Barbour Finally Addresses Pardons; Insults Mississippians

(Posted from Jackson Free Press)

Lobbyist and former Gov. Haley Barbour finally addressed the firestorm around his 200+ pardons last night in an email statement. Here it is, verbatim; please read my comments below it:

Statement from the Office of Former Gov. Haley Barbour

Some people have misunderstood the clemency process and think that all or most of the individuals who received clemency from former Gov. Haley Barbour were in jail at the time of their release. Approximately 90 percent of these individuals were no longer in custody, and a majority of them had been out for years. The pardons were intended to allow them to find gainful employment or acquire professional licenses as well as hunt and vote. My decision about clemency was based upon the recommendation of the Parole Board in more than 90 percent of the cases. The 26 people released from custody due to clemency is just slightly more than one-tenth of 1 percent of those incarcerated.

Half of the people who were incarcerated and released were placed on indefinite suspension due to medical reasons because their health care expenses while incarcerated were costing the state so much money. These individuals suffer from severe chronic illnesses, are on dialysis, in wheelchairs or are bedridden. They are not threats to society but if any of them commits an offense – even a misdemeanor – they’ll be returned to custody to serve out their term.

Of the inmates released for medical reasons, a small number were placed on house arrest, and all still remain under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.

In Custody at Time of Release 26 (12 percent)
Medical Release/Remain Under MDOC Supervision (13)
Suspended Sentence/ Remain Under MDOC Supervision (3)

Previously Completed Incarceration at Time of Clemency 189 (88 percent)
Total 215
Source: Mississippi Department of Corrections
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Back to my comments:

I love how the former governor insults the intelligence of Mississippians in the very first line. We don't understand clemency? Mr. Barbour, you didn't bother to explain anything about what you were doing to the people of Mississippi until the above statement, and still very little. The long list you released to the public on your way out of town did not include information people needed—it was a laundry list of criminals that you are giving relief to, in one way or another. People were left trying to sort it out for ourselves, and living in fear of what it means for our communities.

Secondly, are we supposed to feel better that perhaps you're only trying to release four, or eight, or 27 convicted murderers and/or sex offenders? Are we supposed to be comforted that all you're trying to do is allow the convicted criminals already out the right to buy guns (which you hide beneath the word "hunt"?). And with all the people, especially African Americans, in Mississippi prisons or with felony records for relatively minor drug crimes, are we supposed to be comforted that you are choosing which felons you believe should have the right to vote once they've served their time? (Not including, we will note, the Scott Sisters.)

Barbour, you are sending the message that some felons (the ones you like? the ones whose families supported you?) are more worthy of getting their rights back (to vote and buy guns; to get jobs, etc.) after they served their time than others. That sounds a whole lot like you're trying to play God on your way out of town.

Meantime, you could have used the political capital you are now burning through to help bring needed and worthy change to Mississippi. You could have supported intelligent and humane reform to the laws that have allowed such unequal treatment of the accused in our state. You could have called for reform to the laws not allowing felons to retrieve many rights after serving their time. You could have called for serious reform to a criminal-justice system that has kept a number of men (yes, black men and perhaps more than we know) in prison for heinous crimes for which prosecutors and others hid evidence that would have freed them, such as Cedric Willis. You could have been a leader on making our criminal-justice system more humane.

Instead, you won your office by running down our majority-black capital city, mailing predictable and inaccurate crime rhetoric about Jackson to white neighborhoods; now you leave office by pardoning vicious criminals who could go back and hurt others throughout the state. And you did it without standing up like a decent human being and telling the state why you were doing it before we found out. And you did it without talking to the families, or returning their calls. And you did it without ever bothering to explain why when you started pardoning vicious killers of wives and girlfriends back in 2008.

Mr. Barbour, this is shameful. And it is your legacy in Mississippi, and that is your own fault. You should take responsibility and apologize to your home state for what you've put us through.

Read more: http://www.barbourwatch.com
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