Victims' Scholarships Come from Unlikely Source -- Murderers

DALLAS, Oct. 2, 2005 — -- Like millions of young Americans, Brandon Biggs returned to college last month. But how he was able to afford school is unusual.

Four years ago, Brandon's father was struck by a driver high on drugs and alcohol. The impact lodged Gregory Biggs in the car's windshield. Instead of stopping to get help, Chante Mallard drove Gregory to her garage and left him there to die.

After a judge sentenced Mallard to 50 years in prison, she apologized and Brandon offered forgiveness.

"I, personally, would like to say I would accept your apology," Brandon said in court. "And, in return, I hope that you will accept my forgiveness."

That act attracted the attention of an unlikely group, America's death row inmates.

"I think that forgiveness helped him a great deal in his healing process," said Dennis Skillicorn, who is on death row in Missouri and the editor of a newsletter called Compassion.

With proceeds from subscriptions and donations, the inmates fund scholarships for relatives of murder victims.

There are not a lot of people in the United States who sympathize with death-row inmates. But death penalty opponents say programs like the scholarships could change the views of many Americans.

"This is part of the criminal justice program," said Rick Halperin, a professor at Southern Methodist University. "It doesn't advocate that convicted violent felons be set free. It does advocate that they should be incarcerated and made better and be given the opportunity to become better."

Death penalty supporters warn the public should be cautious of the inmates' motives.

"I'd be skeptical about anything a person that's facing the death sentence would come up with," said Jack O'Brien of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation. "If it's from the heart, I think it's a positive thing."

Skillicorn said it is from the heart.

"In my stay here, there's been over 32 executions," he said. "I've never seen a case where an inmate received clemency or where his sentence was commuted because he was a nice guy. They don't let you off death row because you do nice things."