During the second half of 2023, Governor Pritzker granted a total of seventeen (17) pardons, in various forms, to the same number of petitioners and those results are summarized as follows:
- one (1) pardon;
- eight (8) pardons authorizing expungement;
- one (1) pardon based on innocence;
- five (5) commutations of sentence;
- one (1) commutation of sentence from forty (40) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to “parole eligible”; and
- one (1) commutation of sentence from life to twenty-five (25) years in IDOC, to be served at fifty percent (50%).
The crimes at issue were all felony offenses, and several were violent in nature, including first and second degree murder convictions. There was also one sex offense included among the pardoned crimes.
As an aside, in doing the research for this blog post, I was able to see some case information in one (1) or more Clerk’s Office case databases. Please be sure that if you choose a restorative justice attorney to assist you with an expungement (or sealing) you find someone well-versed with the laws and procedures in this highly technical field, and, moreover, that the attorney is able and willing to do comprehensive research to find any and all eligible offenses/cases to include on the petition for relief! You are able to do a petition to expunge and/or yourself (pro se) (same applies to a petition for clemency/pardon) but for the reasons just cited, that’s not something I recommend. The laws in Illinois are highly nuanced in this area and in order to give yourself the best chance possible at a “clean slate” of a record, it really is best to hire an attorney extremely familar with the subject matter.
Congratulations to the seventeen (17) individuals who were successful in their respective quests for a pardon from our Governor! Everyone else, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me to discuss your own situation and, potentially, for us to begin working together to put you on a path towards putting past mistakes behind you once and for all.