Gov. Mike Parson is sitting on a backlog of 3,500 clemency cases. Why won’t he act?
Mary Pickard is a a 71-year-old grandmother serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of her husband, Michael. She has spent the last two decades in prison. For years, she has petitioned to be released — to no avail.
A clinical psychologist said Pickard’s husband physically and emotionally abused her for years and repeatedly sexually assaulted her. She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and battered-spouse syndrome.
St. Louis University Law Professor John Ammann is part of a coalition that has sought commutations for Mary Pickard and 14 other women convicted of violent crimes.
Like Pickard, most of the women were victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence. Four were older than 65 when the coalition launched its efforts in 2014, and some have spent nearly three decades behind bars.
Eleven of the women remain in prison. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens granted clemency to two of the women, one was paroled, and another died before her case was approved or denied.
“Which points out the fact that people are dying while waiting in limbo,” Ammann said.
As governor of Missouri, Mike Parson has the authority to pardon a person for a criminal act, as well as the option of reducing an individual’s sentence. But the governor appears to have little interest in exercising that power — or even giving due consideration to cases where a miscarriage of justice has occurred.
In Missouri, clemency petitions are reviewed by the Board of Probation and Parole. The board then sends its recommendations to the governor.
But Parson has acted on just one of more than 3,500 clemency cases in the year-and-half since he replaced Greitens, St. Louis Public Radio reported.
In September, Parson denied the clemency request of convicted killer Russell Bucklew, a terminally ill inmate with a rare medical condition that caused malformed blood vessels.
Bucklew was executed despite pleas from human rights organizations, Catholic bishops in Missouri and anti-death penalty advocates.
Parson is not responsible for the decades-old backlog of clemency requests that predates his time in the state’s highest office. But the governor can not abrogate the responsibility that comes with this job.
By not acting, the governor is leaving prisoners, ex-offenders and their families in limbo.
Parson is not obligated to give anyone clemency. But why isn’t he even considering these requests? His lack of urgency is cause for concern.
Kelli Jones, the governor’s spokeswoman, didn’t reply to requests for comment from The Star. Jones told St. Louis Public Radio the office is working on a system for handling clemency requests, but establishing a legal review process for a large number of files takes time.
Parson has been governor since June 1, 2018. Exactly how much time is required?
Some of Parson’s predecessors also acted on relatively few clemency requests. Greitens, who resigned amid multiple scandals after only 17 months as governor, pardoned five people before he left office and commuted four sentences.
Former Gov. Jay Nixon granted 110 pardons, but 65 of them came during his final year in office. Former Gov. Matt Blunt issued just 14 pardons in four years. Blunt also denied 1,338 pardon applications, according to the Board of Probation and Parole.
Regardless of whether Parson is inclined to grant clemency in a select few cases or deny every request, he must begin to make headway on what has become an indefensible backlog.
Those who have applied for clemency deserve a decision, if nothing else. And some no doubt deserve a clean slate or a reduced sentence.
“The holiday season is a season of mercy,” Ammann said. “We are asking the governor to show mercy.”
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 10:18 AM.