Jamie Scott’s kidney failure prompted his early release from a controversial life sentence and then continued to be an advocate for justice, dying of COVID-19 on November 9.
Scott and her sister Gladys were charged in an armed robbery in 1993, and they took a small sum of money. They denied involvement in the crime, which also resulted in the conviction of three young people. These people implicated the sisters as part of the plea agreement. No one stayed in prison for more than three years. according to Jackson Free Press.
After trial, Sister Scott was convicted for plotting a crime and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Poor health, coupled with the continuous promotion of the public, helped both of them to be relieved. Jamie Scott was only 21 years old at the time of sentencing. Gladys is 19 years old and pregnant. After 17 years in prison, then Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour allowed Jamie Scott to be released early due to illness and let Gladys Scott continue Go to jail on the condition that she donated a kidney to her sister.
Gladys Scott agreed. The transplant took place in 2019.
The two went on to form an organization called “Sisters of Hope” and became advocates of justice focusing on community work.
“We don’t want to leave this world and be called Sister Scott, those whose cases spread across the country,” Jamie Scott told a Florida TV station in 2020. “I want to be called a person who helps the community; our children need their education. “
One of their most recent efforts includes distributing masks to every child at Montclair Elementary School in Pensacola, Florida, as they will return to school in 2020.
“Some people may think that masks are not important, but for us, it is a matter of life and death,” Jamie Scott said at the time.
Jamie Scott is 49 years old.
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Rogelio V. Solis, File/Associated Press Photo
“My sister is a warrior every day of her life, and I will continue to fight for her-not only for what she represents and what she has experienced-but also for what she and I represent, and what others have experienced. And is still experiencing,” Gladys Scott said in a statement. “The battle will not end until everyone is treated with dignity, respect and justice.”
The sisters’ lawyers and human rights groups argued that their sentence to life imprisonment was excessive given the amount of the stolen money.
