Join us in urging Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger to grant a conditional pardon to Cynthia Scott

Cynthia is a Black woman, mother, loving grandmother, and a college-educated veteran with a computer science degree. She is currently incarcerated in Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (FCCW) in Virginia, about 55 miles northwest of Richmond. Prior to her incarceration, Cynthia’s struggle with addiction led her to take part in a series of survival acts that led to her incarceration. After Cynthia pleaded guilty, her pre-sentence report recommended a guideline sentencing range between 10 and 24 years. Instead, the Campbell County circuit court in Virginia issued a sentence of 91 years—well over three times the length of the highest end of the guidelines range. 

Even though the court subsequently suspended part of her sentence, Cynthia was still sentenced to serve over 42 years of her life in prison. Cynthia is now 57-years-old and has been incarcerated for nearly 24 years.

Cynthia lives with multiple chronic medical conditions which over two decades of incarceration have worsened including kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, and a chronic inflammatory condition called sarcoidosis that impacts her lungs, heart, liver, and spleen. Cynthia has personally experienced the substantially inadequate health care and medical abuse at FCCW for nearly two decades including failure to treat her sarcoidosis, which resulted in permanent scarring of Cynthia's lungs that will forever impair her ability to breathe. Further, as a person with existing chronic medical conditions, her health has been impacted by the lack of protections throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in FCCW. In 2014, Cynthia was a chief plaintiff in Scott v. Clarke, a class action lawsuit which cited the dangerous and inadequate medical care at FCCW. Scott and her fellow plaintiffs won their case--becoming the first incarcerated people in Virginia to hold the state accountable for their medical neglect. Despite this victory, medical neglect is still commonplace in FCCW. Nonetheless, Cynthia remains a steadfast advocate for health care access for others inside women’s prisons. 

Throughout her incarceration, Cynthia has maintained a strong relationship with her mother and daughters. She piloted an advanced program to teach computer skills to fellow incarcerated women, and she has taken—and now leads—classes on addiction. Today, Cynthia is supported by family members and a wide network of extended community and loved ones waiting to welcome her back home.  

“I’ve longed for this day since 2001, the day I can pick up the phone and call my mother just because, go out to dinner, take trips, have unlimited phone calls, and visits, you know the simple things that most people take for granted. I hope and pray my prayers can finally be answered” - Cynthia’s daughter

When Cynthia is free, she hopes to work to help others grow and understand the experiences and traumas connected to mass incarceration. Moreover, her freedom will enable her to seek medical care denied during the nearly 20 years she has been behind bars. Join us in signing and sharing this petition to urge Governor Youngkin to grant Cynthia Scott clemency!