Biography
James Collins was one of the six Reidsville Brothers prosecuted over the July 23, 1978 rebellion at Georgia State Prison. Contemporary Black Panther reporting described him being stabbed by other inmates amid allegations of official collusion. A February 1980 support newsletter reported that he had been acquitted and was out of prison, stating that his original sentence ended on October 28, 1979. The exact day of physical release and his earlier prison-admission date remain unconfirmed.
Contemporary Reidsville case outcome
The February 1980 Pontiac Prisoners Support Coalition newsletter reports that James Collins was acquitted in the Reidsville prosecution and was out of prison. It gives October 28, 1979 as the date his original sentence ended. That is an explicit sentence-expiration date, but the account does not independently identify the actual day of physical release. It is therefore preserved here rather than silently substituted as an exact release date. The prison-rebellion date also does not establish his earlier initial prison admission.
Source: Pontiac Prisoners Support Coalition Newsletter, number 11, February 1980, pp. 4-5. Political characterizations and allegations are attributed to the support coalition.
