Board of Pardons

Investigations Process

After your application is filed, a parole auditor from the Department of Corrections will investigate your case. They will conduct a phone interview to provide the Board of Pardons with an update on your personal status.

About the investigation

In advance of the interview, a report of your criminal history and driving violations will be generated. You will be contacted to arrange a phone interview to gather more information for your application for clemency. The interview should take less than an hour.

Failure to make yourself available for the interview, or to provide the requested information, will result in your application being administratively withdrawn.

Prepare for the investigations interview

The following topics may be discussed during your present status interview with a parole auditor from the Department of Corrections. Please come to the interview prepared to discuss this information.

Residence history

  • List of the addresses where you have lived in the past five years

Marital status and family composition

  • Date of marriage, if applicable
  • Spouse’s prior name, if applicable
  • Number of adult and minor children for which you are obligated to provide financial support

Employment

You will be asked about your current employer. If you have been employed at your current job for less than a year, you must provide the same information for your prior employer. This includes:

  • Employer’s name
  • Start date
  • Job title
  • Salary
  • Full-time or part-time
  • Explain the type of work that you do

Resources and indebtedness

  • Do you receive any monthly income or assistance outside of, or instead of, regular employment? For example, pension, alimony, child support, unemployment compensation, social security income (SSI), social security disability insurance (SSDI), or any other form of public assistance
  • Total household income
  • Estimated total outstanding debt
  • Are there fines, costs, and restitution related to your conviction paid in full? If not, what is the outstanding balance and when is the last time you made a payment? If you are unable to pay, please provide detailed explanation of what your specific challenges are. 

Education

This may include all high school, college, trade school, or career certification programs, including:

  • Name of school or program
  • Area of study
  • When did you attend?
  • What degree, diploma, certification, or license did you obtain, if any?

Military history

If you have served in the military, you may need:

  • Your military service records, specifically the DD214
  • Information on type of separation or discharge

References

It is optional to provide references during the investigations process. You may provide up to three personal and/or professional references. These references will be contacted by phone.

If you have more than three references, the others should write letters on your behalf. Letters of support can be shared with the parole auditor or directly to the Board of Pardons by email or mail.

Special conditions and voluntary treatment

  • Have you ever completed a drug/alcohol or mental health evaluation?
    • If yes, was treatment recommended and did you complete it?
  • Have you ever participated in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), or Narcotics Anonymous (NA)?
    • If yes, where and how often did you attend? What was your level of participation?
  • Have you ever completed any other programs, such as Alcohol Highway Safety School, anger management, parenting or domestic violence classes, Victim Impact Panel, or Court Reporting Network?
    • If yes, where and how often did you attend? What was your level of participation?

Details related to the offense

  • Detailed information on the events leading to your arrest

Police contact

  • Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime since your conviction?
    • If yes, please provide the date of the event, the name of the police department, and the reason for the arrest/charge

Reason for requesting clemency

  • Why would receiving a pardon help you?

Additional information

  • Is there anything you feel is important for the Board of Pardons to know about you?

After the investigations process

Once the investigations process is complete, the Board of Pardons will conduct a merit review of your application. The Board will review your application and information from your interview. During the merit review, the Board will decide if your case should be heard at a public hearing.