The Office of the Pardon Attorney receives thousands of requests for pardons and commutations each year. In many cases, the person seeking executive clemency waits years before receiving a response to his or her petition.
The delay in reviewing and making recommendations to the President on requests for clemency has crippled the clemency process. In addition, issues have arisen over whether the Office of the Pardon Attorney provides the President with an unbiased assessment of the merits of each petition for clemency.
To remedy these issues, the President should issue an executive order that replaces the Office of the Pardon attorney with an independent advisory board composed of citizens and other qualified individuals.
Brandon Sample
Prisoner Advocate
www.brandonsample.com