qwerty
08-24-2006, 11:34 PM
Ehrlich Prolific in Granting Clemency
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 25, 2006; Page A01
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has been unusually active in his use of executive clemency powers, pardoning scores of convicts and commuting the sentences of five who were serving life sentences for murder.
Since taking office in 2003, Ehrlich (R) has granted clemency to 190 former convicts, reversing a two-decade trend among state and national chief executives, who have largely shelved their power to issue pardons.
… But the governor has also tackled cases that his predecessor wouldn't touch: a backlog of clemency appeals from lifers who had convinced state parole officials that they were ready to be released. "You have these situations where race may have played a part, insufficient counsel may have played a part, where the shooter is out and the accomplice is still in," Ehrlich said. "Those needed to be addressed."
Read the full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401851.html
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 25, 2006; Page A01
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has been unusually active in his use of executive clemency powers, pardoning scores of convicts and commuting the sentences of five who were serving life sentences for murder.
Since taking office in 2003, Ehrlich (R) has granted clemency to 190 former convicts, reversing a two-decade trend among state and national chief executives, who have largely shelved their power to issue pardons.
… But the governor has also tackled cases that his predecessor wouldn't touch: a backlog of clemency appeals from lifers who had convinced state parole officials that they were ready to be released. "You have these situations where race may have played a part, insufficient counsel may have played a part, where the shooter is out and the accomplice is still in," Ehrlich said. "Those needed to be addressed."
Read the full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401851.html