Evelyn Rasco, mother of the Scott Sisters, talks about her daughter's release for prison under Gov. Haley Barbour.
By now many of you have heard the good news that on December 29, 2010, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour announced that he is suspending indefinitely the sentences of Jamie and Gladys Scott. They are the African-American sisters who have been in a Mississippi Prison since 1994 on armed robbery charges. Despite neither sister having a criminal record, the two were convicted on the words of three teenage boys who confessed to the crime and received reduced sentences in exchange for testifying against the young mothers.
In a podcast interview at WSATA, Nordette Adams talks to the sisters' mother, Evelyn Rasco, who now lives in Pensacola, Fla., about her daughters' impending release. Mrs. Rasco, with the help of advocate Nancy Lockhart, has worked tirelessly for her daughters' freedom since their conviction. As would be expected, she, too, is overjoyed that after 16 years, her daughters will come home, but she has reservations about the circumstances of their coming release. In addition, Adams discusses with Mrs. Rasco the poor quality of treatment Jamie, now 38, received while in prison, including sometimes not being given her blood pressure medication as part of punishment. Three years after she was incarcerated, Jamie Scott was diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes. Both conditions can damage kidneys. Please listen to the interview with Mrs. Rasco at this link.
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