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Clemency: Fewer prisoners, less crime
By stltoday.com- Erica J. Mazzotti
Published: 01/23/2015

Last month, Gov. Jay Nixon announced that he granted pardons to eight men and one woman who were all convicted of nonviolent crimes. Gov. Nixon said in his Dec. 29 press release that “the executive power to grant clemency is one I take with a great deal of consideration and seriousness.” He explained that in each case, the “individual demonstrated the ability and willingness to turn his or her life around and become a contributing member of society.” But aside from these nine offenders, Gov. Nixon has granted only one other request for clemency since he took office in 2009.

The longstanding tradition of granting clemency is not just an act of mercy. Rather, it is a gubernatorial responsibility intended to correct injustices within the criminal justice system, including sentences that are significantly disproportionate between genders, offenders who are treated as criminals when in reality they themselves are victims of abuse, and rehabilitated inmates who spend decades incarcerated when they pose no societal threat.

The newly formed Community Coalition for Clemency, whose members include prominent lawyers, professors, a retired appellate judge, a former Missouri governor, current and former legislators, advocates and law students, represents 15 women adversely affected by these very injustices. These women are victims of serious domestic and/or sexual abuse, had no prior history of violent crime, and in some cases received harsher sentences than similarly situated males.

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