Group urges NC Gov. Cooper: Use your clemency powers more, grant pardons as term ends

A national group urged North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to use his clemency powers more often before he leaves office.

“As a critical component of your gubernatorial powers and invaluable piece of North Carolina’s criminal justice system, we hope that you will take our recommendations under strong consideration and use your clemency powers to their fullest extent during your remaining time in office,” Families Against Mandatory Minimums said in an Oct. 9 letter.

Exonerees and lawyers who represent them told The Charlotte Observer earlier this year that Cooper and governors before him have taken too long to review petitions for pardons of innocence and forgiveness. The state’s clemency system isn’t just slow but secretive and political, they say.

A pardon of innocence formally acknowledges that someone isn’t guilty of the charge they spent time in prison for. A pardon of forgiveness says that someone has reformed and earned some lost privileges.

Particularly concerning to FAMM: People who were under 25 when they committed an offense, and older people.

“Fortunately, people mature as they age — even those who have committed serious offenses,” FAMM said, urging Cooper to consider them especially. His Juvenile Sentence Review Board often takes on that work.

Research has shown that older people “are the least likely to reoffend yet the most expensive to incarcerate,” the group added.

A spokesperson for Cooper did not answer Wednesday when asked if the governor expects to approve more pardons in the coming weeks. Cooper has approved nine pardons of innocence, 12 pardons of forgiveness and 14 commutations since he took office, spokesperson Jordan Monaghan said Thursday.

“Given the limited time remaining in your term, we encourage you to urge the Governor’s Clemency Office, the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, and the Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission to review as many clemency petitions as they can and to recommend cases where the petitioning individual has shown a clear record of rehabilitation, would not be an elevated risk to public safety upon release, and has a good home plan,” FAMM told the governor.

Cooper’s second term expires Jan. 1 and he was prevented by state law from running for a third term.

Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.