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A Rare Clemency
On January 16th, Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles granted clemency to Jimmy Meders just hours before he was to be executed. ARC, Inc. is proud to have been a part of Jimmy's defense team and grateful to have worked alongside the Southern Center for Human Rights and the Georgia Resource Center. The State Board commuted Jimmy’s sentence to life without parole, citing Jimmy’s lack of a prior criminal record, an almost non-existent infraction record during over 30 years of incarceration, and evidence from the remaining jurors all supporting clemency. In Georgia, clemency is rare and has occurred only 12 times within the last 44 years, the most recent being 6 years ago.
Jimmy was reluctantly sentenced to death by a jury at the conclusion of his 1989 criminal trial. At the time of Jimmy’s sentencing, they recognized that his offense was inconsistent with the life he’d created as a hard-working husband, father, and National Guard service member. However, Georgia law did not permit a lesser sentence of life without parole.
We are thankful for the Board’s decision, that Jimmy is alive, for the incredible work of the entire defense team, and for Jimmy’s family. Our mitigation work continues and we strive to make just outcomes like Jimmy's a more common reality for others.
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