A clemency letter-writing campaign organized by Alabama death row prisoners on behalf of James Barney Hubbard, an ailing 74-year-old man who is scheduled to be executed on August 5th, was recently halted by Department of Correction authorities at Donaldson Prison. Just two months before Hubbard’s scheduled execution, Willie Dorrell Minor wrote a clemency petition to Alabama Governor Robert Riley. He planned to have the petition asking Riley to spare Hubbard’s life signed by other individuals on the state’s death row before submitting it to the Governor. The letter read, in part, “Mr. Hubbard has been ill for several years suffering from prostate cancer, colon cancer and ulcers to name some of his health problems. Given the condition of this elderly and sick man I respectfully submit that the pending execution of Mr. Hubbard is offensive to every civilized Alabamian.This is not an issue of the death penalty per se, but rather of justice, mercy, and morality. I urge you to grant clemency to Mr. Hubbard…Governor Riley, thank you for your mercy and consideration concerning this very important matter.” In order to obtain enough copies of his letter to circulate it to other people on the state’s death row, Minor had copies made through a death penalty group that were then mailed back through the prison mail system so that each death row inmate could receive a copy to sign and send to the Governor. It was during this final step that Department of Correction officials confiscated the package of photocopied letters. To date, the governor has not received a clemency petition on behalf of Hubbard. (Letter from George Jones, July 14, 2004). See Upcoming Executions.