Governor Newsom announces clemency actions

What you need to know: What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced that he has granted 5 pardons and 3 commutations today.

SACRAMENTO - Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he has granted 5 pardons and 3 commutations. These grantees were recommended for clemency by elected officials, correctional staff, including a former prison warden, medical professionals, teachers, and community and faith leaders.

Clemency recognizes and incentivizes rehabilitation and accountability after conviction. Motivating good behavior is an essential part of any successful justice system. The Governor weighs numerous factors in clemency cases, including an applicant's self-development since the offense, if the grant is consistent with public safety, and the impact of a grant on the community, including crime victims and survivors.

Pardons

A pardon acknowledges the grantee's rehabilitation after a conviction, and their successful reintegration into the community. A pardon may remove counterproductive barriers to employment and public service and restore civic rights and responsibilities.

Commutations

A commutation recognizes an incarcerated person's exceptional post-conviction rehabilitation. Commutations modify sentences to make the grantee eligible to go before the Board of Parole Hearings at an earlier date. At that hearing, parole commissioners consider numerous factors, including input from crime victims and survivors and district attorneys, to determine whether the person can safely be released into the community on parole. The Board's expertise has resulted in a very low recidivism rate for people released following a parole hearing.

Resources for victims, survivors, and witnesses

The Governor's Office encourages victims, survivors, and witnesses to register with CDCR's Office of Victims and Survivors Rights and Services to receive information about an incarcerated person's status. For general information about victim services, to learn about victim-offender dialogues, or to register or update a registration confidentially, please click here or call 1-877-256-6877 (toll free).

While in office, Governor Newsom has granted a total of 276 pardons, 169 commutations, and 43 reprieves.

More information on the clemency process is available here.