Two weeks after Governor Kathy Hochul pardoned six individuals but chose not to commute the sentences of any of the more than 1,000 New Yorkers who have applied, advocates stood outside her Midtown office on Tuesday and called on the governor not to let political pressure prevent her from keeping her promise to regularly use her clemency powers to release reformed individuals from prison.
Read MoreWhile Governor Kathy Hochul has worked to ease the crisis facing New York’s prisons, she has yet to utilize a power granted only to her that could lead to the release of dozens, if not hundreds, of people locked for decades in New York’s prisons.
Read MoreIn New York and in many other states, governors typically grant clemencies, whether they are sentence commutations or pardons, around the holidays. For Robert Webster, Christmas came and went without news from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
Read MoreAt the age of 51 with nearly 20 years of his sentence left to serve, Robert Webster is awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision on his application for clemency.
“I have a unique and solemn responsibility to carefully use the power of clemency to address individuals in the criminal justice system who have made mistakes and have taken extraordinary steps to rehabilitate themselves.”
Read More“These ten clemencies are another step on the long march towards a more fair, more just, more equitable, and more empathetic New York.”
Read More“This doesn’t erase what I’ve been through, but it puts a little alleviation to what I had to live.”
Read More“Governor Cuomo needs to know that there are people inside who deserve the clemency I got.”
Read More“Gov. Cuomo’s unique clemency power can be the difference between permanent exile or being able to stay with loved ones and community.”
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