Reginald Clemons, a former death row prisoner in Missouri, has faced a protracted legal battle and systemic irregularities following his commutation to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole in 2015. Despite this sentence adjustment, Clemons has been denied parole twice, with each denial spanning five years, totaling ten additional years of incarceration beyond his death row commutation. Notably, Clemons asserts that he was never processed through the Missouri Department of Corrections’ (MoDOC) Regional Diagnostic Center as required by Missouri law. Instead, he was directly taken to Potosi Correctional Center by MoDOC correctional officers, bypassing the standard protocol where sheriffs deliver prisoners to the diagnostic center for processing and custody level determination. This deviation from established legal procedures raises serious constitutional questions about due process and the legitimacy of Clemons’ incarceration.

Adding to the complexity of Clemons’ case, he has spent 33 years in MoDOC custody but has been informed that 24 of those years do not count toward his sentence due to his commutation. Moreover, Clemons challenges the assertion that he had 15 years of back-up time on his death sentence, a claim that lacks basis in Missouri law. His legal efforts to address these issues through Internal Resolution Requests (IRRs), grievances, and court filings have been routinely denied or ignored. Clemons has also discovered that his facesheet is not displayed in the Missouri prison locator database under his name or DOC number, creating a significant security and procedural breach during his transfer to Jefferson City Correctional Center in 2021. With notarized waivers consenting to a full review of his parole, probation, and MoDOC records, Clemons invites the legal community to examine his case, highlighting potential constitutional violations and a failure of the justice system. The lack of transparency, procedural irregularities, and denial of due process suggest the troubling possibility of an innocent man being illegally confined on charges that remain shrouded in systemic flaws and legal ambiguities.