The Scott Sisters

In 1993, the two black women reportedly took part in an $11 robbery. No, that's not a typo. You read it correctly. $11.00.

This type of unjustice literally turns my stomach. Almost like the plot of Les Miserables. Every once in a while a criminal case brings to mind the plot of Les Miserables. In that story, a man is forced into a 20-year ordeal with the law simply for stealing bread. Well, the case of Mississippi sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott proves that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

The Scotts, who were 19 and 21 when the robbery occurred, have been incarcerated for 16 years. Meanwhile, three male acquaintances also convicted in the robbery are free after serving just a couple of years in prison. The men reportedly received lighter sentences in exchange for providing the prosecution with incriminating information against the Scotts. At the time of their arrest, conviction and sentencing, Gladys was 19 years old and pregnant with her second child; Jamie was a 22-year-old with three young children. Their children are being raised by Jamie and Gladys’ mother, Elaine Rasco. Despite having to move to Florida due to years of emotional stress, Ms. Rasco remains active in fighting for her daughters’ freedom.

The state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have refused to hear the Scotts’ appeals. Since being in prison, Jamie has developed almost complete kidney failure due to poor diet and inhumane prison medical care. She is receiving irregular dialysis treatments and has gone into shock numerous times. If it were not for the pressure and local attention that community, legal and political activists have put on the prison authorities, Jamie Scott could have easily died.

I mean honestly, hasn't the punishment in this case truly outweigh the crime? Isn't a life, oh no that's right; two life sentences. Isn't that a bit much?

However you feel about the Scotts’ innocence or guilt, at least consider the tens of thousands of dollars required to keep just one person in prison. Funneling these resources into locking up two women for petty theft does a disservice to the residents of Mississippi.

It also speaks to how little regard society has for black life. Is black life considered so worthless that lawmakers don’t care if the Scotts rot in prison over $11