Commutation
Outgoing Colorado Governor Grants Clemency to Six Prisoners Doing Life
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, in his final month in office, granted clemency to six Colorado prisoners who were sentenced to life in prison without parole. All six were young at the time of their offenses, and they will now have a chance to go home. “These decisions are not made lightly,” Hickenlooper said in a…
Read MorePresidential Clemency
The presidential clemency power is one of the most powerful tools a President can use. The presidential clemency power can be used for mercy and to instigate policy change. Clemency is defined as mercy or leniency. The presidential clemency power the President of the United States holds is extremely broad and powerful. Many powers the…
Read MoreExecutive Clemency
The executive clemency power is an extremely broad and powerful ability of a President and a governor. This power can be used to promote policies and to render mercy. Article 2, Section II of the Constitution states: “The President…shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases…
Read MorePresidential Clemency Authority: What You Need to Know
Philip Vigol. Robert E. Lee. David Brown. John Fremont. Pierre Lafitte. Al Jennings. Samuel Mudd. Marc Rich. Patty Hearst. Jimmy Hoffa. Who were these people? Some of their names may be familiar to you, others completely unknown. They lived in different times, and were accused of or committed different crimes: treason, sedition, murder, bank robbery,…
Read MoreWhat You Need To Know About The Pardon Attorney Office
Clemency is a difficult process on both ends. It’s difficult for applicants to get recognized by the President. And for the President, it is nearly impossible to consider each and every clemency petition. The Pardon Attorney Office exists for these reasons. The Office helps the clemency application and approval process. While the President has exclusive…
Read MoreWhat Does “Commutation of a Sentence” Mean?
Both governors and president possess the power to commute a prison sentence. This clemency power can be used to make a statement about criminal justice reform and to show mercy. Commutation of a sentence means a reduction in punishment. Typically, a commutation lessens a prison sentence, but it can also reduce court-ordered fines. A commuted…
Read MoreClemency by the Numbers
Clemency statistics are now widely kept by the Justice Department and can be easily analyzed. It is useful to look at the numbers to determine how a president used his clemency power. Office of the Pardon Attorney The Office of the Pardon Attorney, under the purview of the Department of Justice, is the office that…
Read MoreWhat’s Clemency?
To grant clemency is to give mercy, to forgive. When we speak of an executive’s official power to grant clemency, be it a president or governor, the core of that executive power is to allow the executive to show leniency or mercy. Indeed, it is said to be an act of grace that is based…
Read MoreObama’s Clemency Statistics
While President Obama left an executive clemency legacy, it is important to look at the breakdown of this legacy compared to former presidents. The Obama Administration President Obama left a legacy in regards to his exercise of executive clemency. From the start of his term, he stated that mercy and clemency were at the forefront…
Read MoreClemency Project and Clemency Initiative
The Clemency Project formed in response to President Obama’s Clemency Initiative. The Clemency Project played a crucial role in providing assistance for thousands of clemency petitioners where were incarcerated in federal prisons. On April 23, 2014, the Obama administration announced a change. Instead of the stringent practices of former administrations regarding clemency, both Republican and…
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