"Like winning the lottery": Clemency in PA

People serving extreme prison sentences or who may be out of prison but find their lives complicated and harmed by a past conviction can seek relief through clemency, the process in which a sentence is commuted or a conviction is pardoned. It's a long process that involves approval from both the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and the governor.

In this episode, we learn more about why people seek clemency, what they have to do to get it, and how the intersection of the immigration and criminal legal systems can have a devastating impact on immigrants and their families. To explain this, we hear from Maria Goellner of FAMM, David Bennion of Free Migration Project, and Jesenia Calderon, whose father Denis was deported to Peru in 2009 after an aggravated assault conviction in Philadelphia.

On August 2 and 3, the Board of Pardons will hold a series of public hearings on multiple cases, including Denis Calderon. A webcast of the board's hearings will be available at this link.

Learn more about FAMM's work in Pennsylvania, including on clemency.

For more information about the case of Denis Calderon and his cousin Julio Maldonado, visit Free Migration Project's website.