Melissa
L. Chapman, former resident of
Genesee
County is currently
serving a life sentence in a
Michigan
prison.
Melissa, who was 18 years old at the time of the offense, was
convicted of 1st degree murder in 1988 despite the fact
she was not the perpetrator in the death of the victim. In spite of
long periods of being abused and battered, leading her to protect
her own life and that of her loved ones,
was not allowed to raise the defense of Battered Women’s
Syndrome (BWS) at her trial. Since 1992, most states, including
Michigan, now allow
expert testimony as to the behavioral effects of long-term physical
and psychological abuse by their spouses or male companions. We
believe that had this testimony been allowed at Melissa’s trial, the
result would have been significantly different.
In
1987, while still a teenager, Melissa Chapman was kidnapped,
tortured, terrorized and manipulated by her pathologically unstable,
jealous, possessive and drug-addicted boyfriend. To her horror, he
shot and killed a man who was sitting with them in a truck during a
drug deal. Panicked and traumatized by events beyond her control,
Melissa did as she was told and helped him hide the body to protect
her own life, as well as those she loved. For this single act of
self-preservation, she was convicted of 1st degree murder and handed
a natural life sentence with no possibility of
parole.
Melissa has never contested the fact that she is
guilty of aiding and abetting after the fact or that she deserved to
pay a price for her involvement; however, a sentence of
non-parolable natural life far outweighs her role in the
participating factors. One can reflect that this kind of prosecution
and sentencing is akin with the death penalty; differentiating only
in that one does not know the exact hour or date of their impending
demise.
Melissa is neither a murderer nor a killer. She has
now served over18 years in prison for the actions of
another.
It can be pointed out that governors in several
states – Ohio and
Arkansas included –
have given out multiple commutations due to the inherent
discrimination of defendants not being allowed to present expert
testimony regarding BWS at the time of their
trials.
It should be noted that Melissa’s prison record has been
exemplary. She is a model inmate and has never had a history of or
infraction for violent behavior. Despite Melissa’s circumstances,
she has remained positive, outgoing and determined to make the most
of her life by helping others and setting new goals to achieve.
Since her incarceration Melissa has collected a truly impressive
list of qualifications. She received her Associate’s Degree in Arts
and Sciences and holds a certificate in Creative
Writing and Poetry Workshops sponsored by the
University of
Michigan. She served for
18 months as President of the National Lifers Association (NLA,
Chapter 1014) for which she was instrumental in forming a pilot
project with the U of M in bringing college classes back into the
women’s prisons; edited the NLA’s official newsletter for eight
years; and is a certified legal writer. Additionally, she has
graduated vocational programs in Business Technology and Graphic
Arts for which she tutored Graphic Arts for eight years until its
untimely dissolution due to budget cuts. Melissa has also been
trained in the art of denture making and On the Job Training (OJT)
in Warehousing. She currently works full time as a Legal Aide in the
prison law library assisting others. Certainly, she has used her
time while incarcerated wisely to better both herself and her
surroundings. She receives excellent work and block reports from
supervisors on the job and staff in her living
units.
A statement made on Melissa's behalf states that
“Judges and courts must begin to hold law enforcement and the
criminal justice system responsible for abandoning women who’ve been
assaulted by male partners instead of prosecuting the women who were
forced to defend themselves alone. These are cases where police
backed off, prosecutors blamed the women for defending themselves,
defense attorneys gave little or no defense for them, and/or judges
failed to give proper instructions to juries. The system has failed
them all.”
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy gave a
landmark speech to the American Bar Association on August 9, 2003 calling for
the reinvigoration of the clemency process. “Courts may conclude the
legislature is permitted to choose long sentences, but that does not
mean long sentences are wise or just. A people confident in its laws
and institutions should not be ashamed of mercy. When it costs so
much more to incarcerate a prisoner than to educate a child, we
should take special care to ensure that we are not incarcerating too
many persons for too long. I hope more involved in the pardon
process will say Your
Excellency, the Governor, this young [person] has not served her
full sentence, but she has served long enough. Give her what only
you can give. Give her another chance. Give her a priceless gift.
Give her liberty.”
Clearly, Melissa is not a threat to anyone. Her
continued incarceration serves no purpose other than to be a burden
on the taxpayers of
Michigan who are
already suffering a severe budget crunch. It has already cost the
taxpayers an estimated $540,000 at $30,000 a year for the past 18
years. Melissa is ready to reclaim her position in society and
contribute positively to it. She has the education, training and
support of her family, friends and organizations to make
a constructive re-entry. Whatever rehabilitative measures
the Michigan Department of Corrections expects of its residents,
Melissa has far surpassed in these more than 18 years of
incarceration. We must ask, to what point does keeping this woman in
prison become nothing more than vindictiveness?
We pray that
you will join us in showing support for the release of Melissa
Chapman.
