BATON ROUGE – On July 22nd, 2019 Louisiana’s pardon board recommended that Gov. John
Bel Edwards commute the sentence of Gloria Williams, Louisiana’s longest-serving incarcerated
mother.
The recommendation came after considerable community support for Ms. Williams, who
is affectionately known as “Mama Glo.”
Mama Glo was taken to the Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday, April 18th 2020. She has tested positive for COVID-19 and is receiving oxygen treatment.
Mama Glo is a survivor of domestic violence and was incarcerated at just twenty-five years of
age.
During her 48 years of incarceration, she transformed her life and became a mentor and
mother figure to countless other incarcerated women. She still hopes to return to her family, including her four living siblings, five children, and numerous grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
At 73 years-old she is a particularly high risk COVID patient.
At the time of her hospitalization, Mama Glo was still awaiting action from the Governor on her
commutation.
“People like Ms. Williams are precisely who Governor John Bel Edwards should
have been releasing from incarceration in response to COVID-19. The inaction of the Governor
and the Department of Corrections to protect our vulnerable incarcerated population has put
thousands of lives at risk.” Said Mercedes Montagnes, Executive Director of the Promise of
Justice Initiative, the office that represented Mama Glo before the pardon board.
