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Thank you for lifting up her life, Mariame.

We have utterly failed as a society when we cage people and are smugly certain that we never need to revisit those decisions. There are so many people dying in prisons who do not need to be there. Today, there is one less. Love and light to you. I'm sorry we failed you.

I know that LWOP means that people are supposed to die in prison. But society didn't need her to die there. She posed no threat to anyone. She would have been a valued and valuable member of the community.

She leaves behind family--siblings, children, grandchildren--and friends who loved her dearly and never stopped hoping that she would return, despite her life without parole sentence. And she leaves behind a commutation request, filed over a year ago and never acknowledged.

She suffered a serious health setback eight years into her incarceration, at 32 years old. She had repeated surgeries and required much medication. Not only would she never have hurt anyone (prison staff noted her kindness and compassion), she could not have hurt anyone.

While incarcerated, she discovered a deep faith that led her to minster to others through bible study, as a worship facilitator, and through the joy of dance. She participated in programming designed to help people recognize the harm they had done and take accountability for that harm.

Just to get it out of the way--yes, the crime was terrible. But like many women, her role in the crime was minimal and was a product of duress. My client was involved in something she couldn't find her way out of without seriously jeopardizing her life and the lives of her family. So she stayed.

That’s exactly what I was going to say-and I’m currently in that deanship

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Right. That's my point. She acknowledged DVAM. She didn't acknowledge publicly that she had denied clemency to several criminalized survivors. I know that because I represent one of them and am in touch with the people who represent the others.