Ronnie Loggins
Ronnie Loggins has liposarcoma cancer. The tumor, located on his inner thigh, likely has grown beyond what is operable. Radiation treatments were unsuccessful and caused other health complications. The 39-year-old retired military veteran, is a stomach cancer survivor also suffering from bleeding ulcers.
Ronnie resides in Lansing’s minimum security unit, and despite his illnesses with the accompanying pain and fatigue, he has thrown himself into Kansas Department of Corrections work programs, has a job lined up for when he is released, and has ample family support to make a successful transition.
Sentenced in 2015, set for release in 2023, and battling cancer and those other ailments, Ronnie wonders what the KDOC has to gain from his continued incarceration, particularly as COVID-19 rages in congregate spaces like Lansing (800 residents and 100 staffers there have tested positive).
Loggins, who once owned his owned a concrete company, said he has worked hard to prepare himself for release.
“I have gained valuable experience working a maintenance job and have even poured and finished some concrete jobs,” he said in his clemency application. “In early Fall 2019, I got a private industry job at Lacrosse Furniture…. This clearance to work at the facility’s private industry job shows the trust the Kansas Department of Corrections already has in me to work in the community.”
If released, he will return to Geary County and live with his fiancée and five children.
His six years served in the U.S. Army grants him medical care through the VA Hospital system and the KU Medical Center also has offered to continue to treat him at no cost following his release.
Given his ailments, he may not have much time left.
“I’m humbly asking the Governor to grant me clemency so that I can safely return to the community and begin the next chapter of my life.
Date
Monday, April 12, 2021 - 8:00am
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Petition of the Week: January 25th-29th
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Ronald Pursley
Ronald Pursley, 63, is not only a heart attack survivor, but he has serious, lingering cardiovascular issues including congestive heart failure and hypertension. Ronald also lost sight in his right eye in March of last year and also battles a host of other painful, urinary tract issues. His serious conditions generate great pain daily as well as deepen his chronic fatigue.
He has nearly finished his sentence — he is scheduled for release from the Lansing Correctional Facility in October.
Ronald has been screened for the work release program at the Winfield Correctional Facility, a demonstration he says, of the Kansas Department of Correction’s confidence in him. He has worked in the kitchen at Lansing and participated in the Brothers in Blue and men’s choir programs.
Ronald thinks of his health, his work release and facility volunteer work, and his 2016, non-violent drug crime, and he considers himself the perfect, early release candidate.
If released, Ronald said in his clemency application that he also would “like to finish my Associate’s Degree by taking online college classes. I am eager to reenter society so I can support my family and be present for my children’s and grandchildren’s milestones.”
“I am eager to reenter society so I can support my family…”
He will rely on family support. His multiple and serious medical conditions require the kind of specialized medical attention that are simply unavailable at Lansing. Despite his worsening condition, for example, he has not seen a cardiologist. He also has an umbilical hernia, bladder and testicular pain, and MRSA.
If released, Ronald plans to live with his daughter in Kansas City, MO., where his eight children and two sisters also live.
His continued incarceration raises more questions than his imprisonment ever answered.
Our prison system tacitly withholds care for this very sick person who likely should not have been incarcerated for his non-violent drug offense anyway.
If Ronald isn’t a candidate for early release, who would be?
Date
Friday, April 9, 2021 - 4:00pm
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Sherman Wright
Sherman Wright, 56, has been incarcerated at the Lansing Correctional Facility since age 23 for robbery and burglary charges. He moves more slowly and painfully now. He even has a Kansas Department of Corrections order stating he be placed only on bottom bunks because of his physical limitations.
Still, he has taken full advantage of DOC programming and job opportunities, learning welding and building maintenance, and how to train service dogs to assist the disabled.
Sherman, who has been imprisoned for 33 years—about 10 years longer than has ever been free—has finished 85 percent of his sentence. In a cruel twist, had he been sentenced under more recent sentencing guidelines, he likely would have been released by now.
The Kansas Sentencing Act of 1993 changed sentencing guidelines, shortening sentences for property crimes and lengthening them for violent crimes. But the Act was only made retroactive for 2,000 people, leaving hundreds of people like Sherman languishing under dated sentencing guidelines.
In that time, he has prepared for his eventual release by building skills and trying to give back.
He completed those welding and building maintenance certifications and served as main cook in the Lansing kitchen. He also has taken speech classes and delivered speeches to young people, encouraging them avoid his mistakes.
Sherman also has directed the United States Junior Chamber chapter where he raised money to support charitable causes.
His flagging health drives a sense of urgency for his release. He suffers from diabetes in addition to the knee and muscle pain.
He lost both parents and a sister while incarcerated, but plans to live with his surviving sister if he is released.
“I plan to pursue a job cooking — which is my passion — and continue seeking mentoring opportunities.”
Even with declining health, he has a chance at experiencing a life more defined by freedom than by imprisonment.
Date
Monday, March 1, 2021 - 4:00pm
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Petition of the Week: May 10th-14th
Petition of the Week: May 24-28
The Clemency Project: Stomach, and now, liposarcoma cancer
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