Death row inmates from around the country will present a $5,000 college scholarship to Zach Osborne, the brother of a 4-year-old murder victim, who plans to attend East Carolina University to pursue a career in law enforcement. The scholarship is an annual award given by those on death row who participate in the publication of “Compassion,” a newsletter that provides a forum for communication between convicted offenders and murder victims’ families. Each year, a murder victim’s family member is chosen to receive the funds based on the results of an essay competition. In his essay, Osborne wrote, “Natalie’s death has haunted my family since the day she was found… . Through realizing this dream (of becoming a law enforcement officer), I would play a key role in preventing situations like this from ever happening again.” Dennis Skillicorn, who is on Missouri’s death row and serves as current editor of “Compassion,” stated that the scholarship “gives every one of us - regardless of our living conditions - an opportunity to restore some of what we’ve torn down.” Osborne will receive his scholarship during a 10 a.m. press conference hosted by the Greensboro Police Department on June 7.

Since July 2001, the prisoners have awarded $27,000 in scholarships. A free copy of “Compassion” is given to each person on death row in the United States. The newsletter’s publication and its annual scholarship are funded by subscriptions from the general public and other donors. Members of St. Rose Parish in Perrysburg, Ohio, oversee the newsletter’s funding and no death row inmate profits by participating in its publication. (Compassion Press Release, June 2, 2005). See New Voices and Victims.