests. Three young men confessed to the robbery and implicated Jamie and Gladys in the crime.
On December 24, 1993 Scott County Sheriff's Department arrested the sisters for armed robbery. The three young men were all related and referred to as the "Patrick Men". Coercions, threats and promises led these men to turn state's evidence on the Scott Sisters. The Patrick men received lenient sentences in exchange for their testimonies.
During a confusing and obviously fabricated statement on the witness stand, testimony was brought out regarding the coerced statement, the jury still found Jamie and Gladys Scott Guilty.
During the trial the Patrick man admitted that he did not write the confession, the police did. He was threatened and told, "He would be sent to Parchman and made out of a woman". (He was 14 years old during this testimony).
In 1998, one of the Patrick Men wrote a sworn affidavit telling the truth - that Jamie and Gladys were not involved. The court never heard the affidavit!
WHAT IF IT WERE YOU?
I ask this question each time an injustice happens and action from us are needed... I am puzzled about the apathy that we have when it comes to injustice. It appears that if it is not directly affecting us individually, we just aren’t feeling the pain of someone else, the loss of someone else... What If It Were You
Your assistance is very much needed to make this case public. Please read the transcripts, forward flier, sign the petition, and assist us in making this case viral! At this time we are asking people to write to the Sentencing Project to ask their assistance in this case .
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