On February 10, 2025, Abolitionist Law Center, Amistad Law Project, and 25 other organizations sent a letter to Gov. Shapiro asking for his assistance in the commutation application of ALC client Marie Scott, an incarcerated elder, prior to her upcoming Board of Pardons merit review. Ms. Scott is an exemplary candidate for commutation who has been incarcerated for over 50 years for a felony murder conviction in which she did not take a life that occurred when she was a teenager.

Scott has decades of demonstrated commitment to improving herself and those around her, including extensive ties to community members outside of prison, the support of SCI Muncy, where she is held, and an ongoing battle with breast cancer. Yet PA Dept. of Corrections Secretary Laurel Harry opted to withhold a recommendation for commutation in Ms. Scott’s application to the Board of Pardons.

We urged the governor to speak up on behalf of Ms. Scott and ask that Secretary Harry reconsider her position prior to Ms. Scott going before the Board of Pardons. “It is the humane position to take, and it will not only demonstrate that the DOC recognizes that humanity, but also that it recognizes the extraordinary efforts of those like Ms. Scott to better themselves and better the lives of others in spite of their circumstances.”

This sign-on letter is part of a grassroots campaign to help free Marie “Mechie” Scott.

Read the full letter (pdf).