By Barbara Lazaridis, Staff Writer
On February 25, three students from Haverford College’s Rethink Incarceration Club went to a rally in Philadelphia. The group was protesting State Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s constant opposition of commutation for prisoners serving extremely long sentences. The protesters gathered to demand that Shapiro use his power to grant freedom to individuals who have been unjustly imprisoned—or who have transformed over their sentence and would be useful members of society if released—instead of condemning them to die in prison.
Commutation—or the process of replacing one punishment, such as imprisonment, with another—is the only way to lighten harsh sentences, even presenting the possibility of release (this includes life sentences). In order to be passed, it requires five out of five votes from the Board of Pardons, which is chaired by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. Shapiro has been one of the most frequent vetoers of commutation votes, and as such has denied freedom to numerous incarcerated persons who have had prison warrens testify for them, struggle with serious health conditions, and even those with support from their victim’s family.
Ken Daly, one of the protest attendees, emphasized his belief that Shapiro’s actions are unjust. He believes that these people would pay their taxes like any other citizen and would contribute to society.
James Lambert, another participant, was himself in the penal system for a total of 42 years—33 of which he spent on death row. Since his release, he has been living lawfully as a committed activist, condemning the cruelty of the incarceration system. Lambert firmly believes that love is the driving force of rehabilitation. He says that it is important “to believe in people and know that justice is love and love is justice,” adding that, to him, this rally is about fairness and true justice.
Activist Andrea Inge was also at the protest. Her husband, James Inge, has been incarcerated since he was 19 years old. He was initially offered a plea bargain of 8 to 20 years, but turned it down because he thought that his attorney was pressuring him to accept it. He then decided to go to trial, was found guilty, and was given a life sentence without parole.
Since his incarceration, Inge has applied for commutation seven times, and has been turned down each time. In his most recent public hearing, he missed commutation by two votes; he received three of the unanimous five required, despite maintaining good behavior for 39 years. He cannot re-apply until 2021. Shapiro cast his vote among those who condemned Inge to a continued sentence at the Phoenix Correctional Institution.
While Inge remains in prison, his co-conspirator took the plea deal and was released in seven years. The two Board members who vetoed his commutation did so because they went by his behavior when he first went to prison.
“They punish you for not taking the plea bargain because trial costs the state of [Pennsylvania] money,” Andrea Inge explained. “When you accept the plea bargain you save state money.” She pointed out that this is unfair: “If you’re willing to offer somebody a plea of 8 to 20 years, you have already established that their crime was not worth life in prison.”
Inge added that, in her observed experience, penalizing those with harsh sentences who choose to go on trial is extremely common. She argued that this procedure is a waste of tax dollars; it is your constitutional right to be given a fair trial. The way the penal system makes these decisions is nonsensical at best and contradictory of fundamental freedoms at worst.
Image credit: Barbara Lazaridis
