board-of-pardons
Commutation applications put on indefinite hold, as reformers press for action amid pandemic
Public hearings scheduled for June will be delayed until the state Capitol reopens -- a day that could be weeks or months away.
Facing pushback, Shapiro announces support for constitutional amendment changing voting requirements for commutations
Shapiro took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to voice his support for a constitutional amendment sponsored by Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, that would reduce the number of votes a clemency seeker needs to commute a lifetime prison sentence.
Fetterman, Shapiro say they both believe in second chances. Pardons board votes tell two different stories
The politicians currently on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons both say they believe in second chances for convicted criminals. They’ve also been rumored — or outright admitted — to have ambitions for higher offices.
Pa. Reps. Lamb, Houlahan endorse Joe Biden for president
Biden now has received the endorsements of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and five of Pennsylvania’s nine Congressional Democrats.
Pardons board rejections leave Lt. Gov. John Fetterman ‘dismayed’
A watershed year for Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons ended in disappointment for many criminal justice advocates on Friday, when the panel denied bids from nearly a dozen people seeking release from prison. The Board of Pardons heard 15 cases on Friday from inmates hoping to have life sentences commuted. It denied all but two, and […]
Pennsylvanians with minor cannabis convictions can apply for an expedited pardon
The announcement comes less than a week after Wolf said for the first time he backs legalizing cannabis for recreational adult use.
Once behind bars, new Pardons Secretary Brandon Flood says he wants others to have the same shot at a second chance he did
Brandon Flood knows all about what it’s like to need a second chance. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that he was looking for one himself. When he was 17, Flood was convicted on charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine. When he was 22, he was nabbed on a firearms violation. He’d […]