From National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls:
We Are Clemency Voters '24!
In 1993, the Supreme Court refused to let Leonel Herrera, who was on death row, present evidence of actual innocence because the deadline for presenting new evidence was long past. Then-Chief Justice Rehnquist justified the Court’s failure to act by observing that “Executive clemency has provided the ‘fail safe’ in our criminal justice system. Thus, it was up to the Executive (a Governor or the President) to fix the mistakes of the judiciary. Mr. Herrera was executed.
Until the first Bush Administration, granting pardons was an uncontroversial part of a President’s job. The advent of “tough on crime” policies and the racism inherent in the War on Drugs changed that. For the past 40 years, Governors and the President have abandoned compassion and grown stingy in granting clemency, largely reserving pardons for their cronies or political donors. A power that dates back to ancient times has become shriveled and tarnished because politicians see no upside in saving those who have been wrongly convicted, over-sentenced, or who have rebuilt their lives for the better.
Those with the power to forgive must change or pay a price for their inaction. They need to understand that Americans believe in second chances. We want strong families, not those torn apart by incarceration. We want women to be able to choose motherhood, not have their child-bearing years spent behind bars. We want thriving communities, not those deprived of the talents of those locked up for decades.
In short, we want clemency. We are clemency voters.
As clemency voters, we:
Support campaigns to free people who have been unjustly convicted, like Melissa Lucio or Michelle West;
Urge Governors and the President to end the insanely long sentences given during the War on Drugs by freeing people like Laz Ordaz
Demand commitments from politicians running for office that they will support clemency;
Insist on a transparent and efficient screening process for clemency petitions that includes the voices of formerly incarcerated people;
Hold politicians accountable for fulfilling their promises and
Vote against people in office who undermine clemency by using pardons as a political weapon.
Join us in advocating for clemency and second chances.
Make a $10 donation and put a sticker on your car, business, window, notebook, and more! Convince your friends and neighbors to embrace clemency. Together, we can create a loud and vibrant “clemency constituency” that politicians cannot ignore.
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