Pardons have been issued by warlords, kings and queens, governors, and presidents since humans decided to follow them.

In the case of the federal government a request for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice for investigation and review. Each case is individually reviewed and a recommendation is sent to the President for his review and decision.

It's my bet there are similar guidelines in most states.

The great thing about law is that each case is unique. Aspects may be similar, like the charge, but the persons, the facts, the courts , attorneys, location etc...all combine to make every case worthy of study and carefully considered judgment. Each is unique.

Saying "Jack that bastard pardoned a murderer! He must think murder is okay!" or "He is unamerican!" is just plain ignorant.

You do not know the circumstances of these cases and their prosecution. If you want to argue on a case by case basis then bring it on. But...that would require research and consideration of the facts. Something that seems to be too difficult for many.

Oh, I forgot to add that nearly every president has issues a slew of pardons, typically in the last days of their presidency, to a number of persons. Executive clemency can be issued only in the case of federal crimes.

Shrub will issue clemency orders as well in the last days of his presidency. I will watch with interest for the list issued after he walks out the door to live at all our expenses for the rest of his life.

Here are the facts as I know them on one particular case. Gov Barbour is considering the pardon of a man who brutally shot and killed his ex-wife 3 yrs after they divorced. During which time he stalked and harrassed her before said killing. Do u feel that it is right to give him a pardon because he's worked as a trustee and has behaved himself so well? If u do then why don't u write a letter to her family explaining just that.

Are there any mitigating factors?

If the sole reason a pardon is being considered is that he has behaved well while in custody than no I would not consider the pardon justified.

Sometimes pardons are issued to save the state money. Like in the case of a person who has been jailed and is dying of say cancer. When death from disease of old age is expected in a relatively short time and the inmate is incapacitated by their illness and therefor likely not a danger to society pardons make economic sense.

An example, cancer treatment, where cost the state let's say $5 a day. The inmate if released treatment cost will be responsible for that $5 a day until he or she dies. I say let them out. (Not because I care that a violent offender dies in or out of prison.)

Micheal David Graham has served 19 yrs of a life sentence. He has repeatedly been denied release by the Parole Board. He has served as a trustee at the governor's mansion for the last several years. He is a "young" man and has no medical issues. This is the man that Gov Barbour is looking at giving a pardon to. A man who stalked then shot and killed his ex-wife of 3 yrs. I'm so glad this is Gov. Barbour's last term. With Governors like him who needs enemies???

If the sole basis of the pardon is his behavior while serving as a trustee in the service of a governor then yes, I would have serious reservations about him being pardoned.

Makes you wonder if the guy has some dirt on the Gov doesn't it?

makes me again realize why I didn't vote for Haley in either of his 2 election terms. I only pray that he doesn't come back to Yazoo City when his term is over. Let alone try to run for some other office. I pray he retires from politics.

Reddbeans, in reply to your question to me about pardon/clemency for crimes that resulted in the (intentional) death of someone, I can say few things.
A balance of general moral fibre once held sway. Groups took away the rights of the public by legal fiat. Those groups used the legal system to circumvent the tide of moral justice and replaced it with legalities.

I used to believe that 'better that ten guilty go free than to wrongly imprison an innocent' person.
Then, innocent friends of mine died thru serving the welfare of the general public, via military or civic service duties. Also, two classmates of mine were killed by another classmate, who was driving drunk after I warned him of the impending crisis. In essence, he determined to drive drunk until he killed our classmates, and then he got off with six months in jail.

The issue has changed, too, due to the growth of criminality. It is my opinion that there simply cannot be enough jails/prisons/death penalties to curb the growth of heinous crimes. If penalties are no longer a deterrent, another means of protecting the public must be found.

[For this reason, I support the education of the general adult populace in the use/ownership of all sorts of protective equipment. Especially the right to bear arms, and defend one's person and property against unlawful intrusion.]

i beg your pardon?

i never promised you a rose garden!

we cede the right to give pardons away it's a gift
of power to our governors/presidents short circuiting
our true legal process. do we have so little faith in
our legal system? what makes our president/governor's
temporary position of power qualify them to make the
judgment as to where our system of laws has failed?
why?

it's wrong i say to give this method of handing out
legal favors unrestricted to our executives. it is a
power too easily abused. there are other ways to address
inequities in conviction and sentencing. these are
the methods which should be used and if necessary
modified for the equal benefit of all who may have
reason to redress their punishment.

which candidate will be the first to say we should abolish
the pardon mechanism? McCain? Obama?

The juridical system should be run by judges and jurors and not by government officials .
Having said that , the governor should not pardon murderers , pedophiles and other very dangerous criminals . Even the president should not pardon his friends and entourage and let them rot in jails .

It is an undeniable fact the the innocent are convicted of crimes and jailed.

I attend a college here in Michigan where a female instructor was murderer in her classroom. In the months before, several other women her age were assaulted and murdered. Police loudly announced one day that they had arrested the murderer, a person already jailed on some minor charge.

The suspect was a homeless man who often slept on or near campus. He was tried, convicted and sent to prison. All this despite the fact that when the murder occurred this man was captured, on time stamped college security video in another part of the campus asleep on a couch. The prosecutor knew that he could not have committed the murder.

Then another woman was assaulted and nearly killed. She was able to identify the man who assaulted her and he was later linked by DNA to the other assaults and murders.

Only then was the first man convicted allowed to leave prison. Thank goodness MI has never had the death penalty or that innocent man may be dead now.

So, what if the true criminal had not been caught and say down the road ten years the information about the tape was found.
Should the governor pardon the wrongly convicted man?

Yes a wrongly convicted man should be pardoned with all haste. But someone who is guilty should not be released. Do you want a murderer, rapist, phediphile living next to you and your children?
Yes there are problems with our legal system. I seen it on a daily basis working as a deputy. Capitol murder charges being dropped down to manslaughter simply as a plea bargain.
I do not feel that governors should have the power to pardon. Is that not why every state correctional institution has a parole board? Let them do their job. It takes a majority vote to issue a parole, not one.
As for having the right to bear arms and protect yourself, family and property. MS recently passed into law the right to do so. Thank Goodness. Now not only does someone have to get passed my guard dog they now have to get pass my smith & wesson. It might cause an outcry when I say this but I aim to kill.
Just the other day my neighbor's home was broken into in broad daylight. I can only say the man that did it is lucky he didn't try my house and I wasn't home. Or otherwise there would be a funeral today instead of him sitting in the local jail enjoying a free meal.

Hell YES!!!!!!!!!

Well, you could do a clean sweep. Include pimps and crack manufacturers/dealers. They have a lot of business in common with the top three.

and George w bush pardon Scott Libby. a man who put a CIA officer life in danger.

Here it is the way I see it in a nutshell.........No one person should have the power to pardon.

no because if libby was a normal american. he would still be in jail. where he belongs.

So no person should be granted the power to grant a pardon?

Gee you are right! Let's let the innocent languish in prison, let's increase the cost to tax payers by holding onto dying prisoners, let's ignore prosecutions made for political reasons or based on false evidence, and lastly let's stop questioning.

Funny that Shrub wanted to pardon Libby his errand boy before he was even charged. Commuting his sentence was a joke.

For all you religious types who are constantly making judgments about others actions and motivations, as if you were a god yourself, isn't there some precedent for the granting of pardons in your religious traditions?