Donate kidney, get out of jail

Convicted sisters in Mississippi to be freed if one donates a kidney to other

Convicted sisters in Mississippi to be freed if one donates a kidney to other

For 16 years, sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have shared a life behind bars for their part in a $11 (Rs 500) armed robbery. To share freedom, they must also share a kidney.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour suspended the sisters' life sentences on Wednesday, but 36-year-old Gladys Scott's release is contingent on her giving a kidney to Jamie, her 38-year-old sister, who requires daily dialysis.

The sisters were convicted in 1994 of leading two men into an ambush in central Mississippi the year before.

Three teenagers hit each man in the head with a shotgun and took their wallets making off with only $11, court records said.

Jamie and Gladys Scott (pic above) were each convicted of two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to two life sentences.

"I think it's a victory," said the sisters' attorney, Chokwe Lumumba. "I talked to Gladys and she's elated about the news. I'm sure Jamie is, too."

Lumumba said he has no problem with the governor requiring Gladys to offer up her organ because "Gladys actually volunteered that as part of her petition."