Gov. John Hickenlooper announced last Thursday that he’d granted clemency to 26 individuals who he said, “have served their sentences and are currently contributing members of their communities.”
Hickenlooper, who is nearing the end of his second four-year term as governor, has pardoned 66 individuals during his time running the state. In the past, the governor has granted clemency to those who were serving sentences involving drug addiction or in prison for crimes committed as juveniles.
The pardons Hickenlooper announced last week were granted to individuals serving sentences for a wide variety of crimes, including fraud by check, conspiracy to sell narcotics, menacing and robbery, and vehicular eluding and reckless driving. The list also included three people who’d been convicted on marijuana-related charges. (Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012.)
“Many people with criminal histories have earned the opportunity to move past their mistakes,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “These individuals have clearly demonstrated, in different ways, dedication to their families, communities, and their commitment to live a productive life.”
The clemency process — a power afforded to the governor by the Colorado Constitution — involves an extensive application process as well as a lengthy review, which includes soliciting input from victims, judges, prosecutors and others. The governor has the ability to pardon all offenses except treason.
In Colorado, there are two types of clemency: pardons and commutations. Pardons are a sort of show of public forgiveness from the highest level of state government; a commutation actually alters the length of a sentence.
In issuing these pardons, Hickenlooper signed a letter addressed to each individual. The letters read in part, “Of the hundreds of applications for pardons my office has received over the years, yours is one of the few I am granting, I am doing so because you have demonstrated your commitment to moving past your criminal history and starting anew, while taking with you the lesson you have learned throughout your life.”
— Chris Outcalt